Saturday, March 31, 2001

Exploring Sydney

The first bit of excitement happened when Rich discovered that he left the key to his suitcase back in Phoenix. Not to worry though (or I guess I should say "No Worries"), the mini-bar had a knife/saw like thing which Rich was able to use to cut through the lock.


We cleaned up and were ready to head out to explore the city. There was a bit of disappointment when we discovered that the toilet flushed with jet like propulsion straight down, so we never got to see it swirl the other direction. Our hotel was very nice and located about half way between Darling Harbor and The Rocks in downtown Sydney. We first walked down to the opera house. It was a beautiful structure, in fact it would even inspire me to view an opera (probably only one though).






We then proceeded to walk across the ferry terminal to the Rocks. This is the older part of town. It had a very European look to it (at least through the eyes of someone who has never been to Europe). There are a lot of small restaurants, a few pubs (or hotels as they are often referred to), and a market.










We grabbed some breakfast and then checked out the market. We started learning right away when we found out that a turkey and Swiss sandwich with salad really just means there is lettuce and tomato on it. The market was mostly crafts and paintings, we wandered by and talked to a few locals, and then kicked back to begin our sampling of Australian beer. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather talking to more locals.




We then headed over to Darling Harbor where we checked out the Aquarium, quite a bit more impressive then the Seattle Aquarium. The Harbor was very cool, outdoor pubs, lots of people, and street performers.








We continued our sampling of Aussie beer and proceeded to hook up with more locals. These guys apparently get drunk and then go jump off the bridge. So when in Australia do like the Australians, this is what a thought until I watched the first guy jump. A man in a blue uniform proceeded to help him out of the water and then promptly arrested him. I didn't want to have to call Graham on the first day so I decided to pass on this little adventure. We head to the hotel for the night.