Sydney

We shifted gears again and are back in a big city. Sydney is a buzzing metropolis with a relaxed atmosphere and friendly Sydneysiders. We covered a lot of ground in 5 days, mastered the public transit, rode a few ferries, and saw many landmarks. The highlight of our stay was catching up with some old preschool friends who moved back here a few years ago.  I forgot how fun it is to spend time adulting.

Day 1

We arrived Monday in the late afternoon and got started right away.  Our airbnb is in Darling Harbor so once we dropped our things we walked to the aquarium, followed by a ferris wheel ride and dinner at the Hard Rock. Super random choice but  my 80s self was like oh man, what I wouldn’t give for a Hard Rock Sydney t shirt.

 

 

 

Day 2

We moseyed over to Bondi Beach where we spent the morning (Tuesday morning is a great time to go) and eventually made our way to the Botanical Garden for a stroll and a visit to the Plants that Bite exhibit.  The Garden ends at the Sydney Opera House. We had nice time lounging around there before we took a water taxi back to Darling Harbor to hang out at the sprinkler park and have dinner.

         

 

Day 3

A rainy day here in the big city so we started off slowly with a homeschooling sesh before crossing the street to the Powerhouse Museum.  It had an exhibit on Star Wars where you create your own character after answering some probing questions that require you to look deep within yourself. After lunch we walked the Maritime Museum and toured the Naval submarine and destroyer ship. These guys loved that. We then met the fantastic Goodall family (minus Alyssa unfortunately) for dinner at Hugo’s in Manly.  It was awesome to catch up and get some insider info on the area.  Although it was a rainy evening we took the ferry ride home. The views of Sydney from the water are spectacular at night.

 

       

 

 

 

   

Day 4

Another drizzly day but the alternative is extreme heat so this makes for much better touring weather.  We went to the top of the Sydney Tower and then took the rail to the Rocks.  The Rocks is one of the few preserved historical neighborhoods in Sydney.  Originally, the Gladigan Aboriginal clan lived here and then the convicts moved in and now it’s a trendy area with galleries and cafes.  After learning about the history in the Rocks Discovery Museum we moved on to the Museum of Contemporary Art.  As we lounged on a black leather settee Luke threw up.  We were probably due for an illness.  You’ve never seen a nicer bunch of people.  Instead of dirty looks people came over to help out, and one poor guy who was in the line of fire, gave us some friendly tips on settling an upset stomach.  It was very heartwarming.  We dashed back home to get the poor little guy cleaned up and chilled for the rest of the day there watching movies.  Everyone was content to veg for the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5

Luke woke up a new man ready to boogie. The kids liked the Powerhouse Museum so much we returned that morning and spent the afternoon at the zoo. On our return home we stopped in Chinatown for hot pots.  The kids thought this was amazing to cook our food at the table.  Tomorrow we fly to Uluru first thing in am. I really phoned it in on this post. But the photos are really the important part.