Sydney Day2

The rain impeded much of our progress on day 2 in Sydney, but even with the rain--this town is still a vibrant and beautiful city. We started out adventure at the Sydney Space Tower which is the city's equivalent to the Toronto Space Needle.  The photos below were taken from the tower and are an indication at the wonderful parks that dot the landscape of this city.

Sydney is comprised of several bay's--Rose Bay, Watson's bay, Cockle Bay, Double Bay, etc...This afternoon we went out exploring both Bondi Beach, a world famous beach in Australia for surfing and along Dover into Rose Bay, Watson and Double Bay.  The similarities to Boston are striking, although Boston is much smaller than Sydney.  Like most major cities built along the water, Sydney has refurbished its old industrial wharf's in the inner citywhich now house the aquarium, the museum of maritime history, the IMAX theatre and much more.  The night life is both dynamic and exciting with thousands of restaurants and even a red light district.

Speaking of nightlife, we journeyed out Friday night for a stroll along the water--dinner at City Extra a casual restaurant along the Circular Quay that ended with a stroll to the opera house and back through the botanical gardens. We ended the night back on the bay watching the lights of this electric city dazzle and wish we had at least another week to explore....tomorrow we head to Brisbane and then on to Heron Island...stay tuned.

Sydney day 1...Everything you've ever dreamed of...and more

Sydney was everything I had once dreamed it would be...and more.  We landed at 8:00AM thursday the 18th and immediately set to the task of investigating the city.  It started with checking into the hotel, the view from our room seen above in the photo.

The sun was shining, 75 degrees with a warm breeze off the harbor made walking around the city a shear delight.  First stop was a section of town called "The Rocks", it is a short walk from the hotel and is considered the original section of Sydney.  If anyone has ever visited Montreal or Quebec, the Rock would remind you of the old town's in bofth of those Citie's.  Beautuful old English architecture and fabulous eateries made the morning a delight of pastries and history.



Next stop came the warf where in Sydney water taxies operate much like the subway system in America taking passengers every ten minutes to different spots around the City.  We walked out the "Circular Quay" where the famous Sydney Opera House is located and then finally around the Botanical Gardens and back to the hotel.  There is so much history, beauty and open space in this City it is hard to explain.  On the one hand it reminds me of a larger Boston--but with more of the City built along a wider expanse of Harbor.  And for those who know Boston...Bondi Beach is no Carson beach!  More photos below, and still more to follow as we are just starting day 2 in Sydney where rain has impeded our morning adventures, but the promise of sun should bring an active afternoon!...stay Tuned!

Day 1

Here's hoping that the fender bender on the way out of Muir Woods will not be a indication of the trip to come...Day 1 started with a beatiful breakfast and a drive over the Golden Gate to Sausilito.  After some touring along the coast, Mill Valley and Tiburon, we headed inland to Mt. Tam where we saw the most amazing views of the city and sourrounding bays. 

Next stop Muir woods and a peaceful walk through the redwoods that ended with a thud..literally a thud into the Hyundai trying just a tad "too" hard to get our parking space.  If only they could have spoken English, we could have explained the kamakazi move arounf our SUV was both unwarrented and unecessary.  Alas, we forgot about the "incident" over a mexican lunch on the water in Tiburon regalling with stories of our past and amazed by the sure beaty that is San Francisco Bay.

Before heading back to the hotel we stopped off for a cup of Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista in San Francisco (Roy partook of the Jamison, I kept it to straight coffee), then a race up to Coits Tower for a sunset to remember.  So now we sit at the airport awaiting flight 896 bound for Sydney and more adventures to come.   Stay Tuned!

Cali--Beautiful Cali