Sydney Opera House with the Harbor Bridge

Sydney

I grew up hearing, "We're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy".   Well Sydney is beautiful, but we were definitely "Not In" New Zealand anymore.  Nor Kansas for that matter.  Sydney is a big city, perhaps 6 million people in the metro area alone. That is one and a half times more people than in all of New Zealand (although it ties the number of cattle in New Zealand).    After 30 days of driving our camper van all over NZ, we spent 7 days in Sydney....walking....6-7 miles a day of walking.    We needed the exercise.

Even though we were staying in an apartment in the Central Business District, we discovered what everyone in Sydney knows.   They have some beautiful beaches just 20 minutes east of downtown. 

We took a walk along the Eastern Shore.  This is Coogee Beach on Good Friday.  Being a Holiday, I think the entire populace went to the beaches to hang out, jog, walk, surf, body surf, swim, kayak, eat fish and chips, ice cream, be seen, or looking for others that want to be seen.  It was busy.    In my opinion the Australians are very healthy and in great shape.  

We walked from Coogee Beach 7 km along the shore to the famous Bondi Beach.  The underwater bottom at Bondi is perfect to make pretty curls in the incoming surf,  beautiful deep blue, with that curl big enough for a surfer to fit under, that travels far into shore.    You can feel the power, hear it's thunder.  Over and over, and over.  Young and old, guys and girls, all were showing how it was done.   It was fun to watch in many ways.

Captain James Cook was the first Englishman to sail into Botany Harbor on his 100 ft. Endeavour, just south of today's Sydney Harbor in 1770.   This was the same trip, by the way, that he discovered that funny land to the southeast.... New Holland (New Zealand today).   The native people of the land were the Aborigines, and the Maori's in NZ.  But it wasn't until the 1860's when Britain decided that they could find a good use for this land so far away from the rest of the world.  Yes,  I know you know the history. They made it a prison.  The entire country.  Who could escape, right?   So basically the modern history of this island started with the worst of the worst prisoners from England, who could survive a six month trip, and the rough and tough guards to watch them.    I frankly think the British have done a better job of integrating the original people's of these islands into their society, as compared to our American Indian.   They clearly have had a positive effect on this rough and tough culture today of these islands.  

Unlike Europe where you can see churches that are 500 years old, most of Sydney is new.  There are a few government buildings, now museums, built in the late 1800's.   I guess I did not feel they were worthy of remembering, because I took no pictures of them.  I am sure that would really make some prisoner mad that I didn't think much of the building he built 130 years later.  The famous Harbor Bridge was built in 1930.  We walked across it, and it provides a spectacular view of the Harbor, the Opera House,  and all the Central Business District of Sydney.  That will be kind of special on the next New Years Eve to see the fireworks from that beautiful bridge.

BTW, we walked the bridge for free at the road level.  However, if you really want to burn up some money and calories, and have a better view, you can pay $300/person and walk up to the top of the arch.   We decided to buy some wine with that money.

Speaking of walking, Sydney is a very walkable city.   The 6-7 miles a day we spent was walking from our apartment on Hyde Park down to Circular Quay, from which all the ferries run.   For $15/day, we bought ferry passes that would provide us unlimited daily rides on the extensive ferry system all over the harbor.....Manly Beach up north, Taronga Zoo, Watson's Bay, and even12 miles to the east to the Olympic Village (built for the 2000 Sydney Olympics).   Our routine was to walk to the ferry (grabbing an expresso along the way), ride the ferry, come back and walk to a museum, or up to the Opera House, or the beautiful Sydney Botanical Gardens.  I know here I go again, about Botanical Gardens, but I have discovered a whole new me.  I love these parks...the trees from all around the world, flowers of every type, and beautiful open grassy areas to escape the hustle of the city.   Now I want a green house to grow these year around plants.

Golden Shampoo Ginger flower from India.  It was huge, and very firm petals.   They look soft, but they are not.

This is a Crinum Jagus from Africa.  

 Koala Bear at the Taronga Zoo

In all we spent 7 days in Sydney at the end of our long trip.   If I had to do it over, I would have moved 4 of those days back to New Zealand, and only used 3 days in Sydney.  It is a great city, but 3 days was enough for me.  There were a couple of places I would have loved to see in NZ, but we just ran out of time.  Now we know.  

So off we go on American Airlines from Sydney to Los Angeles.   (No bar in Business Class here) It is a 13 hour flight, where you start at 10:00 in the morning and arrive in LA four hours earlier.   So it's not even like you sat on a plane for that long.  Easy Peasy.   Did I tell you that Shelley is a germ freak.   Her rule:   wipe every surface around your seat like it is covered by ebola.   That airplane seat had never been so clean.   She uses one of these guys every time she came back from the restroom.  Plus she never touches a stair rail, tries to use her sleeve when she opens a public door, and never, ever touch the moving black rail on an escalator. 

I have always wondered why she is so damn healthy....never sick....never a cold.

I digress.  It was a great trip, one that we will remember for a lifetime.  New Zealand was the highlight, a traveler's paradise, and it should be on your bucket list.  Well worth the travel time.