Hi everyone! :D
..….there’s so much I could say about Sydney that I could probably write a book. I won’t bore you but try to give some of our highlights of our 4 days there. First of all….I don’t think there could be a more gorgeous harbor than Sydney. When you sail in you can see the bridge and all the high rises from far away. As you get closer you realize just how beautiful and CLEAN Sydney is. The Sydney Harbor Bridge (also know as the Coat hanger) is so spectacular as is the Sydney Opera House.
I never realized just how many bays there are….each with spectacular water front real estate, beaches, boat docks (or should I say Yacht docks!), towering sky scrapers… There is so much greenery everywhere you look as well….it really is a site that you need to personally experience
I think for first time visitors the Capt. Cook Harbor Cruise is a must. You go on an open or closed deck yacht (we chose the open air deck above) and the commentator points out all the points of interest (even things like Russell Crow’s home).. We took the 1 hour 15 minute cruise which seemed like the perfect time. Of course, the weather was magnificent which also helped.
We also did the “hop on/ hop off” bus which allowed us to get on and off at our convenience with stops along the route such as the Opera House, Hyde Park, Australian Museum, Maritime Museum, Botanical Gardens, Kings Cross and the famous Bondi Beach. The price was $30 Australian dollars (around $22 USD) and good for 24 hours. We got 2 days worth of this since we boarded the bus the 2nd day within the 24 hours and once you’re on…they’re not going to kick you off. I really enjoyed seeing all the various neighborhoods and the many different types of architecture. Did I mention how CLEAN this large city is? WOW…..puts our large cities to shame I’m afraid!
One afternoon I went to the Toranga Zoo with Olivia. This sits on one of Australia’s most valuable pieces of Real Estate. When you visit this zoo, you’ll know why!! Location! Location! Location! We were able to see the feeding of the Koala Bears, Tazmanian Devils, Dingos, Kangaroos and even a Kimono Dragon (as well as the typical USA zoo animals)..There are even cable cars to ride from the ferry boat up to the top of the zoo! We did not go to the Opera (Carmen) but others raved about it. Also, we did not climb the Sydney Bridge which people raved about (be prepared to pay a very steep price for this one!)
Our trip was enhanced so much by sharing times with Olivia, Joanna and Tony. Be sure and eat at the Lowenbrau Restaurant on Argyle Street (just off of George Street). I know it sounds crazy to imagine going to a German Restaurant in Sydney but it was wonderful..….great food and fun Um-Pa-Pa musicians!! It was a most memorable night for the 5 of us!
Last night was a fun and very lively sail away party on the pool deck. The music started about 10:30 pm with lots of good music, dancing and free flowing drinks. At 11:45pm as we pulled away, the band broke into “Anchors Away”. We cruised under the Sydney Bridge one last time with all the beautiful lights of Sydney.
These are the sights I’ll always treasure and Sydney is a city I definitely will want to come back to. (Some photos below)
It was so tough saying good bye to friends we’ve made during the past month but especially to Olivia…. Knowing that Joanna and Tony would be boarding hours later really gave us something wonderful to look forward to! It’s hard to describe the closeness and “feeling of family” that you develop with many of your fellow passengers and the staff members. This happens even on short 1 or 2 week cruises but is magnified many times over on longer cruises. I know many of you can relate to this feeling as well!
I’ll continue to try to update you again soon!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/DSCF0051.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/DSCF0022.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/DSCF0078.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/DSCF0027.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/DSCF0013.jpg
