Well, anyway, let’s make the most of it; so first some fish and chips before we hit the sand. A big black and white bird followed us to a bench and made it quite obvious he wanted some too, so I threw a chip, gone in a second. This couldn't be healthy for the poor thing; it isn't particularly healthy for us either but that wasn't going to stop him, by the end I think he had as much as I did. The bird turned out to be called an Ibis, a bit different to the seagulls at home.
We had arranged a car to take us to the Blue Mountains about two hours away from Sydney. Once we arrived we changed the car for a four-wheel drive, the driver being the guide. The scenery was amazing. We were shown cliff edges that seemed to fall forever, were shown smoke from fires that had been burning on and off for years. The highlight, though, was the Three Sisters, as they were called: three rock stacks rising majestically from the Jamison Valley. This short trip was an eye-opener of the natural beauty of the Australian landscape. We had heard of a restaurant called Doyle's on the Beach that has wonderful views over Sydney as the sun sets, so this became our port of call that evening. A short taxi ride around to Watson’s Bay and soon we were entrenched on a table on the beach with shade from a parasol; it had the wow factor right away. We ordered a seafood platter for two and a nice bottle of Sancerre to come with an ice bucket. The sun began to set and what a view we had of it, spectacular. Dinner over with and now dark we asked for a water taxi back to Circular Quay . After a few minutes we were told it had arrived. I had no idea what was going to happen next; in fact I thought it would be a gentle sightseeing cruise back, I couldn’t be more wrong. This boat flew across the harbour; so clinging to a rail the blur of the harbour side whizzed past and within minutes we were deposited on Circular Quay. The view of the Sydney harbour bridge and the Opera House from the water was amazing, a great experience. Just time for a few more drinks in a bar before bed, another long day ahead of us. The next morning started later than we had hoped; I guess jet lag had caught up on us, but never mind, we hopped on a bus armed with beach regalia and headed for Bondi Beach. Most people have heard of this beach and the anticipation was ever so slowly deflating once we arrived. Ok, it has something, but so do many other town beaches, Barcelona to name one. Well, anyway, let’s make the most of it; so first some fish and chips before we hit the sand. A big black and white bird followed us to a bench and made it quite obvious he wanted some too, so I threw a chip, gone in a second. This couldn't be healthy for the poor thing; it isn't particularly healthy for us either but that wasn't going to stop him, by the end I think he had as much as I did. The bird turned out to be called an Ibis, a bit different to the seagulls at home. We spent the afternoon on the beach our heads facing the sea, toes to the beach; the opposite of at home. Soon enough it was time to pack up and head back to Sydney for our last dinner in this amazing city. So after a good shower to get rid of all the sand, off out for drinks and dinner, we ended up in a nice trendy type of restaurant. I chose to have kangaroo but the second I ordered it I thought “o no”, but too late, the waiter had disappeared, I would have to stick with my choice. I was glad I did because it was delicious. A great ending to my first, but definitely not the last, visit to Sydney. I had sent a letter to Olympic outlining all that had happened on our outward journey but hadn't received a reply. When we arrived at check-in for Olympic Airways we were asked if we would like to wait in their lounge; just before departure we were taken onboard and shown into the first class cabin, my letter had done its job.
2 Comments
Helen R
15/9/2015 20:19:40
Which do you prefer? Australia or USA?
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Gary keywood
15/9/2015 21:37:01
I think the ...!!!
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GaryBorn in Chiswick West London, grew up in Royal Berkshire, currently living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands Archives
March 2016
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