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We arrived in Sydney in beautiful sunshine!!! What a welcome change from the cold and the snow of South Island. Our hostel is near the centre of Sydney, and set in a railway station. Indeed, some of the rooms, including the one we are staying in, are inside old carriages that still remain on the platform!! They are quite cool! Considering how sunny it was, we immediately dropped off our belongings and headed for Bondi Beach. Golden sands, sun, clear and warm waters. How spectacular. To top it all off, we even saw a dog that was able to jump off the sea wall, into and under the water to fetch a brick that its owner was throwing in for it. We have a video that we will try to upload later on.
On Monday we explored the city some more, and went to the Zoo. A real highlight we both feel to the whole trip, especially seeing the Koala Bears and the little ones clinging on the the fronts. We also decided Em was like a Koala Bear, sleeping for approx 20 hours in the day, and during the waking hours can often be found climbing, or preferably, cuddling! We also saw some baby elephants. To our surprise, however, the zoo was putting on animal shows - in the middle of one of the "talks", the guide was saying how they rescued the elephants begging and performing on the streets of Thailand at the exact time that the elephant was teetering on 2 legs on a rock behind her for the benefit of the audience!!! There was also a seal show, which was amazing, with the seals doing all sorts of stunts, including balancing the ball on its nose, waving, diving and barking on command.
On Tuesday we explored the botanic gardens, the city, the harbour, and the opera house - also picking up our tickets for the performance the following day (today). The opera house was truly spectacular, a stunning piece of engineering and architecture. It looks even more amazing in real life compared to the television, and neither of us can wait to go to watch the show inside later on. We are very lucky ducks! At the botanic gardens we found a wishing tree, and both made our wishes as we walked around it, three times forwards and three times backwards. I think Em's wish came true, as later on that day we stumbled across a chocolate "bar" (restaurant). It was out of this world!!! They had by the entrance two BIG vats of liquid chocolate from which 2 pipes emerged, snaked across the ceiling ending up behind the bar. To serve, basically they tap off the liquid chocolate from the pipes from the vats, and then add the extras to make whatever it is you ordered. Em had a thick Italian Chocolate (almost as good as Ciobar but it was a little too sweet) and a chocolate lick - a small pot of melted chocolate straight from the pot. I was a little less wise in my selection, and went for a chocolate frappe, which as I later discovered was no where near as chocolatey as they had to add crushed ice cubes to make it into the correct temp and consistency. Basically it diluted the chocolate, a big mistake (I think this just shows my chocolate ignorance compared to my far superior and wiser Master! I certainly am still just the apprentice). We finished off the day with a Kangaroo Burger in the other YHA hostel nearby.
- comments
bin lid loved the photos.How many calories inthe chocolate drink?Jez looks well & truly scalped!
Mummy B G'day mates!! Sounds like you are packing lots into a short time. Amazing photos of the zoo. Cant wait to see more. Have a fantastic time at the opera, and enjoy your last few hours in OZ. XXXX
anna It's so good to see you in the sunshine again! Your photos are stunning & what a great time you are both having! Can you bring back a large chocolate vat for us? Any flavour, but preferably Ciobar, will do.
Carmen Wow! That chocolate place sounds wonderful - am planning my visit as I type - oh wait a minute... I've spent all my money in America, where the chocolate isn't nearly as nice! Oh no! What a mistake! Glad you are both having a lovely time. I suppose by now you are in India (I suspect the chocolate opportunities are not nearly as plentiful?). x