We met our group at 8:00 this morning for a short meeting with our tour guide. We boarded a bus at 8:45 and toured around Sydney. We made a stop at Bondi beach – I could have stayed there all day. We got our first good glimpse of the Opera House and Bridge. Went out and around the city seeing the sights of Sydney. We ended the tour with a stop at an opal store.
Nicole and I then walked and took in the sights. We walked across half of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, walked around and into the Opera House, walked through the Botanical Gardens, took a ferry ride out into the harbor, saw a Dali art exhibit, and more. We walked over seven miles if not more.
Came back to our hotel room and rested for an hour then went back out for dinner. Walked back down to the wharf area and had a burger – it was really good. Walked back to the hotel and we are in for the night.
The weather was absolutely perfect today. Mid 70’s and bright blue skies. The tour guide remarked about how clear it was today. Our group was overdue for a picture perfect day and today we got it.
Tomorrow we go up into the Blue Mountains and to a wildlife preserve where we will get to see the kangaroos, etc. It is an all day adventure. Wednesday we travel to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.
We are over halfway through this trip. We head for home a week from today. I was homesick a bit yesterday but did better today. It was nice to have the afternoon free and not be herded in a group. My feet are sore tonight but worth it. I liked Sydney much better than Rome or Paris. It is a city that has over 5 million residents but it doesn’t feel that crowded and busy to me. Certainly busier than the cities in New Zealand but not like Rome or Paris.
What an adventure we are having. Hard to believe this farm girl from Kansas is in Sydney, Australia with her daughter.
Grateful for the beautiful weather we had today, grateful for the chance to move my body today, and grateful for the beauty we saw today.