Sydney Day 2

The weather was clear and cold as we bounded out of the hotel for what was going to be a marathon of a day.

We had a great breakfast at a hip, little, cafe on Elizabeth Street. From there we headed up Pitt Street. We didn't really have a big itinerary, just a rough axis of attack for the exploration of Sydney. We wanted to explore the CBD, China Town, and then to Darling Harbor but no real plans, just get lost in between and see as much as we could.

Along the way we passed The Strand Arcade, one of the last Victorian malls in Sydney built in 1891. This along with the Queen Victoria Building are great examples of the Victorian history of Sydney. There is a lot of Victorian Architecture in the city which was perhaps my favorite aspect of Sydney.

Another really cool Sydney sight was the elevated monorail. It snakes it's way through the CBD and Darling Harbour with many stops in between. It's path takes it above the streets and through the second and third stories of buildings. I think they just built it after the fact and created stops in some older buildings that it passes through. It looks like an efficient and green way to travel.

From there we headed to China Town. It was not as good as San Francisco's China Town so I will not write much about it other than to say there is a really good market nearby to buy any odd junk you want and to haggle if you like that. One high point was the Chinese Gardens, very pretty and an quiet oasis in the middle of the busy city.

On to Darling Harbour. This was jaw dropping point number two on our trip. When we rounded the corner and caught our first glimpse of the Harbour, we both stood and stared in amazement for about five minutes. It was honestly one of the most beautiful examples of natural beauty meets modern skyline that I have ever seen. It is a giant U-shaped harbour with massive buildings lining three sides, monorails crossings, ferry's and water taxis, posh restaurants, naval ships, and so much more. You really have to sit and take it in as there is so much sensory overload here.

We sat and enjoyed it, then walked around a bit and headed for lunch at Bungalow Eight. A swanky harbour side seafood bar where we had a meal of mussels, tiger prawns, and calamari.

That night we had reservations for an Italian place, Alfredo that was recommended by the concierge at our hotel. I only name the restaurant as I hope that anyone that reads this blog will avoid it like the plague. It was by all appearances a charming little restaurant but with bad fare served in a prison like manner by a non-smiling or humane wait staff. One hundred and forty bucks later we felt slightly ill, raped and riped off. We were on our way. One notable appearance, at the table next to us was Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil and now a member of the Australian House of Representatives.

From there we headed out for some drinks on the town. We walked through a pretty area called The Rocks, then as we walked we went for a ceremonial stop to use the restrooms at The Four Seasons, then on to a bar to end the night.

Slightly tipsy, footsore, and tired we put a close to day two in Sydney.

More Pics of Day 2 in next post...