ANZAC Day and a game they call "Two Up"

Truly, there is no holiday to compare with the Australia National Holiday known as Anzac Day! Its a mix between tailgating at a football game with July 4th with legal gambling mixed with a game I never heard of. Strange I know but what a great day and a tradition that I plan to continue with.

For those that don't know, today was a public holiday here in Australia known as Anzac Day. It is a holiday that celebrates the memory of all veterans that have died and or fought in all wars. The day starts with a commemorative dawn service at dawn followed by a ceremony at the Australia War Memorial. Two things that we did not take part in.

Unofficially, the day is filled with drinking, eating and a game EVERYONE knows as "2 Up." We met up with our friends Alex and Michelle around noon to catch the ferry to Manly. Once there we met up with another 2 friends Charles and Steve. Our first destination was the Skiff Club where following a quick bite to eat the betting and shenanigans began.

Here are the rules of 2 Up: (first day playing so I hope I get them all)
Someone pays to become a spinner, the spinner, who doesn't actually spin anything, is the person holding the wooden stick that flips 3 coins and hopes for at least 2 of the 3 to land on heads. Someone from the crowd has to match the amount that the spinner puts down. As long as the spinner continues to flip heads he continues to play. Each play the spinner's money doubles and again needs someone to match.
All the while, everyone in the crowd is making side bets with each other betting on whether the spinner will get heads or tails. Some bets are as small as $5 but I saw others go up to $500 for one spin!

Confusing I know! But heaps of fun! After the Skiff we headed to another place that was even crazier! I am already looking forward to next year!

Dalz Came to Town!

I had the pleasure of spending the last 1 1/2 weeks exploring Sydney with my sister, Dalia, who came to visit from Israel where she has been interning for the last 5 months.  We started her trip here with a ferry ride to Manly where we spent the day and night hanging on the beach and around town with some friends. Sydney was experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures hitting 106F (41C). Basically, being at the beach was like putting your head in the oven. Nonetheless, we had a blast!

The next day we decided to take a break from the heat and go to the Annie Leibovitz exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art (yay for air conditioning!) down in The Rocks. It was a huge exhibit and I personally loved it! It’s on through March so check it out if you can.

Dalia and I decided to spend one of our afternoons chilling poolside at the Ivy Pool, a complex of restaurants, bars, and a hotel. It's very posh and very Miami, and we had a great time ordering food, drinking wine, and swimming in the pool downtown among all the suits out on their lunch break.

That night we decided to hit up Opera Bar for some pre-dinner drinks. I cannot express enough how amazing this place is! The views, the crowd, the food, and the drinks are fantastic. We could have stayed and stared at the spectacular views all night but we decided to head out so we could hit up some more places. Here are a few photos:

By far the best lunch we had was at the Sydney Fish Market in Pyrmont. After two bus rides from Bondi we arrived to the smell of fish. Amazed by how much fresh fish and seafood there was to choose from we ended up getting a spread of salmon, king prawns, ½ of a lobster and some sashimi. Dalia even got a free raw oyster. Not wanting to end on a fishy note, we decided to grab some fresh cut mango slices and a couple strawberries dipped in chocolate. Probably the best strawberries of my life! If you come to Sydney this place is worth a trip.

In an effort not to make this post tooooo long, I will close with a few pictures of our coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee. The walk is too beautiful to pass up. The Bronte seaside pool is so beautiful and perfect for a swim. There is also a Bondi pool and they are both free to the public.

Dalia is now on her way to Thailand where she will be exploring yet another country. I think my older sister said it best…"Dalia, have fun on your trip within a trip within a trip!"

A Trip To Manly

A great way to travel and explore here is by ferry. It's pretty quick and offers the most amazing views of the harbour. Last week while Adam was stuck inside an office working,  I decided to head north on the ferry to Manly Beach. Its a 30 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay and was $13 for a return.

The view was beautiful and after arriving I immediately got a bubble tea and then I walked around. I happened to be at Manly while a surfing competition was happening, which I watched for a bit and now I am super motivated to get lessons. Whether we are good or not at least we have to try it out. I'm pretty confident but Adam might need some one-on-one.

A tip for ferry riders... sit in the back of the boat. The front has great views but the wind is so strong that its chilly, plus it totally messes up your hair...but the back is smooth like a baby's bottom.