Happy Australia Day!

It’s my last day in Sydney, and everyone is celebrating Captain Cook’s landing on Sydney Harbour in 1788.  It’s Australia Day, and there’s so much happening!  There are 10 stages with 7 bands each on the Rocks today.  There are street vendors, markets, and plenty of lively bars and restaurants in which to celebrate.  Sydney is so much more than a typical city with the harbor and beaches just ferry rides away.  I’ve enjoyed every single moment here. 

On Sunday, after taking a much needed 3 hr. nap once I got into the hotel room at the Mercure Sydney (which I recommend for it's concierge and location to rail and bus), I was off to explore Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.  Around noon I caught the bus to Circular Quay (pronounced Circular Key).  This is the wharf where ferries are always coming and going.  This is also where you catch your first views of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  After I parted ways from the Kiwi (aka someone from New Zealand) I met on the bus, I experienced another one of those on-the-verge-of-tears moments.  There it was.  The Sydney Harbour Bridge.  I’ve had a picture of that bridge on the back of my bedroom door for the past two and half years, and here I was seeing it with my own two eyes.  I chuckled to myself and realized how far from home I really am.  As I walked towards the bridge to take some photos, I glanced to my right after I passed some ferry boats, and felt the same sensation again.  I was across the harbour from the iconic Sydney Opera House.  It was a hot and sunny day that I’ll never forget.  This picture is from a ferry ride showing the bridge and opera house from a distance.

I decided to walk into the Rocks area and look around at all the restaurants on my way to walk over the bridge.  I stumbled upon an outdoor wedding.  It was a windy setting, but still beautiful.  It took me quite a long time to figure out how to get up onto the bridge, but once I found it I walked up into the lookout pylon to take in the view.  After that I continued across the long bridge into Milson’s Point.  It was a quaint, quiet town atmosphere that I was pleasantly surprised to find.  I ate the best fish I’ve ever tasted at a small restaurant right when you get off the bridge called Fisherman’s Cove.  I’d never even heard of Barramundi fish, but the gentleman behind the counter recommended it.  It was a meaty white fish, not flaky.  If you ever get the chance – eat it!

I took the metro back across the bridge into Sydney.  The metro here puts every single metro I’ve ever been on to shame!  They’re double-decker trains like DC/Maryland/Virginia have for commuters outside of the city, but these trains travel the entire Sydney rail system.  I went over the harbour bridge along with the bike lane, pedestrian lane, and 8 lanes of cars.  After a bite to eat, I was ready for bed.

On Monday, Chris and I were together for the morning when we took a tour of the Sydney Opera House.  It was some of the best $28 I’ve spent.  We went into the various theaters and concert halls.  The night before, Jimmy Buffet performed so they were doing some massive cleanup in one area.   Before I left on this trip, my dad told me that when he was in Sydney in 1970 on rest and relaxation from Vietnam, the Opera House was being built.  Sure enough, the opera house opened in 1973, sixteen years after it was begun.  Three years after Steve Brooks laid eyes on it.  It was an extremely controversial design at the time, and the original Dutch architect actually never saw the completed project in person.  Because of the controversy as a result of the change in government during construction, he resigned and never returned to Sydney.  On a lighter note, there are over a million Swedish tiles that cover the 4 acres of roof area of the opera house that aren't even white.  There's a cool pattern to them actually that you'd never see in typical pictures.

I went surfing after the tour!  Chris and I parted ways as I took a ferry to Manly Beach.  The waves were intimidating at first, but I actually stood up a few times!  The instructors told us the conditions were challenging due to the high tide and rip currents, but I actually got the hang of it!  Crikey!  Word of advice though, if your swimsuit bottoms aren’t skin tight, opt in for the wetsuit no matter how hot it is.  Just sayin’.  Oh, and if you ever go to Manly Beach you must eat or at least have a drink at Sugar Lounge.  It’s a restaurant with an open-air-front across the street from the beach with comfy chairs.

Tuesday, Chris and I went to the Taronga Zoo across the harbour.  I saw my first koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, Tasmanian devils, kookaburras, and freshwater crocs!  Impressive zoo for sure! 

After that I took off to the Sydney Olympic Park.  I took a ferry there and fell asleep on the way.  I’m starting to get sore and pretty worn out.  The Olympic Park was fairly desolate as expected, but it wasn’t as bad as the Munich Olympic Park in Germany.  I went into the Aquatic Centre to look around, and it’s now a community aquatic centre.  One whole section is water slides and toys for kids.  The place was packed with swimmers.  I caught the metro back into the city after walking forever, and I caught a snooze on the train too.  I got back to the hotel around 7, sat on the bed and felt so relieved to rest.  But wouldn’t ya know it, I went back out to get some nighttime photos.  I took the ferry to Manly and back again to take some pictures from the harbour.  I’d tinkered with the settings on my camera the night before and finally figured out how to take a killer night photograph.  I didn’t get home until after midnight.

Today I slept in, and then we went on the Oz Jetboat Adventure.  There are companies that have speed boat rides around the harbour, and they make it a point to get you wet with spins and tricks in the water.  Today being Australia Day, the harbour was nearly bumper to bumper with boats.  We had to get through the traffic into some open water to do the tricks.  It was awesome!  We went out so far that we passed a nude beach.  There were plenty of people standing on the sand dancing and waving to us in all their glory.  It was a stitch!  I did a bit of shopping once arriving drenched back to shore, and then I went to Darling Harbour to meet Chris for the fireworks.  He wasn’t feeling well and came back to the room while I enjoyed a Barramundi fish dinner and glass of Australian white wine.  I saw the fireworks and guess what?  I nearly cried.  The grand finale was unbelievable!  They launched the fireworks off of 10-15 platforms set up in the water and also off of the three tallest buildings nearby.  Everything was synchronized to music perfectly.  I’m not even from Australia and I felt patriotic with the Aussies.  Australia Day was an absolute fantastic final day to be here.

The next leg of the trip begins in 9 hours.  We fly out for Cairns at 8:45am tomorrow morning.  I’m sad to see Sydney go, but absolutely stoked to see the Great Barrier Reef!