Cindy Does Sydney in Style

Sydney June 16-19
Pat was waiting for me when I arrived in Sydney Thursday night around 10 pm.  Our adventures started right away as she proceeded to give me the tour of the parkade as we made our way to the exit.  We headed back to her place, which is like Fort Knox with all it's security,  to plan our next few days.

Friday (Day 1)
Took the tram to Circular Quay to see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House from the walk along the harbour.  We booked a Whale watching tour, a tour of the opera house and a Showboat Dinner cruise.  Yup a very full day!  We had a lovely lunch at  Guylian Cafe along the Circular Quay before making our way to the wharf to start our activities.
Whale watching:
We saw 7 humpback whales while out on the Tasman Sea for 3 & half hours.  It was difficult to spot their blow holes due to the white caps and the wind blowing.  But we did see a few different pods and the last group of three in the distance were playing up for us.  I've learnt over the years to just enjoy the experience as it is very difficult to get photos.
Opera House Tour:
When we got back we quickly headed to the opera house for our hour tour inside.  A few years back I had seen a movie on how it was built and all the controversy and difficulties it experienced.  So seeing the real thing and hearing it's history again was very interesting.   We were able to enter the large concert hall with the massive organ pipes.  We ended the tour in the Jorn Utzon room, after the architect who designed the opera house.
Showboat Dinner Cruise:
We grabbed a cab to Darling Harbour for our 7:00 Showboat dinner cruise on the paddle boat.  We had an amazing meal with an entree of smoked salmon  & prawns, then my main course of chicken, potatoes and asparagus.  We finished by sharing 3 types of desserts, with ponacota as my favourite.  We were entertained with a one hour show of dancing, music and singing.  We grabbed a cab home to end our fun and full day.

checking out Circular Quay

what a view!!

windy self portrait

view leaving the harbour to go whale watching

Bet you can't guess this place?

Large concert hall

Yummy entree to share

our showboat to cruise the harbour

Saturday (Day 2)
Off for breakfast at Maroubra Beach at the Beachfront Pavilion Cafe.  I enjoyed the yummy meal and my Chai Latte while watching the surfers.  Another sunny day about 18 degrees.  We then walked along the beach collecting tiny shells, and into the water of the Tasman Sea.  We also drove to the Maroubra Rock Pools and Congee beach.  We then drove through Centennial Park and found a parking spot near the Circula Quay.  We walked through Nurse alley and Bloodgers Lane, which is a very historical community, and into The Rocks, which are outdoor market stalls.  I was able to buy a few souvenirs and snacks.
We made it to our bridge climb for 3:00.  We had some training and gear preparation before we actually climbed the 1,390 stairs to 134m atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  There were 14 in our group.  It was very windy on top, but the clear skies allowed us to see the Blue Mountains 90 km away.  As we made our way back down the sun was setting and the city lights were turning on.  This is a must do for anyone going to Sydney!!
  A last minute decision had us grabbing a cab to Star City Casino, a quick bite to eat and then into the Lyric Theatre to see the musical Hairspray.  It was an excellent performance with so much energy!

Bloodgers Lane in The Rocks

Tasman Sea

surfer coming in

It's thumbs up!!

1,390 steps!

134 meters

a great experience

Sunday (Day 3)
We headed out in Pat's car today to tour around.  We drove past 'Pleasant Ave', through Newtown , past Sydney Uni and Victoria Park as we made our way to Paddington Market. There were so many stalls with everything for sale from bags, jewelery, shirts, toys, to food and fresh veggies.  Once we left there we made our way to Laperouse at Botany Bay, with one stop at the Botany Cemetery.  There were very beautiful garden plots and ponds, interesting shrines and small houses/crypts.  Once at Botany Bay we walked along the rocks and collected more interesting shells.  We grabbed some take away seafood & chips and had our lunch sitting on the rocks over looking the harbour and the crashing waves.
Got to the domestic terminal at Sydney airport 45 min before my 3 hour flight home.
Another amazing adventure squeezed into a weekend and a big thanks to my travel guide, Pat!

The Rocks

Cemetery Crypts

Final day of exploring

Beautiful blue sky