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Sydney, Australia. It may not be the capital of this country, but it's the city that everyone thinks of when first hearing about the land down under, and I am in it. To be honest, it isn't as great as it has been made out to seem. I really did become a Melbourne lover during my time here, so poor Sydney has been shafted.

My first morning, awake at an early 6:30 am, I made my peanut butter and jam sandwiches for the day, packed my bag, and with map in tow I started out on my adventure around this iconic city.

As I ventured out into what is the bohemian and burlesque area of Sydney by night, I was greeted with well suited businessmen and women rushing through their commute to work. It was a completely different scene than just a few hours before.

First stop was the El Alamein Fountain right in King's Cross. I took my time having fun being a photographer and capturing the fountain with different shutter speeds before beginning my long walking tour of the day. My tour next took me past the Woolloomooloo (yes that name is real) naval base, where I caught a glimpse of many of the nation's huge warships. Very impressive. It was here at Finger Wharf that I stopped to enjoy the first half of my pb&j breakfast. The area is known for a multitude of al fresco dining spots that cater to the rich and famous. I just thought I would join the in crowd for a few moments, before I snapped a pic of Harry's Cafe de Wheel's pie place and continued on my backpacking journey.

It was still early morning here in Sydney, and quite a chilly Autumn morning at that, but the hike out to Mrs. Macquarie's Point and past her chair. The view across the harbour were spectacular, but as I rounded the point and looked towards the city, it was the sight of the Opera House that took my breath away. My entire life I have seen images of this iconic structure, and here I was looking across at it, and having my picture taken by it. The experience really was the crowning jewel on my entire trip.

But of course it wasn't enough to view it just from a distance, not when I could actually go right up to it. So after finishing the rest of my breakfast sitting on a sandstone formation that had been worn by the tides, and in full view of the Opera House, I set out on the path to this icon.

As I trekked around the harbour, I took in the sights of Fort Denison, the Sydney Skyline and the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was at the gardens that I received a pretty good shock. I was wandering the paths when I heard the strangest sounds coming from above me, it was unlike any bird that I had ever heard. And it wasn't a bird. Glancing up I took in the sight of thousands of bats resting in the trees, fighting over branches, and swooping amongst the foliage. It was extremely creepy.

After a few more detours I finally made my way up the steps of the Opera House, and there I was standing on the icon. I have to admit that the most exciting part was realizing that the sails are all made with tiles. I don't know what material I thought they would be, but tiles just didn't ever come to mind.

The rest of the day was spent wandering the city and taking in more of the free attractions, while capturing them on camera. I had fun, and plenty of memories were created, including a short visit to St. Mary's Cathedral.

I'm not going to lie that I did a bit of praying surrounded by the solitude of that cathedral. It may just be a building, but I did feel as if I was closer to God while I sat there and asked him to take a more prominent role in my life. To just show me a little more obviously that he was there. Strangely, as I left the cathedral and walked through The Domain, I said hello in passing to a man sitting on a bench. We exchanged pleasantries, but in response to my query on how his day was, he responded that God is good. I just felt it wasn't coincidence.

By the time I made my way back to the hostel at only 5pm my feet had been done in and I was exhausted. After enjoying some more rice crackers and canned chicken I settled in for an early night, and more adventures the next day.