After an early check-in at our Harbour Rocks Hotel, Katie and I hit the Rocks Markets, a giant culmination of high-end artsy fartsy collectibles. Fancy schmancy.
Our hotel was a stone's throw from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we lucked out with beautiful sunny days
Across from the bridge sat the iconic Sydney Opera House
Boomp, there we are: Katie and me plopped right in front of the Opera House
From a lookout along our Bondi Explorer tour, we got a great view of the harbour with the bridge, opera house (to the left) and all the sailboats
We liked this fountain in Kings Cross, one of the more colorful communities around the city
The rocks were stunning at The Gap in Watsons Bay - we climbed up the rocks on the opposite side
Bondi Beach was full of surfers despite being the middle of winter
That's Katie crawling out from under the walk along our walk from Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach, a well known and very scenic path along the coast
Katie and I all dressed up with no place to go - oh wait, why don't we check out the Sydney Opera House?
Katie and I took the first flight out in the morning to make the most of our three day excursion to Sydney. We arrived early and braved the double decker train into the city. We rocked the hotel booking and scored accommodation in the ritziest, schmanciest, best location in town. We were in The Rocks, which is adjacent to Circular Quay (pronounced key), with easy access to everything, especially the bridge and opera house. Our motto was repeated time and again "we're only doing this once". Is that still a good basis for decisions when your travels span two months? Hmmm...
We were lucky to enjoy beautiful sunny days (though cold!) throughout our visit. We first stopped by the markets down the street from our hotel, then took in the bridge and opera house before boarding the Bondi Explorer tour bus to hit the beaches. We got off the bus a few times to check out various places along the way including Kings Cross and Watsons Bay, then did the highly acclaimed walk from Bondi to Bronte. It was indeed beautiful and we passed an amazing 50 meter pool built into shore line of the ocean. We saw lots of dolphins swimming not too far from the shore as well. We caught the last bus back to Circular Quay and headed to the hotel for a 30 minute power nap.
Refreshed and re-earing to go, we headed to Minus 5 Degrees for dinner in Circular Quay on the waterfront with a view of the bridge and the opera house right around the corner. The upper level of this place boasted an ice bar ($30 for 30 minutes with a 'complimentary' cocktail). The scene was dead and the air was already cold enough, but a cool concept. Absolutely everything was carved out of ice and you are issued parkas, boots, gloves, etc upon entry into the frigid cold.
Our next stop was none other than Sydney Opera House. We went to see Frank Woodley Possessed, which is a one man comedy play. The man is incredibly talented and a brilliant performer. We were laughing and impressed and thoroughly entertained. Mind you, Katie and I were hearing each other from opposite ends of the theater as we waited until the last minute to book tickets with only three single seats available. Consequently, we were on either end of the same row, near the back of the theater. Funny.
From there, we headed out for our first taste of Sydney nightlife. We started at Jamesons on George, a four-level bar with different music and style on each level. After an hour or so, we went in search of a little bit older crowd. The bouncers recommended the Orient, which happened to be nearly kiddy corner from our hotel and an excellent find. We met half the bar and did lots of dancing. Very fun!!
From there, we headed out for our first taste of Sydney nightlife. We started at Jamesons on George, a four-level bar with different music and style on each level. After an hour or so, we went in search of a little bit older crowd. The bouncers recommended the Orient, which happened to be nearly kiddy corner from our hotel and an excellent find. We met half the bar and did lots of dancing. Very fun!!
