fun fact: sydney is the asthma capital of the world. apparently it's hard for a lot of people (myself included) to breathe here. especially during their spring with all the pollen floating around. since the first morning here i've been struggling with my asthma and when my inhaler just wasn't cutting it anymore yesterday morning i was prepared to go to the hospital to get an albuterol breathing treatment and steroid pills to help. luckily, my uncle showed up just in time to convince me otherwise...
my uncle - who also struggles with asthma - said the best thing to do when his asthma flares up is get outside and get active for a few hours. so i joined him, my two cousins and one cousin's girlfriend to go walk along the north (or maybe it was south??) head trail to get a good view of the city. turns out it is the best view i have ever seen of sydney. and we did skywalk last time we were here! next time we come it will definitely be on the list of things to do with nicolaus. in one direction there was an incredible skyline and the other was just a massive, flat turquoise ocean. apparently this trail is usually packed, but since we came on a windy, off-season weekday we had this spectacular view all to ourselves. it was one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring things i have ever seen. and at least a thousand times better than sitting in a hospital room :)
after that we tried to go to a war museum which ended up being closed, and instead went to manly beach to walk around the shops and eat some fish and chips on the beach. it was fresh and delicious (so delicious that one seagull literally swooped down and stole a crab leg from my uncle's hand) and by the end of the afternoon i could hardly breathe, not so much because of my lungs, but more because of the amazing seafood and crispy on the outside, melt in your mouth on the inside french fries that i ate way too much of. and don't regret even a little bit.