Sydney: Sights and Sounds

Catching sight of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge as we walked to the harbour, we couldn't quite believe we were actually there! The Opera House, with its white sails against the bright blue sky, is the iconic image of the 'other side' of the world. It was a stunning sight and even the locals can't get enough of it! It's surrounded by nice bars and cafes, with views of the harbour bridge, so we sat and savoured the moment for a while. To escape from the blistering sun, we walked back towards our hotel through the Botanical Gardens. These were a little different to all the other gardens and parks we have been to, as the trees were laden with thousands of huge bats! The noise was incredible!

We timed our visit to Sydney well, as Saturday evening was the opening night of the three-week long Sydney Festival...just outside our hotel! There were lots of stages set up throughout the parks, with music, dance and circus acts everywhere! The streets were packed with people and the grand-finale of the evening was a performance by Al Green (the 65 year-old Reverend gospel/soul singer, whose hits include "Love and Happiness" and "Let's Stay Together"). Over 100,000 people crammed into the park to watch him perform for free! We had a great time!

Escaping the city centre, we took a bus to Bondi Beach. And we thought the Brazilians were good-looking! There was not a fat or ugly person in sight at Bondi! The great thing about this city is that its surrounded by beaches. The next day, we jumped on the ferry to Manly Beach, with great views of the bridge and opera house from the water!

The city has a really good vibe. It's not stressed and rushed like London and people seem a lot happier here than back home! Sven....Citi bank is in a great location here! And it's still warm enough to go for a swim when you finish work at 3am!

We also met up with a couple of old school friends from the European School. One of them lives here now, so we were guided to some cool bars and got some tips for the rest of the city!

We are now heading off to pick up our hire car and travel inland to the Blue Mountains. There is a red-alert for bush fires at the moment, as temperatures near here have reached 42 degrees! Hopefully we won't be affected.

Next update in a few days!