Sydney - What an AWESOME city!
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We were up super early for the sail into the city! We chose to be up on Sports Deck 9 so that we could run from starboard to port side easily as there were views on either side the entire way in. Then I went up to the top deck where I climbed up some structure to get a great view!
We reached the Headlands around 7 am and you could see the large rocks and beaches in the distance! Slowly more sailing ships came into view, then buildings, then more buildings, beaches and more ships!
Every cove is filled with moored sailing craft. As you approach the core of the harbour with the Opera House on your left and the bridge in front of you, the Prime Minister's residence is on the right - and she was in residence as the flag was flying.
It is also one of the busiest harbours in the world. At the height of every day the harbour is just speckled with watercraft ranging from kayaks, cruisers, yachts, sailboats, speed boats, catamarans, ships, freighters.
As we rounded the bend, the Sydney Harbour Bridge came into view and then the Opera House! What a spectacular sight!
Sydney Harbour is the world's largest natural harbour and if that is not enough it is also spectacular. The day had dawned beautifully. Instead of the usual berth for the ship in Circular Quay we made our way under the bridge into Darling Harbour.
The Park on the other side of the Bridge!
The ship continued to sail toward the bridge, until we passed right under the Sydney Harbour Bridge! There seemed to be only about 6 feet of clearance!
We docked at Darling Harbour and there was a pipe band playing for our sail in!
The commercial part of the city is concentrated behind the Opera House, and a small inlet beside it called Circular Quay is really the heart of the city. Here, ferries leave for all parts, and almost 24 x 7 there are street performers; restaurants, and bars ring the area and on the right is the old quaint area of the city known as "The Rocks". Darling Harbour is undergoing a multiple billion dollar development so that all the warehouses are being transformed into condos, restaurants and shops and parks and will eventually circle around to join the Circle Quay area. There is a palpable energy here all the time. The city itself is a combination of large beautiful skyscrapers and older Victorian era buildings which are beautifully preserved. Condominiums are everywhere and as you can imagine have world class prices to go with them. The downtown core is very compact and easy to get around by bus or cab.
The Australian customs procedure was the most thorough so far on this voyage. There were sniffer dogs and inspectors crawling all over the ship to start, then all over us as we disembarked. Australia has very strict importing regulations and obviously also are looking for drug carriers.
Sydney is a young person's city - we saw a lot of young, under 30 people everywhere we went. This is also one of the most expensive cities in the world with stunning real estate locations studding the many, many bays.
As soon as we docked and the ship cleared, we were off - Karen, Captain Jonathan, Jane, Barry, Mom and me! We first had to clear customs and have the dogs make sure we didn't have any drugs on us! We were cleared and got a taxi to Circular Quay. We decided to take the HOHO (Hop On Hop Off) bus tour of Sydney! It was a great idea to get an orientation of the top spots!
We headed through the city seeing all of the main sights on our way!
We decided to get off the bus in Chinatown and head to Paddy's Market. These markets have been part of the city's history since the 19th century. We entered through the food court, which had tons of Asian food specialities! So we had a snack, and then we went downstairs to the markets! There was stall after stall of Asian goods - clothes, knockoffs, souvenirs, plus row after row of fruits, vegetables and meats!
Then we took a cab back to Circular Quay (I forgot my phone on the HOHO, but thankfully I got it back!) and walked around the Sydney Cove.
There were tons of people strolling around and an aboriginal band playing the Didgeridoo!
We continued on to Sydney's historic old town quarter, The Rocks, where there was an outdoor market set up along the streets! There was tent after tent of artisan and handmade products, original arts and crafts, fashions from emerging new designers and beautiful handmade wares and jewelry. Everything was truly awesome! There was the most unique and fashionable clothing!
Then there was an indoor shopping store, also full of great finds! We then walked along the streets at The Rocks and found another outdoor market that was full of unique and fun items - soaps, candies, art, and other random things! We walked along Campbell's Cove and passed the many cafes and restaurants.
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We then found Nurse's Walk, which was made up of narrow side streets that were brick lined and full of small stores all housed in historic 19th century buildings. We went from store to store, window shopping, checking out the menus at the various restaurants, and people watching at the cafes. Eventually we made our way back to the ship to get changed for dinner. We went to Carol and Jim's room to wait for Captain Jonathan and while we were waiting I played Harry Potter dress up with Maggie, complete with Carol's bathrobe, a shower cap and a curling brush for a wand!
We then walked down to Darling Harbour, which is Sydney's favorite entertainment area! Located here is Sydney Aquarium, IMAX, Hard Rock, Wildlife World, the Maritime Museum along with King Street Wharf and Cockle Bay Wharf. These wharfs are Darling Harbour's dining complexes located right on the waterfront and featuring a marina, vast restaurants, al fresco cafes and much more! We walked along the Harbour, passed loads of people eating at the outdoor eateries and soon stopped somewhere for dinner!
Jim and Jonathan!
Just as we sat down outside along the water, there were fireworks exploding in the sky above the harbour. It was a great evening! We ordered dinner - Jim got kangaroo and shared it with the table (it tasted just like steak!)
Today was a great day in Sydney!
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