Day 11 - Friday February 23, 2024 - Our first day in Sydney

 

Our day started early, as usual, with an 8 am departure for a bus sightseeing tour of the vaarios neighborhoods of Sydney.  

The weather couldn't have been better, the sky was a perfect blue and the flies are GONE!  But it is still hot.  It's 92 degrees today and 45% humidity.   But it is much better than the past week in the 'bush'.  You never what to take a picture of, so you take a lot through the bus window.

Some of the first pictures of Sydney from the bus window.

The hotel where Taylor Swift is presently staying.  Yes, she's back in town.

I still like their highway signs

Our first look at the Sydney Harbor bridge at Circular Query.

The Sydney Sky Tower Eye

Our firt stop was at Mrs. Macquarie's chair to take the money shot of the Sydney Opera House. She was the wife of the first governor (ca 1819) of what was then, Sydney, a penal colony. She wasn't well liked, and she was alone most often so she would walk down to the water's edge and sit and watch the ships come and go.  

I just liked the sign.  Pronounced as "sheep, bathroom, cow, bathroom.

We took a group photo which will eventually appear on the Odysseys at ours website.

You see pictures on TV of the opera house and it's almost unreal to actually be here and see it in person.  So, of course, you take way too many pictures.

We were able to walk around a bit and see the sight of Mr. Macquarie's chair which was more of a rock with steps chiseled into it.

From there we went to the world famous (according to the Aussie's), Bondi Beach.   It is the location of a reality TV show about the lifeguards saving people in distress   They're famous for wearig caps on their heads as lifeguards.

We spent about an hour at Bondi Beach and it is a beautiful beach.  nicer than NJ, but perhaps in line with Florida beaches  The sand was lovely and the water clear.   The waves weren't all that high but there was a little surfing going on.

First look at Bondi Beach 

A lot like other seashore towns

Time was up and we boarded the bus for the King Street Wharf for a lunch cruise in the harbor.   Lunch was ok.  It was the typical buffet of salads I don't eat and a few hot dishes.  Everything was cooked well and our group all seemed to enjoy it.

The 2 hour cruise was enjoyable with a good narration of the sights we were looking at.

Take a look at the top of the bridge and the people walking across the bridge. You pay extra for this experience.  Not me!

Pictures from the cruise boat of the sights in the harbor.

At the end of the cruise, we were on our own to sightsee whatever and wherever we wanted to go.  Odysseys Tours was generous and gave us all pre-paid transit cards which were good for their bus, train, light rail or ferry services.  Sydney has a wide range of public transportation.   

Wayne decided to walk bsck to the hotel which was approximately 2/3rds of a mile.

I decided to walk to the Sydney Tower Eye and take the ride up to the top to see all of Sydney from the highest observation deck.  It is located 820 feet above the Sydney streets, and you can see 360-degree views of the city and beyond.   It is the tallest structure in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and the second-tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere.

The entire observation deck is enclosed with glass but for an additional fee, you can go outside at 820 feet in the air and walk around the observation deck.  That was a hard NO!

I enjoyed my lone walk through the city with my map and trusty cellphone map.   I was able to walk down a bit of George Street which is the oldest shopping district street in Sydney.  It's an open street mall like many others.    I also walked down Pitt Street, also where no cars are permitted.  Shopping, people and loud music.

Back at the wharf, I followed it around to our hotel.   The whole trip was only 9,000+steps but it seemed longer than that.  Wayne says I'm allowed to condier it to be double due to the heat and humidity.

We're on our own for dinner this evening. Wayne and I will walk out again for, hopefully, some seafood.

Tomorrow morning we go to a wildlife preserve just outside of town.  i believe this is where we'll get a close encounter with some kangaroos and koalas. 

Afterward the bus will bring us back to a section of Sydney known as The Rocks.  WE have lunch on our own and some free time for more shopping and at 3:30 pm we have a private tour of the Sydney Opera House.  

Afterward, a group dinner at what we are told is a very nice (i.e. expensive) steak house before we return to our hotel.

I wll say that Odysseys does give you a lot for your money.   This hotel, the Sofitel Darling Harbor is a 5 star hotel.  Every hotel we've stayed in has been 4 star or better. Odysseys does not skimp on their tour.