Ferry ride to the Sydney Aquarium

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I feel as though the last couple of blog entries have been short. That is because I have been so sleepy in the evenings while I adjust to the time change. Today I will try to tell you a little more about what we are up to and write a little earlier in the day. First of all, it is great to have Maggie here. Traveling alone has its advantages, but there is nothing like the companionship of your best friend and loved one when exploring a foreign city - or doing anything else for that matter! We have been to Sydney twice before, so we are familiar enough with the city to remark on changes since we were last here eight years ago. Today we took a ferry out onto Sydney Harbor and it was fun to see all the little boats, other ferries, and cruise ships. It seems to me that the harbor is a busier place than it used to be, i.e. more traffic on the water. I took a photo of the Sydney skyline, including the Sydney Tower. We got off the ferry at the aquarium in Darling Harbor and enjoyed an afternoon's diversion there. It has been renovated recently and one of the new features is dugongs. (See photos) These creatures are close relatives of the manatee, as you would easily guess just by looking at them. After the aquarium we walked back into town and passed by the apartment building where we lived while I was here on sabbatical in 1998. (See photo) We picked up a bottle of Australian red wine and plan to have that with our spaghetti supper tonight. We are cooking in tonight and tomorrow we will explore some more!

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