Sydney - the Sights

Sydney, Wed. Oct. 16 - The first place we headed in Sydney was the Harbour. Sydney's harbour is an amazing place. The water is a beautiful green/turquoise color and is always sparkling. The Harbour area is a dynamic buzz of continuous activity. There are many water taxis, boats of all kinds, ferries, sailboats, etc. The Harbour is sprawling, and many different neighborhoods are located on the Harbour. There is a very intimate feel to it with all the neighborhoods being connected by an extensive ferry system. Alongside the Harbour is an esplanade where many people hang out - walking, running, strolling, sitting, reading, etc., just soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the gorgeous view. There are also some amateur musicians that set up shop along the esplanade. My favorite were two Aboriginals, one playing the drums and the other playing a Didgeridoo. A Didgeridoo is a long (about 6 feet) wooden horn-like shaped instrument. The musician blows into one end of the Didgeridoo and the other end sits on the ground. The instrument makes a very low pitch haunting sound, and together with the drums makes very enjoyable music that I could listen to all day. We walked around the Harbour area known as the Circular Quay. We saw the famous Sydney Opera House, the Harbour bridge, and took a stroll through the historic Rocks district. This is the area where the city first began, and many of the buildings in the Rocks were built by the convicts who were the original settlers of Sydney. We took a ferry to Manly Beach, an absolutely beautiful beach with white sand and sparkling blue water against a clear blue sky. Jet lag finally caught up to us in the afternoon, so we headed back to the hotel to rest before dinner. No, we did not go to a $350 restaurant for dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant that didn't have any pasta on the menu. We had pizza, but the choices were very limited and not at all what we are used to. There was no pepperoni, but veal aplenty. And oh, there is no tipping at restaurants in Australia.