Darling, Opera and Bridge

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  Sydney, Australia
Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Lee showed me around most of central Sydney on Monday, where he worked, how he used to get to work etc. I think it was all quite weird for him because everything looked the same but different. We had the best breakfast at The Zoo near Bondi Junction, I had the veggie breakfast with a watermelon juice and coffee and it was delicious. The juice was superb, really refreshing in the midday heat. The breakfast came with spinach which automatically gets a big thumbs up from me but they also put the beans in a little ramakin, separating them from the rest of the breakfast, which gets triple points because I hate bean juice getting everywhere, encroaching on my egg yolks. Everything was cooked to perfection and it all tasted fresh and delicious. We sat outside and watch the people of Bondi Junction go by, they had the cricket on a big screen at the start of the shopping mall, the sun was shining, what more could you want? Another one of those perfect travelling moments. Next to us were two guys and a girl, with them they had the most enormous dogs possible. I'm not up on my dog breeds so God knows what they were but they were big. Easily about 3 foot from the ground and they both could have dwarfed me had one of them jumped up and put their paws on my shoulders. Both doggies were so well behaved, just sitting in the shade infront of the next door shop but they got lots of attention from the passing crowd, I think the owner had someone asking him every five minutes if they could pat his dogs. Sydney is great, the shops are fantastic, there's so many of them and they cater for absolutely everything. I think I could spend a fair few days here just shopping quite happily! The streets are buzy, but a nice busy, a bustling in the sunshine busy. People have smiles on their faces, even thought they're suited and booted for work. Things just seem better. I don't know if it's the sun, Sydney, Australia or what but everything seems great here. We wandered about downtown, taking in all the shops, the people, the traffic and I felt comfortably at home. Like I should have been here all along. I paid a quick stop at the Poste Restante office and was overjoyed and extremely excited to receive 5 letters and packages for me (thank you everyone who posted stuff). From the post office I headed to the travellers contact point to find out about car hire while Lee went off to Darling Harbour to meet up with Kenny. I followed a while later as it took me a while to find the Travellers Point offices. I forgot that roads go up in odds on one side and evens on the other, so stood at the junction of George Street with 257 on one side and 259 on the other looking very confused and wondering who had stolen 258 before I worked out it was on the other side! Doh!

The walk to Darling Harbour wasn't too long though and when I reached the water's edge the view was beautiful. I walked past the wildlife world, past various shops, bars and restaurants. The water glistened in the sunlight making sparkles dance across the water. There were boats lined up along the dock, an mixed bag of shapes and sizes. People were outside drinking beer and wine, chatting while the evening sun set behind them. It was delightful, like the first taste of a yummy desert you've waited ages for.

I met Lee and Kenny at Home bar just by the waters edge then we moved on to Pontoon bar to enjoy a cold beer looking out onto the water. I think I could have sat and people watched all night but hunger got the better of us and we walked back to the Slip Inn for some food and more beer (Of course!). They do a $6.50 steak which was pretty good considering the price but it only managed to last the trip home and we were ordering pizza to go with out G&T's before the night had ended.

Tuesday was spent mostly in Kenny's flat trying to secure some car hire, which we succeeded in doing, except it's a campervan hire rather than car. So as from tomorrow we're going to be camping it up around the South of Oz  towards Melbourne!  We made it into town late in the afternoon, Lee promised to show me the Sydney Harbour  Bridge and Operah House and I'd also arranged to meet up with Helen, someone who I used to work with at Spencer Stuart. She's recently moved to Sydney with her other half. We got off the train and Lee took me through some of the business district, with tall buildings, all shiny and business-like, then we took a detour through the Botanical Gardens, where Lee used to have lunch when he worked in Sydney. The gardens were huge, going on for as far as the eye could see. They were lovely. We walked through following the signs for the Opera House and the bridge. Every now and again I'd get a glimpse of the steel shining in the sun, or a spot of white. As we followed the path through flower beds and huge expanses of green grass, herb gardens and wonderful fragrant patches, we turned a corner and there, upon us, was the Opera House. It towered above us in all it's tiled glory. I didn't realise it was three separate buildings, you only ever get to see a certain angle on most of the photos and tv shots of it. As we followed it around the shape became more apparent as the separate buildings moulded into one. I could see the Harbour Bridge as well, a huge arch shaped steel construction. We walked to the water and I had the bridge on my left and the Opera House on my right and I almost cried. I never ever thought this moment would come. I always wanted to go to Australia. I've always seen the bridge and the Opera House on the TV and hoped that one day I'd get to see it for real and now, bingo! There I was and it was magnificent. I kept taking pictures knowing full well that they wouldn't come out as well as the real thing in front of me but I couldn't stop myself. I was like a child who's Christmas had come early.

We walked along towards Circular Quay, where all the offices are, and where Helen works. We found a Thai place on the rivers edge and stopped for a bite to eat and a beer while waiting for Helen to finish work. Once she had she took us on a whirlwind tour of drinking establishments in the nearby area, The Rocks. It was a fab evening, Helen looked very well, married life and the Sydney sunshine obviously suits her well. I managed to gen up on all the gossip I could before walking back to the taxi rank and going our separate ways courtesy of a fast white. It was a great ending to our first stint in Sydney but tomorrow, we start our proper journey around Oz!

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