The Rocks, The Bridge, The Botanic Garden, and Dinner

Papa and I walked through the neighborhood, The Rocks, this morning, looking for a laundry.  We found it, and enjoyed our walk.  The Rocks is Sydney’s historic, premier harborside neighborhood.  It was the birthplace of European settlement in Australia in the late 1700’s, featuring cobblestone streets, colonial stone buildings, and some of the city’s oldest pubs.  We found the Bridge Stairs in The Rocks, and walked over the Sydney Harbor Bridge and back.  

We came back to the hotel.  Papa took a nap and I crossed the street from the hotel, and spent an hour in the Royal Botanic Garden.

At 6 this evening, we met Henry and Suha, brother and sister in law of my long time friend Linda (lives in Dallas).  They live in Sydney.  I met them a few years ago at Linda’s daughter’s wedding in Phoenix.  We went to Sahtien, a Lebanese restaurant in The Rocks.  We had the house banquet dinner, with over a dozen dishes to share.  It was delicious and we enjoyed talking for hours.  We had a nice evening, great time!

Exploring Sydney

After breakfast this morning, I took a self guided Historic Buildings tour, guided by GPSmyCity app.  Most of the buildings were built in the 1800’s, and all are significant, large.  The city has grown up around the historic buildings, but they seem to anchor the city, give it depth and weight.

Customs House now used as City Library

Old Treasury Building now Hotel Intercontinental and its Bar

Sydney’s First Hospital

Sydney Mint

St. James Church

Hyde Park Barracks

Saint Mary’s Cathedral

Queen Victoria Statue

Archibald Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park

Queen Victoria Building, Outside and Inside

Sydney Town Hall, Front and Side

St Andrew’s Cathedral

After my walk, we went to the Circular Quay and took a ferry to Manly Beach.  Today was a public holiday, so there were crowds of people on the ferry, on the beach, everywhere!  We walked along the coastal path, watching surfers and families enjoying the day, to the Fairy Bower Sea Pool, with people swimming.  We had fish and chips for lunch at a small Manly Beach restaurant - delicious!  We returned to downtown Sydney via ferry.  We rested a bit in the afternoon, then went out for gelato as the sun was setting, walking to the Opera House to see watch the harbor activity.  We had a good day!

Lunch on Sydney Harbor

Papa and I had a big Easter breakfast, then went for a morning walk in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, across the street from our hotel.  It was beautiful, with fields of glossy green grass, huge leafy trees, and birds all over.  The Royal Botanic Garden overlooks Sydney Harbor, and we enjoyed the morning views.

Just before noon, our friends Fran and Dave met us at our hotel.  We took a ferry across the Harbor to Watsons Bay, and had a long lunch at Doyle’s Seafood Restaurant.  We were seated on the terrace by the Harbor.  It was a pleasant day, with temperature about 20C.  We talked for hours and enjoyed our lunch.  We met Fran and Dave about 15 years ago when staying at the same hotel on the Île de Barthelasse, near Avignon, France.  We all arrived late in the evening, after driving in circles trying to find the hotel, and we are still laughing about it.  We shopped the same market the next day in Uzes, and we’ve stayed in touch since.  It was wonderful to catch up today.  Fran and Dave travel all the time, it is their business, and we realized we cross paths, so we’re going to make an effort to get together in the next year.  

Sydney Nighttime Arrival

We were up early today for an early morning flight from Singapore to Sydney.  Our flight was 7.5 hours, with our arrival after 8 at night.  We are staying at the Intercontinental Hotel, in downtown Sydney.  After checking in, we went for a walk to the Harbor and around the Opera House, just a block away.  It was a beautiful cool evening, with a full moon peaking through the clouds.  Just beautiful!