Another Two Days in Sydney, Mate...

7/17 and 7/18:

My next two days in Sydney went by in a hurry, as I tried to see as much as I could before my limited time forced me to hit the road again.



After drinking entirely too much beer as Maverick in the Top Gun game, I was up at 8:00 and caught the ferry into Circular Quay in the center. Note: Not to keep beating a dead horse, but Sydney's harbor is just stunning – it gives the San Francisco Bay a dang good run for the money.

With such a limited time, I decided not to focus on museums or the like, but just stroll around and try to get the feel of the city as much as I could. So, that took me on a meandering route through the oldest part of Sydney called the Rocks, that included a truly spectacular photo gallery, then down to the water for an alternate view of the Opera House:


Due to the damage to the budget, I reluctantly had to pass on climbing the massive Harbor Bridge with full rock climbing gear, but did walk across and was rewarded with the sun peeking out of the winter clouds, that resulted in some really cool pics:




Then, it was time to catch a train back to Central station, and I checked out some of the outer areas of Sydney such as Durlingham and the tongue-twisting Woolloomooloo.

The hills give the streets of Sydney a delightfully wandering feel, and you just find yourself walking up and down random routes taking in art galleries, cafes (Sydney gives Seattle a run for its money in density of caffeine outlets!), and the odd drum store:


… then walked down the major artery, Oxford Street, which features FAR more alcohol and boob outlets than London's equivalent!

On the plus side, it cleans up eventually, and I found a great cafe called Amperstand to while away the day. Three narrow floors packed with used books, along with free wi-fi, I set up shop here for a few hours, as I needed to book a bunch of flights and hostel arrangments for the rest of my trip.

A walk back through the kinda seedy area of King's Cross and the old houses of Woolloomooloo wound down the day, and then it was back to the ferry, where I took in a funky didgeradoo player:


Becky was laid out by a cold, so we were pretty mellow, playing Liar's Dice at yet another German beer place overlooking the shore in Manly, before indulging in nachos and another beer at a cool cellar bar with a decent folk singer, and finishing the night with a round of Becky's favorite game Sequence. I lost. Badly. Repeatedly. :)

My last day in Sydney was based around the famous Spit Bridge to Manly walk, a route that takes you along protected bays and forests, with Sydney and its sailboats a constant backdrop. There are definitely worse ways to spend a day.



As I tried to find the right bus, I encountered literally the only grumpy Australian I would meet on my trip. They've got to be the friendliest folks around – which made this guy's testy response to my asking for directions even more noticeable. In NY or even London, I wouldn't have even blinked.

The walk itself... wow. It was stunning in the brilliant sunshine. The route took in about 6-8km's of winding trail, including everything from yacht clubs to beaches to coastal shallow inlets. Throw in the crystal clear water, plus some aboriginal carvings, and you've got a near perfect way to spend a few hours.




Back in Manly, it was time for a burger and a really good ESB beer at a local microbrewery, then I had to hurry and pack for my trip to Melbourne. I ended up catching my ferry and said a temporary fond adieu to the harbor, before catching my flight in the evening...

…(to indulge in cheesy buzzword biz-speak for a second) the key 'takeaway' from my time here? Sydney rocks. Period.