My butt hurts! No wonder, I have been cycling through Sydney for about 5 hours and I haven’t been cycling in 3 months… it was great though! I rented a well maintained 21 gear bike at ” Bonza bikes ” in the heart of the Rocks, the oldest part of Sydney, which is located btw Opera and Harbour Bridge. The YHA Harbour is the only budget accommodation in this pretty area and offers superb views from the rooftop terrace. I took off rather late (12ish) and started the tour by driving along the coastline, passing the Opera House and the Botanical Garden, riding along Woolloomooloo Bay, Bushcutters Bay, Double Bay and Rose Bay  (the latter three with countless yachts) and then cut through to Bondi Beach, which is large, but not all that appealing. It took me a while to accept that riding on the coastal path south wasn’t such a great idea. It wasn’t that crowded, but there are plenty of steps and although the bike was light it was annoying to carry it up and down. Making my way round on the streets, though, usually meant that I had to go further uphill… Hell, yeah, Syney is hilly!! Passing through Tamarama Beach, Bronte Beach, Waverly Cemetary, Clovelly Bowling Club  (Bowling? It looked like boule with bigger boules! On the grass! Three fields! Crazy.) and Clovelly Beach I finally stopped at Cogee Beach, which is quite big, but not as bustling as Bondi. Instead of joining the sunbathers on the beach I decided to take a dip in Wylies Pool, a saltwater rockpool at the southern end of the bay. It was magical! I took five rounds surrounded by a few locals and couldn’t believe my luck. So refreshing in every sense! I must have spent over an hour there before I headed back to Bronte, cutting through to Queens Park, Centennial Park, down Oxford road and through Hyde Park, ending up at the Opera House. It’s weird, but as a cyclist I feel so much more like a local. It made me feel like I belong here and know my way (well, thankfully I’m able to read a map). What’s true, though, is that by cycling through a city you get to see a lot at the right pace and definitely a lot more than the ordinary tourist. I really wouldn’t mind staying here for a longer while. I LIKE this city!