Day 31 and 32 - Harbor Lights

After a walk to the beach in the morning (we were at a beach resort and thought we should at least SEE the beach), we were off to Sydney. Another travel day. A word about airlines and airports. Not once during our multitude of flights in New Zealand or Australia did we meet a security guard, flight attendant or anyone else connected with an airport or airline who wasn't pleasant, accommodating and just plain nice. Patricia beeps each time she goes through security compliments of her brand new knee. In NY they can be a bit cranky and not very pleasant in the body search. Here when she said she would beep, each person asked "hip or knee" with a smile and then proceeded with the scan. And for domestic flights there is an allowance for full water bottles. And last but not least you can leave your SHOES ON (as long as you don't beep!)

The airlines, especially New Zealand Air but Qantas as well were superb. Service, food, you name it, was a superlative experience. And we don't think it was because we flew business class because that was only one flight. We are going back on United so we shall see if there is a difference. We mean a 2 to 3 hour flight at a little after one pm, in coach, came with a hot lunch and a frozen ice bar just before landing. Put that in your pretzel bag American!

Clouds (Patricia)

On to Sydney. We arrived and checked into our hotel, again right in the middle of the area one wants to be in. Nice room, facing the back as they all have, but we only care that there are two beds and a bathroom.

It gets dark fairly early, but we took a walk to the waterfront to see where we were in relationship to the Opera House for possible night photography. We will need our tripods and the Harbor Bridge and The Rocks are all walking distance ... like ten minutes. The waterfront looks like a great place for night photos, lots of lit buildings, the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge as well as all the ferries that travel across the harbor. We had a simple (and relatively cheap) dinner, then a bit of a walk ending up back at the hotel. We watched some TV (been able to watch Big Bang Theory several times) and to sleep for a whirlwind tour of the city tomorrow. Taking the Hop on Hop off bus.

Day 32

We were up early for brekky and caught the hop on hop off tour bus (senior rate of course) across from our hotel. We decided to ride upstairs on the open top of the double decker and almost froze. It was not terribly warm in Sydney today, sun shining but very breezy up top. We braved it and took the 90 minute loop until we returned to our stop where we got off, went back to the hotel and got jackets. So all prepared for the chill we set out .. of course at that point it was just beginning to rain, which it did for most of the afternoon.

Older Architecture 

Sydney is a lovely city. The new architecture has been done to fit beautifully with the old architecture and both are well worth viewing. There is a very interesting mix of skyscrapers, tall apartment buildings and older colonial buildings. As in other cities they are saving the exterior of some of the older industrial buildings and refurbishing the interiors.

So we saw the Opera House, The Rocks, The Tower, the bridges, the harbor and most of the neighborhoods. There was a recorded tour which should have been individual ear buds. We were on the bus four times and after the third his voice and his information wore a little thin, we could have given the tour ourselves. Of interest was the bureau of births, marriages and deaths that they call Hatch, Match and Detach.

Bondi Beach (Patricia)

At the harbor there is a building whose purpose is to assign berths for the ships as they come in. They call it The Pill! Get it! Berths, Births!!!!!

We got off at several spots the second time around, one being the library which had two very interesting exhibits, one on photography and one on Aboriginal tree carvings. We then changed buses (all for the same price -whoop de do-) and direction and set off for Bondi (long I) to see the famous Bondi Beach known all around the world. (do you know it, you should!) We saw it, it was raining we did not get off the bus but it goes on the list of things we were supposed to see so we don't have to see it again. We stopped at Central Station to see the big clock, took a photo or two and waited in the rain for the last leg of the on/off bus.

Here we are in Sydney - photo credit some guy passing by

It stopped raining as we got closer to the hotel so we got off the bus and walked back trough the harbor. This was a terrific part of the day. It was just getting dusky, the clouds were breaking up and the light was lovely, so we shot some really nice images of the Opera House and the ferries going back and forth across said harbor. We went around the corner and took some also of the great looking buildings in The Rocks.

Sydney at Dusk

That was our day, we will find someplace for dinner that will not require most of our portfolios and head out again tomorrow for our last day. If the weather is nice we are heading across the harbor to Manly Beach because we are supposed to! In either case the tour of the opera house will be item one!!

For those of you who are chocolate fans, there are two Max Brenner restaurants in Sydney.