Advertisement
Published: September 22nd 2014
Edit Blog Post
September 17 – Today we explored Sydney – a city that fairly oozes art, history, culture, and parks – just a feast for the senses!! We were fortunate that the skies had cleared and although a bit breezy, it was a lovely day. We had company on this day as well. Keith, one of David’s long-time colleagues from the University had arrived in Sydney the day before. (He had flew in to surprise his niece on her Grade 12 graduation - nice uncle!) Keith has been to Sydney several times, and knew a great deal about the city, so he became our unofficial tour guide. By days end, we hiked about 10 kms through the Botanical Gardens, Hyde Park, St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Sydney Museum, and of course, the Harbour.
Both nights we had supper at the Australia Hotel which was recommended by the owner of the B&B. He said it had good food at a decent price, and was frequented by the locals. I loved it because it had fabulous gluten-free pizza! David enjoyed trying out the beer. Dining in places less frequented by tourists often results in experiences that make for good
stories (and good blogs). The pub was made up of several rooms as well as outdoor tables, and on the second night we arrived, most were full. We were thinking we may not be able to find a table when one of the waiters said there was a small room in the back that not many people knew about, and directed us to the ‘Parlour Room’ which was devoid of guests. The walls which must have been over 18 feet tall included an enormous painting of a nude woman who stared down at us as we ate (She did make the room feel a little more cozy.) At the end of the meal, I used the facilities (there’s a theme here) and upon exiting the stall was met by a young woman with a large flashing button on her chest and Australian flags sticking out of her head. I exclaimed, “You look terrific!” She then explained she was from Scotland and had just become an Australian citizen, so of course, she was celebrating at the “Australia Hotel!" I promptly took her photo and told her I would put it in my blog. I believe her name was Dani (I apologize
if I don’t have it right, I did have one wine.)
Following the meal, we walked down to Sydney's incredible harbour. Coming from land-locked Alberta, I've not been to many harbours, but I can't imagine there would be many as lovely as this one. Sydney's Opera House lights up the night and is like a jewel lighting up the night. There was also a tall ship
As we were retiring for the night, we heard loud popping noises coming from outside. I got up and looked out the window to find a riot of fireworks! It was just like this awesome land to wish us goodbye in such a splendid and colourful way.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.061s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 14; qc: 21; dbt: 0.0371s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
The Opera House
Beautiful