Tour Sydney whirlwind style

With merely two and a half days in Australia’s largest city, I scoured guidebooks and locals’ minds for suggestions as to the must-see sights. Looking like a total tourist (which I hate doing but sometimes feel is necessary for a myriad of reasons) by sporting my tennis shoes, a windbreaker, and my daypack, I hit Sydney’s streets non-stop.

Now I’ve created my top five must-do list for future travelers:
1. Attend a performance at the Sydney Opera House: Views from the outside do no justice to the acoustically-ideal interior. Learn, as I did, that the Opera House consists of six separate performance halls, not one.
2. Walk the Royal Botanic Gardens: Allow at least two hours to stroll from Mrs. Macquaries Point, offering picturesque views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, through the lower gardens along the Farm Cove waterfront.
3. Cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge: While the high fences (installed to hinder “jumpers”) detract from the city views, this typical tourist activity shouldn’t be missed. Empty your camera’s memory card beforehand to provide plenty of space for shots of the city’s skyscrapers, waterways, and world-renowned buildings.
4. Dine waterfront in Darling Harbour: Whether you prefer seafood, Thai, or kangaroo steak, one of the restaurants overlooking Cockle Bay and the Central Business District easily fills a hungry belly. I recommend eggs Florentine at Nick’s for a leisurely brekkie (breakfast).
5. Shop at Paddy’s Market: Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, stalls fill the ground floor of Market City selling almost anything imaginable. I opted for a pair of faux designer sunglasses, but locals crowded the fresh fruit and veggie stands making that area barely passable.

World Buskers Festival brings crowd-pleasing acts to Christchurch

Seeing an eight-foot-tall unicycle isn’t a daily occurrence for me. Being in an elevator with an eight-foot-tall unicycle and its rider certainly was a first for me yesterday.

But when buskers are in town, such encounters are to be expected.

The buskers? In the simplest definition, buskers are street performers. But they bring much more to town than the amateur shows at Mallory Square in Key West.

Each year, the World Buskers Festival descends upon Christchurch for 11 days, bringing national and international entertainers to the city streets around Cathedral Square, Victoria Square, and the Arts Centre. Save a few shows, the performances are free except for the highly sought-after donations to buckets and hats.

Straightjackets, swords (to swallow!), and pogo sticks abound in solo, duo, and group performances throughout the day. Slackwire Sam, who traveled from Vermont to perform, juggled flaming batons while riding his unicycle across a slack-rope.

However no one I’ve watched competes with FUSE Circus. The five Kiwis (New Zealanders) take to an aerial performance stage to swing high above the crowd on trapezes, flip from bar to bar, and twist on aerial fabrics. The audience gasped every time a group member went airborne across the stage outstretched toward another member’s hands.

FUSE Circus’ human balancing acts likewise garnered audible compliments from the crowd. I still am in awe remembering my favorite balancing stunt of the evening (pictured top left).

Pictured: FUSE Circus performing in Victoria Square on Tuesday, January 27.