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Published: November 20th 2022
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It will come as no surprise to hear that we managed to get to sleep very easily last night! We still woke up very early but felt totally refreshed and ready for a day of exploring in the sunshine.
After walking around Darling Harbour yesterday we set off in the other direction to Circluar Quay this morning to find somewhere for breakfast. Found a lovely place down by the docks and ate alfresco while enjoying views of Sydney Harbour Bridge.
There were so many people around, a combination of workers pouring in from the Metro station ready for a day in the office and travellers arriving on the massive Royal Caribbean cruise ship which was parked up in the docks.
Our plan for today was to get some hop on-hop off bus tickets from the Big Bus Tours company so we could view everything in the city from an open top bus then decide which bits we wanted to do on foot. Which as it happens, were the same plans as the entire population of the cruise ship!
We just about managed to squeeze onto the 9:30am bus, plugged in our headsets and set off on the
city loop, it was quite slow going at times thanks to the traffic, but really interesting to see the city from a different perspective and be able to listen to the commentary while driving around.
The ticket we purchased also included a boat sightseeing trip around the harbour, so we got off at Darling Harbour and found a nice bar to get a beer while we waited for the boat.
Had a lovely cruise around the harbour, which at times was extremely windy and cold, but worth the goosebumps to see the Opera House from all angles as well as the hidden sandy coves dotted around the Sydney coastline.
Back on land, we returned to Circular Quay and walked around the docks to the Opera House and a spot of lunch underneath it. Found a great place to sit and people watch, such a variety of people passing through - from builders to brides. Food was brought out with mesh covers to avoid seagull strikes, they even had Seagull Patrol dogs doing the rounds to keep them at bay.
We walked off our late lunch with a trip to the Botanical Gardens, a very peaceful place
and nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a bit. Our lizard friends made another appearance here, we came across a group of girls snapping pictures of one on the path (that was us yesterday!), except for one of the group who was hanging back, asking "is it dangerous!?" We assured them it was not, then calmly walked by. But our assurances fell on deaf ears for the most scared one in the bunch, who was near panic and begged Roy to stand between her and the scary lizard so she could get past. Once he was in place, she built herself up to the short sprint and took off, just cleared the 'danger zone' then almost had a meltdown when Roy called out "Quick! It's coming! It's coming to get you!". She definitely picked the wrong person to ask for help in that situation!
We've just returned from a night time stroll back down to Circular Quay to see the Opera House illuminated with poppies. A great way to finish a busy day of sightseeing.
There are a couple of other places we want to see tomorrow, and we've still got
a 2nd day on our bus tickets so will be going for a trip on the Bondi loop.
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