We've now spent two days in lovely Sydney, I'm past my jet lag and whatever creepy crud I had. In keeping with my bathroom fascination started in Cairo (where I flooded the airport bathroom), I became closely acquainted with the lav upstairs in the bus class 247 we took. Sadly, the 380 we were scheduled to take from LAX was still grounded. Once on board, I was a bit disappointed at the menu, which had minestrone soup as an entree. Doug opted for the sea bass which he said was good. Once we took off, food was the last thing on my mind. The flight was uneventful otherwise. Customs and gathering our luggage was quick--a breeze really--(luggage carts are free and readily available), we queued for a taxi (all which seemed to take credit cards) and arrived at the hotel less than an hour after landing.

It was already 87 degrees at 9am. I must say upfront we are delighted with the Park Hyatt. Driving to the hotel, we passed the impressive Four Seasons skyscraper and charming local hotels. Pulling up under the beginning of the Sydney Bridge (also known by locals as the "coat hanger"), we came to a motel looking hotel whose front faced an alley. I dragged myself inside (still feeling ever so awful) and was ushered to a chair at one of the two reservations desks. There are no lines here. I looked around, waiting for Doug, and was quite pleased with the understated modern elegance of the modern lobby. It was a stark contrast to it's exterior. We were informed that our room was not yet ready and there was no chance that our platinum status would land us an upgrade. The hotel was completely sold out. As he uttered those words, Doug nudged me and said "isn't that John Travolta?" It certainly was, all attired in a Qantas pilot's uniform. I remembered reading that he was the honorary spokesperson for Qantas' birthday celebration, since he owned a Qantas jet and had piloted it over. Our view would be of the city and harbor- no opera house view. The reservations manager offered us use of a private "lounge" until our room was ready. We readily accepted as I needed to lie down. We were ushered into a windowless room, which had a couch and a table, a private sink and toilet room and a shower room. The manager found me medicine for my migraine, sent in a hot pack and tea and coffee. We took showers and crashed for a couple of hours. At 11, our room was ready. It was a 45 meter room, with a comfortable layout...just like the picture on the website. The marble bathroom was huge and elegant and there was a large walk in closet. The room was equipped with a flat screen tv, a leather lounge chair with an ottoman, a desk with a very comfortable high back desk chair and another guest chair at the desk. There was very ample storage-- not only the closet, but there were drawers in the bedroom and bathroom as well. the bathroom had nice toiletries, toothbrushes for two, shower cap and a band for a ponytail, a loofah, sewing kit, bath salts and shaving kit. fresh fruit, complementary drinks in the bar, coffee/ tea in the restaurant, bottled water and a coffee / tea machine was part of our welcome. There were three full length mirrors and sliding doors to a very small balcony. This was my only disappointment. I had hoped for a larger balcony with a view of the opera house.

The shower, meds, hot pack had somewhat revived me and Doug and I left to wander about. The location seemed ideal, with the cruise terminal in plain view as were the Sydney Bridge and Opera House. We wandered the area, which reminded me a bit of the Boston Harbor area. There were interesting shops and restaurants and a street market (crafts), a couple of museums and the ferry terminal all with a 5-10 minute walk.

We decided to take the advice of a local friend and grabbed a ferry over to Manly. The ferry ride was delightful and the fresh air really revived me. We arrived at a beach town. We looked for a place that would neither tax the budget nor our weakened guts. There was mainly fried foods, so we opted for a Moroccan restaurant, where we could eat more lightly. We wandered around a bit, astonished by the largest coleus, oleanders and hibiscus plants that I have ever seen. We noticed folks swimming in netted areas, which I assumed were to ward off jellyfish (we later found out that they were shark nets). After a pleasant few hours, we boarded the ferry home. We found out that we missed the open Pacific Ocean and watching the surfers.

Later, we ate at a restaurant called Pony, which served eclectic cuisine. In this restaurant you are seated family style at long tables. We were seated outside next to a charming couple, with whom we had a delightful evening. We learned that they live in the suburbs with two little ones and this was a night in the city, at the Four Seasons, paid for by their private health insurance. It seems, in an effort to get you out of the hospital, you get a voucher for a free night to be used anytime within a year.

We said our goodbyes around 11 and went back to our room to crash. We noticed that our AC wasn't working terribly well before we left, so we cranked it up before dinner. We returned to a room without AC. We called the front desk and they gave us some instructions for fixing it, which didn't work, so they moved us for the night to another room. We packed up some necessary items and the night manager apologized profusely and offered us food...beverage...anything to make up for the inconvenience, so we took his offer of breakfast. Night passed quickly, with the alarm going off before 7.

The next morning, we wandered down to breakfast and the manager recognized us and offered us a new room. This one a deluxe one, albeit no view. The one we used for the Night had an obstructed view resulting in seeing nothing. We said we'd go to breakfast and let him know. Breakfast was very nice, but the bill for the buffet came to $90! We were glad it was comped. Upon leaving the manager offered another room, one with a view. We accepted and packed up our things. Nothing is too much service-wise for this hotel.

We headed out for some new adventures bumping into travel friends in the lobby and meeting more of them at the sightseeing boat ticket office. We took a very interesting walking tour of the Rocks area, where the hotel is located. We learned that the Rocks area was the oldest area in Sydney and had experienced opium dens, ladies of the night, bubonic plague, slums and had been the home to the banished British criminals, the infamous captain Bligh and wild sailors. The most interesting takeaway for me was discovering something about America. It seems that 40000 criminals were previously sent to the United States (this explains my hubby's, Doug, heritage) prior to 1775. The revolution brought an end to the exportation of criminals to the US so Britain decided to send them to "the other side of the world", Australia. With 160000 criminals along with an 8 month journey, Sydney was founded. It was a settlement comprised at first of tents and wooded shacks, giving way eventually to limestone houses about 1816.

Much of the architecture is an attractive hodgepodge of English Georgian, Flemish, art deco, and Italianate dating to the 1800s coupled with stunning skyscrapers. Somehow it works. The streets today are mostly asphalt, but some cobblestone remains. We learned that the most resilient road material was, however, wood, and a very small section remains,

We met our fellow cruisers-Beth,Crystal, Betty and Lee (who is a Sydney native) for an afternoon sightseeing cruise to learn more about the city- its beaches (some nude), it's expensive waterfront homes (2-60 million dollars), and its more seaside life.

We then went downtown on the Free Bus to look for Birkenstocks. We learned this city is well laid out and accessible from almost any point. There is the waterfront harbor, the George Street shopping area, which leads to the downtown. You really can't go wrong wherever you stay. While a great city, the selection of Birkenstocks was weak. I came back without Birkenstocks but with something else.

I got Uggs. Now, I learned something else today. Uggs are everywhere. The name either stands for Ugh or is short for ugly. Uggs originated for sailors and then were picked up by surfers in the 60s. They were not a fashion statement. Lots of companies in Australia popped up making Uggs. They were not a branded item. Blue Mountain Uggs were one of the first Uggs manufacturers. It seems that the American company, Decker, bought the trade name and manufacture Uggs. In 2005, they came into Australia and tried to shut down all the local Uggs makers. While succeeding in some areas, they have not been successful in Australia. learning this, I realized that I'd probably do as well at home on price with the Decker Uggs, which are everywhere. So, I bought real Australian Uggs, which don't differ from the Decker Uggs. Did you know you are supposed to wear them without socks?

Just prior to dinner (7:50) we looked up, outside the Hilton, and there were about 200 bats flying overhead from the botanical gardens next to the Opera House. They flew in groups of 4-10 to hang out above the lights on the Sydney Bridge. They have wing spans of about 3 feet and were fascinating to watch. At 8 pm, Holland America's Amsterdam, pulled out of the port and we headed off for dinner at Cut. This steak out serves fancy cuts of beef...including flights of filet minion. So, that's our first two days and now shall go off to dreamland.