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Sydney is a wonderful city. We have visited a great number of major cities on our travels, but Sydney is one of the few that we would like to live in. It is a vibrant cosmopolitan place with a rich culture and a fantastic location. The people are amongst the most welcoming that we have met anywhere( in fact most Australians are friendly and very helpful).
The first night we went down to Darling Harbour- this is an exciting place and full of restaurants and cafes. There are some stunning water features, in addition to the harbour itself. We saw a lot of people, including many children, sitting on the wooden steps just looking across the water. Brian thought that this was such a peaceful way of passing a Saturday night. As we turned to leave there was a great noise and a big oohh! We turned around just in time to catch the beginning of an incredible firework display across the harbour ( so that is what the people were waiting for!). Brilliant firework displays are a feature of life in this city.
We did the touristy thing and took an open topped bus ride around the city- a great way of getting to know any place( however later we found a much better tourist ride- initial poor advice from the usually reliable tourist information office). All the famous landmarks were there- Harbour Bridge, Opera House....as would be expected! but seeing them ourselves for the first time seemed quite surreal!
One night we went into China Town ( situated conveniently just behind our hotel).Their New Year was about to be celebrated and there were all sorts of activities going on including a great evening market. We listened to David Wei and Eva Timms play traditional Chinese music on their ancient harps,violins and recorders. He is a world class performer having played all around the world including the near by Opera House. The music and the surrounding market made for a very atmospheric occasion. We did the groupie thing and brought one of their C.Ds which they graciously signed for us.
There is a great deal of green space in Sydney. You can walk through Hyde Park and the Domain before entering their wonderful Botanical Gardens with only minimal traffic disturbance. The gardens resound to the most spooky sound. When you look up you can see hundreds of flying foxes(fruit bats) hanging from the branches above. Not where you would expect to find bats on a hot summer's day. But apparently this is their permanent roosting site. In the evening they take off in search of food- an eerie sight, like returning to the time that the dinosaurs ruled the world.
The walk through the beautiful Botanical Gardens leads you down to the harbour. Alongside the harbour is the Opera House with the Harbour Bridge as a back drop. This is definitely one of the great views in the world. Apart from walking we found a couple of other great ways of getting around and giving fantastic views if the city. The monorail loops around Darling Harbour , taking in China Town and the central part of the city. The ferry from Circular Quay( just around the corner from the Opera House) to Darling Harbour gives incredible views of the harbour, the Bridge and the Opera House- it costs a fraction of a guided cruise and gives better views. The ferry to Manly is even better because it takes in more inlets and crosses the entrance to the ocean as well.
Whilst we were in Sydney the 2 Queens arrived( no not for the gay festival!) The Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary- the great cruise liners docked in town. This was the first time since World War 2 that 2 such great liners have been in one place at the same time. The people of Sydney certainly know how to celebrate these events. There was not a hotel room to be had in the city( as you would expect we had not planned ahead and ended up staying at the Holiday Inn at the Airport-the only accommodation for miles around). We went down to the harbour, along with a few hundred thousand others to watch Queen Elizabeth come into Circular Quay.A really carnival atmosphere. As Q.E 2 passed Queen Mary, which was already tied up at the naval yard, both boats hooted as only great liners can. The harbour was full of smaller craft trying to get a better view and to accompany the liner into port. Once both vessels were safely docked there was one incredible firework display-well actually there were 2, one for each of the liners. As I said earlier, they certainly know how to do fireworks! The evening had its lighter moments. A number of people found great view points in the Botanical Gardens- some even managed to get bench seats that they jealously guarded. They had not banked on the sprinklers that keep the gardens looking so wonderful. They come on a set time each day, crowds of spectators or not. Say no more- wet ,surprised people heading for the high ground pursued by raucous laughter from the rest of us! All that effort for nothing!
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