Australia – Sydney

Arriving in Sydney without my coat turned out to not be an issue as the weather was beautiful! From the train station it was an easy ride to the Sydney Four Seasons. We had no big plans for the evening except dinner at the Grain in the hotel.

The next day, however, was a very busy day. After an early breakfast we wandered down to Wharf 6 of the Circular Quay to catch our Hop On Hop Off cruise all around the harbor. We went in and out of the many harbors with the cruise lasting about an hour and a half. But before we started the cruise, I took the two iconic Sydney pictures.

Then, as we cruised, I snapped photos of the various locales.

We then had a fairly quick lunch at the Fortune of War, Sydney’s oldest bistro, and our tech skills are definitely improving by necessity! Ordering was done via capturing the QR code on the plaque on the table and paying via credit card (I keep expecting a message from Mastercard or American Express saying we think you’ve spent enough!). Then the drinks and food arrive at your table exactly as ordered.

Then it was on to the Sydney Eye Tower for an adventure! First we just walked around the enclosed tower. The views of Sydney were phenomenal! We were lucky in that we had such a beautiful day.

Then we did the exciting part, the Skywalk a few floors higher and around the structure on the outside! We were put into a contraption (under a blue suit) that allowed us to be tethered to a rail that runs around the inside edge of the walkway. One side of the tower had almost no wind, which made for pleasant viewing. The other side was extremely windy and rather nerve racking. Then there was the glass platform where pictures were taken!

After all that, just going to a Greek restaurant for dinner was a bit anticlimactic. But it was a full fun day!

We had a bit slower start the next day but eventually made our way to the Darling Harbor area where we had lunch and then walked all along the Cockle Bay Wharf area. Again, we had such a beautiful day that people were out and about and boats were going in and out of the harbor. We stopped at the Pontoon Bar, but this time we knew how to order!

We returned to the hotel a while before going to Whalebridge for dinner, which is an outside restaurant on the quay leading to the Sydney Opera House. What we had not counted on was the wind, which changed the temperature from comfortable to downright cold! We braved the elements (jackets, a blanket and a heater), had dinner and then walked the short distance to the Sydney Opera House. We attended a performance by the Luminescence Chamber Singers entitled “Garden of Earthly Delights.” If I could describe the program, I would but I don’t know how. I can only say it was extremely original, quite entertaining and very well done.

The Opera House was the background during dinner, and the pink sky was unbelievable! The Utzon Room is where the performance was held, and I include a final picture from the bottom of the stairs looking back. The only areas of the Opera House we could see were the lobby and the area for which we had tickets. No roaming around was allowed!

For our final day I started by walking to the zoo in Darling Harbor just to see a kangaroo and a koala, which I did. The kangaroos were lazy, so no jumping about. They were also smaller than I thought they would be. The koalas were cute, and, apparently spend all their time eating!

Early afternoon we walked some, just window shopping but no buying even with the abundance of opportunities available. We did enjoy a series of murals depicting the harbor area, and I include several.

An interesting fact about Australia is that 85% of the population lives within 30 miles of the coast. As you may have noted, the only city we visited that was inland was Canberra, the planned capital. Sydney is a beautiful city, mixing old and new architecture and is a lively city, constantly teeming with activity.

For our final evening here we started at Maybe Sammy, a very, very popular bar with a DJ. Then it was to dinner at Bistro George, across the street from the hotel. Both were perfect endings to this trip!

To conclude, one last look out our hotel window and finally, we get to say “we’ve been there!”