This look familiar? Yes, the iconic Sydney Opera House. We arrived in Sydney the day before Australia Day, which is the Aussie 4th of July. A walk around town was planned, but setting off for our first destination, we ran smack into a car show. How is it that we can always find a car show? Anyway, most of the day was spent looking at the cars, and what an interesting collection. Many cars and trucks that we don't see in the US like Holdens, Anglias, left-hand drive Buicks, and Toyotas that have never been imported into the States. Some were more recognizable though:
The next day showed us more about the city. Our Meriton Serviced Apartment was in the center of the business district and very close to Chinatown. If you opened the window in the apartment, the smell of Chinese Bar-B-Que started your mouth watering. Except for one night that we HAD to have pies (from a shop called "Pie Face"), we ate Chinese or Japanese take-out every night. The Dim Sum place just down the street was just fabulous. Another great find was a Asian bakery called "BreadTop". This is probably the best bakery ever, and that's saying something when we've been in so many in France! Chinatown was decked out for the upcoming Lunar New Year, year of the horse.
We visited Circular Quay, Darling Harbor, the Rocks, and the Royal Botanic Gardens:
and checked out Mrs. MacQuarie's chair:
The Governor's wife liked to sit here and watch the boats in the bay, so finally a bench was carved out of the stone especially for her. Now, it's a popular place to sit and watch the boats in the bay. The view back toward the Opera House and the bridge from the gardens is beautiful:
Next, we took the Ferry across the bay to Manly. The surf's up in Manly, and the town and beach are keyed to the surf crowd.
We walked the scenic Manly path through Shelly Beach and on up into the National Park. On our way, we met up with one of the local Sea Dragons (and yes, he's as big as he looks...about two feet long):
On top of the point, there's an old artillery training school with a beautiful loop walk that offers a fine look back at the city:
Warning signs on the way down:
Didn't see any. They're nocturnal, apparently. Finally, the famous view, this time from the ferry, and a street scene from the Rocks area:
Next, we head for the boat!
