Friday, March 9, 2012 Discovering Sydney

Wow! What a difference a day makes in weather! We woke up to clear blue skies and warm weather where we could wear shorts and sleeveless tops since the temperature got up to 80 degrees today. As I type this blog entry it is nearly 10PM on Friday night. The East Coast of the USA is 15 hours behind us so you guys are getting out of bed and we hope to hit the sack soon since we had a fun filled day.

Joe told me this morning that he could hear me typing away last night as I was typing the blog. He could hear the clickitty clack of the keyboard then it would go silent for awhile. I was literally falling asleep writing the blog entry last night. Now that is darn tired! Slept like a baby because of the trip and jet lag.

We got up this morning about 9AM, took showers, then we headed out but Joe had to have his morning Java fix. We walked over to Oak Road and had a little pastry. He asked for a mild coffee and the waitress looked at him weird as to what he meant by that. It turned out the way he should order his coffee is "long black something or another." See I already forgot what they call it. While Joe was in the shower, I had purchased an all day bus ferry pass for $20 each plus bought a cheap pair of sunglasses since I left mine in Shanelle's car.

We caught the 156 Sydney bus to Manly Wharf which took about 30 minutes. I was concern about knowing where to get off so I asked the driver. It was easy since it was the last stop on the bus. Manly is a lovely beach and resort town about 7 miles from downtown Sydney. It is a perfect harbour for the ferry boat and lots of sail boats. Lots of lovely waterfront homes or flats, The place to shop and eat in Manly is on the Corso. The Manly Ferry takes 30 minutes to get to Circular Quay, It leaves exactly on time and they got the operations down to an exact science. The ferry is very clean with great seating. One unusual thing about the ferry is that the front is the back and the back is the front. The ferry never turns around. The captain just switches his seating and steering. We loved the scenery on the short trip where we saw lots of sailboats, The Fast Ferry, Yellow Cab Water boat service. The sides of the harbour were hilly or had rock cliffs. I loved watching the waves spray their foam then smash into the rocks and cliffs. We entered Jackson Harbour which is the real name for Sydney Harbour. As we came around Bradley's Head, the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge came majestically into view along with the skyline of downtown Sydney which also has a Space Needle which they call the Sydney Tower. The city and suburbs are filled with the most waterfront property one could even imagine. The city skyline sparkled brightly from the late summer sun. We could see the tourists climbing the bridge in groups of 10 to 14 to the top. They looked like little stick people. Joe and I will be doing that on Monday at twilight.

As the ferry pulled into Sydney Cove, there was a big P&O cruise ship called Navarra or something close to that. It was tied up next to The Rocks which is to the right looking from the ferry to Circular Quay. What a busy area this is with thousands of people walking to and fro, many different ferries going back and forth to other destinations, the City Train is there, the bus lines as well as the freeway. Sidewalk cafes are bustling with people enjoying their meals. Yes, there are lots of Fish and Chips served here. Joe and I walked along the sea walk of Sydney Cove which would take you to the Opera House but we stopped for lunch outside at Sydney Cove Oyster Bar with a view of Sydney Cove and The Bridge. A glass of diet coke cost $5.36 with no free refills. YIPES!!! We paid for the view. The customary tip in Australia is 10% if you got good service and we did.

We decided to do the Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing Bus which cost $20 AUS each which was decently price. The bus did the Sydney Explorer route which went all over downtown Sydney. We saw buildings, parks, neighborhoods that we would never have seen since it would be impossible to walk that much. On the trip we saw the Botanic Gardens, Hyde Park, Kings Cross, Surrey Hills, Chinatown, Darling Harbour and some lovely Victorian buildings. I took lots of photos but will not have time to post then till maybe on the ship. We came back to Circular Quay and hopped on the Manly Ferry back to Manly at 5PM. It was a very special time to come back since the sun rays made the water dance with gleam. I got some beautiful pictures of that. I wish I could show it to you now. At about 6Pm we caught the 156 bus back to Dee Why.

When I got back to Donna's place, I was able to purchase two tickets to the opera at the Sydney Opera House to see and hear the presentation of "Turandot." It starts at 1PM on Saturday, March 10. We will take the bus to Circular Quay which will take about an hour. We plan to have lunch there too.

By the time I finished all that, it was 7:40PM. time for us to walk 15 minutes down to Dee Why Beach to the Wildwater Grill and have Anna wait on us so we could give her a fat tip since she was so sweet the night before where she and her boyfriend offered us a ride down to the beach. She told us she worked there so it was a must that we dine there. We were not disappointed with our meals. Joe had a burger and chips and I had a fillet and chips. Joe was disappointed that they did not have Ice Tea. He got some more strange looks on his ordering. We walked back to Donna's in 15 minutes. I rewarded Joe with a long foot rub for all his efforts today. It was busy day and he did it all. Sure he is tired and I am tired too. What a trooper he was! I am so proud of him.

Some things we learned today was how to order coffee for Joe. Ice Tea is not common here. AN elevator is called a Lift. The steering wheel is on the right. The driving on the left side of the road totally freaks our brain out. Chips are French Fries and they do not serve them with ketchup here. The people are fantastic. It is expensive like New York City. Just after the sun sets the birds and frogs go CRAZY. The songs they sing are very loud. You can not see the thousands of birds since it is night and they are covered the the lush leaves of the Oak Trees. I think the croaking was from GIANT frogs since they were also so loud. I was kind of worried that one would jump out in front of me on the sidewalk and I would have scream bloody murder. The frogs were in the gardens of the various flats and homes along the road to the beach. There are lots of trees in Dee Why and even downtown Sydney. When we left the restaurant, the birds and frogs quieted down for the night so we only heard and an occassional cricket.

Good Night, Mates! I am beat once again. Joe has beat me to bed!