Bavarian Bier Cafe in Bondi Beach
Even though I didn't manage to ride a single wave, I had battled the surf so much that my stomach had been growling in protest for a while, demanding food. I was looking around for a place to eat when I spotted some very familiar faces walking by over there.
"Oh! We meet again!"
It's not like there's a guidebook saying you have to visit the Opera House on your first day off in Sydney and Bondi Beach on your second, but it was amazing to run into A and J again today after seeing them yesterday. Honestly, when we parted ways, I thought I'd never see them again, so it's quite a coincidence. Plus, the more I think about running into them on this massive stretch of Bondi Beach, the more incredible it seems.
To celebrate this amazing encounter, we decided to all grab lunch together at the Bavarian Bier Cafe.
As for this restaurant, when I arrived at Bondi early in the morning, I hadn't performed my sacred morning ritual at the hotel, so I had a sudden bathroom emergency. I was looking for a public restroom like we have in Korea, but Yongwan told me that in Australia, you can just walk into any restaurant and ask to use their restroom. Wait, in Europe they charge like 1 euro every time you use the toilet, but here it's free? Such nice people. My mind was getting increasingly hazy, so as soon as I blurted out, "Can I use the toilet?", I got an unimaginably kind response telling me it was in the back and to go ahead. They were right in the middle of cleaning to open the shop, so I felt incredibly self-conscious, but that wasn't important at the time.
Since this place allowed me to perform my morning ritual, it felt only polite to at least eat lunch there, so I led the group inside. Somehow, it ended up being another place that sells German beer and food. Only then did I remember that the name 'Bavarian' refers to the ancestors of the Germans. Honestly, if anyone saw this, they'd think I came all the way to Australia just to seek out German restaurants.
I guess this is really goodbye to these chance encounters. I don't know if I'll ever see them again. Still, thanks to them, my lonely business trip felt like a fun sightseeing tour.