Sydney

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Finally almost caught up. Great wifi in this place so plan to get quite a few out. So, anyway, back to Sydney, I finally made it. Got there late in the afternoon, took a short walking tour of Sydney and then dinner at the Crown Hotel across from the Vibe Hotel. Feel like all we do is fly, ride in coaches, walk and eat- emphasis on the eat. Sydney is a unique city, really lovely. First full day we took a coach tour around the city; checking out the Harbor Bridge and Operal House from afar and traveling through the oldest part of the city where the convicts and soldiers lived. From there we drove down to the headland and walked to the spot where convicts chipped a chair facing the sea out of the granite for the Governor's wife, Mrs. Madquirie. She would sit there when she was homesick for England. We headed to Bondi Beach, home of the Speedo. Knew these Aussies were crazy. Guess they did not think old, fat men would try to strut their stuff in a tiny Speedo. Got to walk in the water for a few minutes. Pretty cold water, but then again it is the Pacific. Back on the bus and visited a famous opal store where the largest Boulder opal in the world is locked in a vault tucked safely behind thick plexiglass. Learned there are only three opal mining areas and there are three kinds of opals, but then there is what we seem to buy in the US. If you own an opal that did not cost a very lot, then you probably have a double or triple layered opal. Think slices of opal are glued to black onyx and for the triple, covered in a thin slice of quartz. Real opals contain the original rock as a backing and love water. The other types will eventually separate, especially if you wear them in the shower, doing dishes, or swimming. Off we go again, this time to see Sydney from the 39th floor boardroom of the company Louise's husband works for. We all went out for a leisurely walk and then off for a Harbor cruise. Such a big difference between shore view and water view. In WWII three Japanese mini-subs tried to sink a US ship in the harbor. One got caught in the half-finished submarine net, one fled and one fired her torpedoes and fled. Instead of the US Navy ship, it sunk an Aussie supply ship. Then the sub disappeared. In the 90's the sunken sub was found with the skeletons inside and is now a war memorial, skeletons and all. After a quick stroll we had a private tour of the Sydney Opera House. More on next blog on that.

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