Sydney, Australia

Everyone knows about Sydney, one of the world's beautiful cities. The harbor dominates the area, and the Opera House and Bridge dominate the city.  Yesterday we hiked the entire peninsula, through Hyde Park, Royal Botanic Gardens, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Dawes Point, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Australian National Maritime Museum, and back to our hotel.  Our hotel is located just east of Darling Harbour and close to bus and subway terminals.  We took a ferry last night across the harbor to have dinner with friends.  Big day!  Now Dawn is telling me she feels the effects this morning.

Walking through Hyde Park, Sydney.

In the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens; very large and lush.  I hadn't realized how tropical Sydney is; we are told that you can snorkel and see coral formations on the coast here.

Downtown Sydney as seen from the Botanic Gardens; you can easily walk from one to the other.  Cities are so noisy; the park is a nice relief.

Downtown as seen from Mrs Macquaries's Point, an excellent place from which to take photos.

We watched this cute lady take 20-30 selfies from Macquarie's Point.  The Opera House and Sydney bridge are in her background.  Many people like selfies, and Asians more than most.

The Botanic Gardens were lush, beautiful, and had a very tropical feel. I didn't realize how warm the climate is here.  The Gardens include Macquarie's point, an excellent sightseeing location.  From there, the Opera House is clearly visible, but it isn't until you are up close to the Opera House that its huge size and amazing engineering and detail in construction become obvious.  The Circular Quay is the center of all ferry operations.  The Rocks is an area undergoing redevelopment. The Sydney bridge is massive, especially noted when standing close. Bridge walk tours, providing views from the very top are popular.  Barangaroo is an area in the middle of large-scale development.  Darling Harbour has many restaurants and tourist attractions.

This bridge is massive; best appreciated from up close.  Walking to the top of the bridge span is a popular activity.  You could see little ant-like figures standing up there.  Not on our schedule; Dawn doesn't like heights, and we didn't have time.

The circular quay (pronounced "key"), where all ferry boats come together, as seen from the Opera House.  We rode ferries to Mosman and to Manly, a good way to see the harbour and sailboats.

The Opera House is another structure which is best appreciated from up close.  The proportions are huge.

Today we visited Bondi Beach, the classic surfer beach.  The waves weren't high today, but it still was very scenic; bounded on both ends by rocky cliffs with the white foam from crashing waves and the brilliant aquamarine water.  Our final destination was Manly Beach. The ferry ride there provides an excellent view of much of the harbor. Sailboats were out in large numbers enjoying stiff breezes.  Our explorations have included transportation by subway trains, buses, and ferries.  Learning how to navigate such a system is an enjoyable challenge, bringing us closer to everyday life here.

 Famous Bondi Beach looking from the south end.  Many surfers out today, but the waves are only moderate.

Great fun and good exercise at Bondi Beach.  Best to take the bus there from downtown.

A breeze sprang up and hundreds of sailboats were quickly launched on the Harbour.

Most of the boats here are rather large; perhaps sponsored by a company?

One of the smallest sailboats we saw; flying the spinnaker and traveling fast.  I think it is a Flying Dutchman, about 19 feet long.

Our last stop, Manly Beach.  Even though Fall is arriving, it is still warm enough to splash in the surf.

We took a taxi to the airport on our last day.  The subway train would have been faster and cheaper, but we were leaving at rush hour and had plenty of luggage to tote.  Not good to lug down the stairs and through the crowds. We faced a 13-hour flight to San Francisco.  The last time I crossed the Pacific by air was fifty years ago, coming home from my second tour in Vietnam.  It brought back memories.  Dawn says we are never going to take such a long flight again; not fun or healthy.

I was supposed to go to an USAF dental continuing education meeting the day after getting home; on that day I got up at 0540, dressed, ate breakfast, brushed my teeth and headed for the door.  Then I said to myself, "If you don't fall asleep on the road driving there, you will fall asleep once you sit down in the lecture hall.  Then you will fall out of your chair onto the floor."  So, I undressed, went back to bed, and slept for four more hours.  In the past, I had at least been able to get a little sleep when flying, but this time I had been awake continuously for 32 hours on the day before.