SYDNEY AND BLUE MOUNTAINS

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SYDNEY AND BLUE MOUNTAINS

SYDNEY (TRIP 2)
My first impression of Sydney was that it was nothing special and I even remember saying that I would never go back again - but we are always wrong when we say never. I enjoyed Sydney very much this trip. It has a population of about 5 million but is spread out enough that you never feel congested.

Our stay was downtown near Darling Harbour and it is about a 15 minute walk to the main spots. First - we ran down to the sydney opera house to catch our tour, since we had missed our flight, and it is beautiful from the outside. The roof i believe, makes the entire site. If the American architect had only been able to finish in his true vision i think the inside and unfinished outside (ideally) would have made it even more than it is - but even so it is amazing.

Next to the Opera house is the Harbour bridge which you can walk across and get an even better view of the opera house. When climbing the stairs to the bridge you pass through "The Rocks" an old suburb that reminds me of the streets and architecture i saw in the Czech. A good restaurant down here serves Kangaroo, Crocodile, and Emu pizza.

Next to the Opera House you can also find the Royal Botanical Gardens and St. Mary's Church. A 15 minute bus ride from Hyde Park can take you down to the ever so popular Bondi Beach and Coastal walk. Though the waters were clear, and the coastal walk was beautiful, Noosa is still my favorite sitting/walking area (plus it is still warm in Queensland).

BLUE MOUNTAINS
Like the Rockies to those in Colorado these mountains are only a short drive from the heart of sydney. On a tour I saw four main points and got to lounge with some of the Eastern Grey Kangaroos.

For those wandering, blue mountains are called so for the toxins of the Eucalyptus leaves (a koala treat) evaporate into the air - they give off a blue fog - via the blue mountains. What makes them extraordinary though is that there are three layers. The top and bottom are Eucalyptus trees which often have bushfires but survive them and even need fire in some cases to sprout through their hard shells only a week after the fire has affected them.
The middle layer is rainforest because of the cool crevices found between the rocks and waterfalls.

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Photos

Sydney Harbour Bridge
Shadows of the night

Bridge and Opera
As seen from the Royal Botanical Gardens

I hate spiders
These guys are everywhere and are about the size of my palm.

Nocturnal?
These bats were set loose in the early morning in the Royal Botanical Gardens

Cemetery
This cemetery was included in the coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach.

Lounging with the Kangas
Eastern Grey Kangaroo of the Blue Mountains