Goodbye Sydney...

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Hello!
and so, we are spending our last few hours in Sydney in an internet cafe- killing time before we get our shuttle to the airport to fly to Singapore! (very excited although we think there might be heavy rain there.....!)
To bring you up to speed and to pick up where Katie left off after our last blog-
We spent thursday on the famous Bondi Beach- the sand was gorgeous, so pure and soft. We didnt venture into the sea apart from to dip our toes- there are strong currents, shark warnings, jellyfish and fast surfers- all in all not particularly swimmer friendly! We had a lovely day though- enjoyed the view, read lots, generally soaked up the sun! We had some dinner there and headed back when the sun had set.
On the friday we spent the morning at the 'Powerhouse' museum- science/invention/design orientated, lots of interactive stuff (and not just for kids!). They even had a special Star Wars exhibit- lots of models from the films, even some costumes and chances to build your own robot or floating car- we had a go on an air propelled chair too!
They also have great galleries on spaceships, trains and much more- we'd recommend it if you make it to Sydney!
After that we went to see the new Watchmen movie at the Imax (I didnt want to miss it on the big screen!) and luckily Katie enjoyed it too :-)
And so early evening we caught the ferry across to Luna Park- great theme park with much still as it would have been in the 1950s! Fantastic views across back to the bridge and the Opera house from the top of the ferris wheel too! Went on some fun rides- including one where you stand in a circular room that spins really quick- pinning you against the wall and then the floor drops away! Takes you by surprise- you can also watch people in it from above- very amusing when you know whats coming!
So we whiled the evening away there and then headed back to the hostel. The next day we went south of the city centre to an area called Paddington, which has a big saturday market- lots of nice stuff to look at and resist buying! We caught the bus across to Bondi junction too for another wonder around and got the last few things we needed for the next part of our trip.
In the evening we got a great spot at the front to watch the Mardi Gras parade through the city centre- very colourful and full of life- great atmosphere across the crowd too. Some very elaborate costumes and floats!
Yesterday we wondered down into the city (a very quiet sunday morning- think everyone was recovering from mardi gras) and to the Art gallery of New South Wales. Its in a lovely big old building- huge gallery spaces and quite a bit to look at. They have a lot of work by significant Australian artists, with a good mix of classic and contemporary art.
We managed to time things well and had just walked back to our hostel when the heavens opened and a couple of weeks worth of rain came down! So we did the less exciting tasks of starting to pack and washing our clothes.
So now that brings us up to date- half an hour left in this internet cafe then some lunch then Singapore here we come!
Will try and update again when we can- we think that our encounters with internet will unfortunately decrease from here on in but you never know!
Love to all
Iz and Katie xxxxxxxxx

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