Sydney: Day 5

Tuesday was our last day in Sydney. We had a 5pm flight, so we had plenty of time to catch a few sights before we headed home. So we headed to the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Darling Harbour. These gardens were designed by architects in Guangzhou, China, which is Sydney's sister city. In the Dragon Wall (see picture), one dragon signifies Guangdong province; and the other, New South Wales. There is a pearl in the center that symbolizes prosperity. Complete with waterfalls, a lake, and pavilions, this garden proved to be a bit of peace in a busy tourist area of the city.

We met a friend of mine from high school, Scott, who now resides in Wollongong (just south of Sydney) for a boozy lunch at the only microbrewery in Sydney, the Lord Nelson. On his recommendation, I tried the fish and chips and Matt, the pie floater. The floater is a meat pie sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes topped with pureed green peas swimming in gravy. A truly Ozzie dish!

After spending a few hours eating, drinking and comparing all things Ozzie an American might find odd, we parted ways. Scott went back to work and we headed back to our hotel to pick up our bags via the Royal Botanic Gardens. The Gardens sit on the harbour's edge on Farm Cove and their motto is "Please walk on the grass. We also invite you to smell the roses, hug the trees, talk to the birds and picnic on the lawns." So we took a meandering path around the water's edge enjoying the gardens and getting one last look at the Opera House and Harbour Bridge before heading home.

Sydney: Day 4

Today we journeyed to the Blue Mountains. The mountains are located approximately 2 hours (by train) east of Sydney. They get their name from light reflecting on the oil that is released from the eucalyptus trees that primarily make up the forest. The mountains form a canyon with a tree-filled valley. We took the train to Katoomba and arrived to some chilly weather. So, our first stop was to get some hot soup for lunch and put on the extra clothes that we brought with us for the higher elevation.

Re-fueled and warmer we headed out to the 2K walk that led to the canyon rim. Once we arrived there we took a short path down to the rim trail where we could get a better appreciation for the canyon. We spent the afternoon hiking along the trail toward the next town over, Leura, where we would catch our train home. One of the most famous features of the canyon, Three Sisters, was on our way. Aboriginal legend holds that these sister were turned to stone by their witch-doctor father to protect them from an evil bunyip (which Ronnie, the trainer who I work with, describes equivalent to our Big Foot, but with fewer sightings).

We continued on passing numerous waterfalls and cascades that you could see from various viewpoints along the way. Just the breadth and depth of the canyon was beautiful in itself. It reminded us of our own Grand Canyon but filled with trees. As we got closer to Leura, the gentle rain started, which then turned less gentle rain and more full on downpour. Needless to say we decided to head for town.

Fortunately, we weren't that far from Leura at this point and since the towns were pretty small there weren't too many roads to get lost on, so we followed the traffic which took us to the town center. Matt checked the train schedule and discovered we had about an hour to kill, so we found a coffee shop to get something to warm us and wait.

While Katoomba is described as being more bohemian, Leura is more stylish in a Victorian sort of way. The town center is lined with posh restaurants and stores enticing to the tourist, especially on a rainy day. The first coffee shop we found had seating in the rear that overlooked the mountains. A perfect spot to spend some time. We opted for hot cocoas (I have forgotten to mention all of the hot cocoas here are served with large marshmallows, yum!) Matt couldn't resist a snack of apple rhubarb cobbler with raspberry sauce and cream. It disappeared so quickly that it was the first time we have ever considered ordering seconds on a dessert! Although later that night at dinner, back in Sydney's Surry Hills district, we almost had a second serving of panna cotta, which Matt had been craving all week.

Sydney: Day 3

Today we were late risers due to the festivities of the night before. So, once we were up we decided to head to the Sydney Fish Market for lunch. It looked to be not too far from the map and it was overcast, so we headed over on foot. We didn't count for the humidity and by the time we got there we were a bit warm. Anyways, once we arrived we entered the market that was swarming with people. Since it was Sunday, the trading side was closed, but unless you have special permission a tourist can't enter there anyways. The market not only housed a number of seafood retailers and restaurants, but a bakery, a cheese shop and a wine store as well. Due to the numbers and the types of seafood, it is said that this is the most diverse fish market after Tokyo. We perused the different vendors and came up with a game plan: I would get the fish fillet grilled and some chips (french fries) and Matt would get the sashimi and oysters (famous Sydney Harbour Rock Oysters). Whomever was done first would get the wine! Thirty minutes later we had a picnic on the water. Everything tasted delicious...if we were living in Sydney we would be eating here every weekend!

With full and happy bellies, we headed to our destination for the day: Manly Beach. To get to Manly you have to take a ferry which is also a great way to see Sydney Harbour. The ferry terminal was across town, so we passed through Darling Harbour on our way there. Sydney's Chinese New Year celebration was still going on and today's featured event was the dragon boat races in the harbour. We took the pedestrian bridge over the water, which turned out to be an excellent viewpoint for the races, so we stopped to watch for a while.

We arrived at the ferry terminal in time to catch the next ferry to Manly, we purchased our tickets and found seats in the stern. The ferry ride took about 30 minutes passing by the Opera House, Fort Denison and a number of beaches and islands along the way. Once we arrived in Manly we strolled down towards the beach. There were a bunch of stores along the way and I proceeded to do a little shopping. The waves were looking good to Matt, so he rented a surf board. He caught one really good wave, but this was not witnessed. I opted to do some reading under the cover of some trees, as it had started to rain.

Ironically enough, the rain stopped just after Matt returned his surf board. We were both a bit chilled, so we found a coffee shop where we lingered waiting for the next ferry home over tea and hot cocoa.

Sydney: Day 2

Saturday we awoke to a bright, sunny day. The weekends in Sydney are filled with local markets. The most famous, Paddington Market, was first on our list for the day. So, after a quick breakfast in our room, we hit the streets. Paddington, also a neighborhood in Sydney, was just a short bus ride from our hotel. This neighborhood is well known for its shops and restaurants and also the Victorian architecture that is marked by the wrought iron "lace" verandas. Its market is known for the unique variety of items you might find on any given weekend, as well as wares from numerous up and coming designers trying to make it. And just because they are up and coming does not mean cheap!

So once we arrived in Paddington, we spent some time wandering through the market checking out all of the goods. After we hit the sidewalks in search of a mid-morning snack. We were definitely in the right place and had no trouble finding a cafe for some pastries and coffee. After being re-fueled we wandered along the back streets a bit to catch some of the architecture. We also managed to find an aboriginal art gallery and great bookstore were we spent some time browsing. Our wandering took us over to the King's Cross neighborhood where we arrived at the local market just in time for lunch. Luckily for us, this market specialized in food, so some dumplings, egg rolls, fresh fruit and a muffin for dessert and we were fed.

King's Cross architecture was originally Victorian style with the luxury buildings having a view of the harbour. This made for a nice walking tour of the neighborhood. The highlights here were the Elizabeth Bay House and Del Rio. Elizabeth Bay was constructed in the 1830s in the Greek Revival style. Its highlight is really the manicured grounds, complete with coy pond, which overlook the harbour. There were a number of people just basking in the sun enjoying the view while we were there. Just down the street Del Rio stands and is constructed in Spanish Mission style. Now an apartment building that could use a few repairs, you could imagine what it would be like when it was built in the early 1900s.

After a long day of walking we headed back to our hotel to get some rest before our big night. We were headed to the Opera House to see Nigel Kennedy and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Back at the hotel, things were just getting started for the famous Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. The parade is held on Oxford Street, just behind our hotel. Turns out this world famous event draws approximately one million visitors! No wonder we had trouble finding a place to stay.

So after we had rested and gotten ourselves ready for the concert, we headed out to get some dinner. However, the parade route started at the end of our block so we had to go a bit out of our way to get to the restaurant. No worries, it gave us an opportunity to take in some of the amazing and sometimes shocking costumes that were wandering up and down the streets. Too bad we didn't bring the camera.

Sydney: Day 1

We arrived in Sydney Thursday night, but since it was late our first day really didn't start until Friday. Our day started off with a walk to the harbour. The harbour was busy with ferries coming in and out, a cruise ship docked, aboriginal street performers and tourists wandering the streets. It was here that we took our first sights of the Opera House. After sitting and enjoying the view we wandered over to the area known as the Rocks. This area was named after the cliffs that the area was built on. It housed some of the first buildings and streets that were constructed in Sydney. Today it is filled with restaurants and shops catering to tourists. On Friday and Saturday it houses a small outdoor market as well. When we passed through they were just setting up and we made a mental note that a lot of the food looked good. We wandered on through the winding narrow streets heading toward Observatory Hill where some nice views of the city and Harbour Bridge were provided. Since it was approaching lunch by now we decided to make our way back down to the market to find something to eat.

As we approached the market the smells of food wafted toward us and as we got closer we could hear the sizzling of food cooking. The vendors had wood burning fires and gigantic skillets to cook their food. I decided on the paella that had been calling my name earlier and Matt opted for the grilled spinach and feta on Turkish bread. We were not disappointed. Once we were fed we decided that we would head to the famous Bondi Beach for the afternoon. So we headed back to our hotel to grab our swimsuits and towels.

A train and a bus ride later and we were at Bondi. Surrounded by cliffs we opted for the clifftop walk before we hit the beach. The walk wound its way along the coast and offered some beautiful ocean views and amazing natural rock features. There are also a number of saltwater pools along the way. Once we had returned to Bondi, Matt jumped into the waves for some body surfing while I took a rest on the sand. Later as the sun was getting lower in the sky and the air was getting cooler, we started packing up to go. Fortunately, the pub across from the beach still had 15 minutes left of happy hour and plenty of outdoor seating. We ordered ourselves a jug of Coopers and some salt and pepper calamari and enjoyed the the rest of the afternoon.