Sydney Rain or Shine Part I

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Our first adventure in Sydney . . . a walk to Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and the Rocks. Keep in mind, part of the reason we decided on this trip is because both of our sisters had studied abroad here and raved about it - both of whom came in January, which is the middle of Australian summer. We, however, are here on the edge of spring and have unfortunatley had very dreary weather, so we imagined this sightseeing walk would have been even more spectacular if it didn’t seem like it was about to rain any second.

We stopped on the way to grab something to eat. This is only worth mentioning because I ordered quesadillas and when the paranoid pregnant lady asked what kind of cheese “tasty cheese” was, the waitress responded with, “tasty.” Of course I found this hilarious. A man adjacent to us leaned over and whispered, “That’s what we call it here - tasty cheese. It’s like a cheddar of sorts.” And of course, when we stopped in a convenient store later, there it was on the shelf, “Tasty Cheese.”

Anyways, we continued on. Taking a walk in Sydney is not like taking a walk in NYC or Chicago, it is full of hills, so you get quite your workout (especially if you’re 5 months preggo). The Sydney Harbour Bridge, the world’s largest steel arch bridge (http://www.sydneyharbourbridge.info/), was quite spectacular. We chose to walk around it, rather than over it, and instead walked towards the Rocks and the Sydney Opera House. All the streets, cafes, shops and surrounding area we were exploring are called The Rocks (http://www.therocks.com). It’s where the first European settlers stepped ashore in 1788. We didn’t really spend a lot of time there; we were more interested in making our way towards the Sydney Opera House (http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com). The size and architecture of the Syndey Opera House is definitely a sight to behold, however, I will say it’s much dirtier looking than either of us thought it would be. But hey, what wouldn’t be after being surrounded by ocean for almost forty years (it was completed in 1973)! I’m hoping that before we leave town we will have a chance to see Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night there . . . Sean??

We thought our day trip was over after the Sydney Opera House, but as we circled around we walked straight into the Botanical Gardens. I can see now why people would live in this area - it’s fabulous for running and walking (we oddly have not seen anyone on bikes yet). From the walkway I spotted a huge tree that reminded me of the talking trees from the Wizard of Oz, so of course we had to explore. It’s called a Ficus Microphylla or Moreton Bay Fig. The gardens were absolutely gorgeous and sprinkled with wild birds. Satisfied (and tired) from our explorations for the day, we headed home having seen some of Sydney’s most well known monuments.

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