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Sydney and Blue MountainsIt was really exciting to be back in Sydney visiting old friends and old haunts, and meeting mum and Pete who flew in from the UK via Hong Kong on the Sunday morning.We knew we had a jam packed four days ahead of us squeezing as much as we could out of our short time in the city.Andy picked us up from the airport in his new Land Rover Discovery and we drove over to Manly to drop our stuff off at the apartment we had booked (great views over the beach) before heading over for a BBQ at his apartment in neighbouring Balmoral.Andy and Zoe have been in Sydney for 2-3 months now so it was great to be able to catch up and have their hospitality and taxi service during our stay!!! After a late night for us, we woke the next morning to the sound of the sea and the sight of joggers running along Manly beach far too early for a Sunday morning.Mum and Pete were due to arrive at 9am but managed to get to the apartment half an hour early.It was great to see them both after two months.They seemed to be bearing up well to the traveling although I don't think they were really sure what day it was.After the day we had planned for them I was sure they would be frazzled by the end of it.So after a leisurely breakfast and catch up we headed over to Andy and Zoes and after a quick walk along the beach at Balmoral we were chauffeured over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and onto the southern beaches.After parking up in Tamarama we walked along to Bronte Beach where we had arranged to meet Lil's friends Tanja and Nick and their kids, and my friends Denise and Murray for brunch.The next couple of hours were spent catching up over a few bottles of wine and we eventually left at around 4pm to complete our walk back along the coast to Bondi beach.The whole afternoon was a real trip down memory lane for me (or what I could remember after twelve years).We visited both the flats I had lived in and I was able to reminisce about sleeping six people to a room and other such traveller stories.Mum and Pete where exhausted when we caught the bus back and slept all the way over to Circular Quay where we caught the ferry back to Manly allowing us to get our first proper views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.Andy kindly lent us his car the following day so that we could drive inland to the Blue Mountains for the day.He looked a little worried when I reassured him that I would drive his new car exactly as he had driven ours back in the UK.Although only 100km away, the "Blueys" are a real natural barrier between the coast and the interior.After plenty of stops to admire the gorges, waterfalls, and mountains we arrived in Katumba where we were able to take a "sky walk" out over one of the gorges below, before walking for an hour out to the Three Sister rock formations.Afterwards, we descended on the world's steepest railway to the bottom of the valley and were able to follow a short board walk and learn about the area's mining history before catching a cable car back to the top.We finished the day back in Manly with fish and chips.The next day we headed into the city on the Manly Ferry to have a look around the Rocks.We walked across the Harbour Bridge before climbing one of the pylons for the superb views over the harbour.After a few hours of pottering around we headed back to the Opera House for our treat from Lil's collegues at work who had kindly and unexpectedly given Lil a dining gift certificate to spend in Aria, one of the top restaurants in Sydney, owned by famous chef Matt Moran.We had struggled to find appropriate dress for the occasion from our limited selection of clothes but I think we managed to fit in amongst the city types entertaining clients.We could just about see the Opera House from our table.We did feel slightly guilty enjoying oysters and scallops followed by lamb / fish washed down with some nice Australian Sauvignon Blanc, thinking about everyone back home facing the uncertainty of redundancy at Credit Suisse.So to everyone at CS who contributed, a big thank you for the gift - we had a great time.After lunch we headed out for a coffee overlooking the hustle of the Circular Quay to wait for my friend Sam who has managed to combine a working trip to the Sydney Open (that is not a real job Sam) with our stay.Sam had been my flat mate in Brisbane all those years before, and having moved to Sydney shortly after we did, had only recently moved back to Queensland.Once we had met Sam we headed back to Manly (Sam was our other chauffeur during the stay) to meet Andy who was already out doing some post work surfing (well lying on a board in the sea to occasionally try and stand on it - Andy is the self confessed worst surfer in Sydney so it is a good job he looks good in rubber).Our final day in Sydney had come around far too fast and after a night drinking with Andy and Sam it also arrived with a hang over.After checking out of our apartment, we walked some of the Manly Scenic walk around the north headland for one last look out over the city skyline.After a picnic on the beach Sam kindly drove us all to the airport for our onward flights to Christchurch, New Zealand.
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