Sydney - A fetching part of the world

When we wrapped up our Aussie honeymoon 18 years ago, Nicole and I said if we were not living in the San Francisco bay area, we would likely live in a suburb of Sydney. It's Seattle/San Francisco with the weather and beaches of Southern California. It's a wee expensive though...

All around Sydney, the Jacarandas are in bloom. It's springtime, so Christmas must be coming soon. This is near our place across the harbor from downtown. The bridge is peaking out past some of the purple.

Continuing our recent theme of part city, part rural, we have split our time in Sydney with four days in town, and four days in the Blue Mountains (foreshadowing the next blog). Since Nicole and I have been here before, we wanted to take the kids to the highlights we remembered.

So here goes...

Day 1 (Nov 14): Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo would be in a photo finish with the San Diego Zoo when it comes to the best of the best. What might put it over the top is the absolutely spectacular location overlooking the Sydney Harbour with views towards the Opera House and Bridge. It is so meticulously cleaned and cared for, and the habitats are as close to real life as you could possibly get.

You really can't beat this view from any zoo in the world. 

Even the Giraffes have a clear shot above the tall hedges. 

Day 2 (Nov 15): Sydney Town

The compulsory visit for anybody coming to Sydney is simply a wander around the central part of town on either side of Circular Quay. But before we ventured across the harbor, I opted for another Airbnb Experience. This time a morning run with a running club at Manly Beach. This combined two things that Nicole hates most: waking up early, and running. So it was a solo trip for me. 

Notice the time on the clock.

The running club leader, Joe. Nice fella that is addicted to running. I have a theory...all ultra runners have a particularly positive and grounded outlook on life. Must be that zen-like state those crazy people get in to at hour 20 of a 24 hour run.

We wrapped up our run at 6:30am (on a Tuesday). This is what the beach looked like at that time. I actually had to check my watch to see if it wasn't already noon. These Aussies sure love the beach and exercise.  

Manly is also a fetching little beach town about 30 minutes from downtown Sydney. The most common architectural style, which I find quite agreeable, has these continuous rows of variable two story buildings, with awnings jutting out from their waists. Imagine Disneyland Main St just about everywhere you look. Admittedly, the awnings are a bit too blocky for my taste, but darn are they functional. Keeps you dry in the rain, and shaded from the sun. 

You can't do Sydney without at least one ferry ride on the harbor. Sydney harbor is decidedly more narrow than SF Bay, so there is copious use of ferries to get around. And since all ferries go in and out of Circular Quay, you bisect two of the most iconic manmade structures in the world. 

After disembarking from the ferry, we strolled through the Royal Botanic Gardens which spills in to the harbor. I am totally speaking for myself on this one... but I remembered it being a bit bigger and more majestic the first time around. We were on our honeymoon, so everything was through rose colored glasses I suppose.

There is a new indoor garden exhibit with a huge green wall. Very cool and colorful. 

So you can be in two places at the same time. 

Yeah, it's breathtaking every time you see it. 

Next stop, a tour of the Opera House

Perhaps this is sacrilege, but the interior of the Opera House is not actually that attractive. It has a sort of unfinished feel and  70s style lines. The Opera house is really made of the iconic outer shell which is breathtaking, and a separate inner core that is independent of it's casing. They spent a lot energy and resources to get the building up, and then had to Gerry-Rig the interior.  Having said all that, the actual interior of the main opera room is stunning for it's geometry and lines. It is entirely wooden, which gives it an amber glow. 

One of the best places (according to Joe - the runner dude) to grab an afternoon drink, the Opera House Bar. Yeah, I can see why.

Our next stop was the harbor bridge climb. For the same cost of a year's worth of daily bridge toll across the bay bridge, you can don a blue jumpsuit, clip yourself to a wire, walk up the subtle archway, and take a cheesy group photo with 15 other people you don't know. Seeing as Nicole and I did so 20 years ago, we opted for the poor man's version. For a fraction of the price, you can ascend one of the pylons and take in more or less the same view...

The little blue-suited people are walking up to the top

Lot's of activity in the harbor.

We hung around the city until nightfall to take in the light show at the side of the opera house.

Pretty decent sunset. This panorama distorts things a bit. The buildings on the left are actually directly behind you if facing the opera house. 

Day 3 (Nov 16): Manly Beach

With a storm brewing from the south, we took an opportunity to grab what little beach time we could get. It was back to Manly.

For some reason, Autumn was so ecstatic with herself in successfully pinning her hair up in to a bun. I mean, she was inordinately happy about this. 

Again, when traveling for a year and avoiding weekends, we find ourselves mostly alone on some of the most amazing beaches.

Fountains. Kids love fountains. 

All for now. Next stop, the Blue Mountains.