Marilyn's Odyssey: Australia , Around Sydney

We spent our last couple of days in Australia seeing a few more of the sights. We took the ferry over to Manly Beach and spent some time relaxing on the beach in the sun soaking up the rays while watching the surfers. There is quite an undertow her and the lifeguards are really on top of things about patrolling the beach and only allowing swimming at the far end where the water is calmer. It was Anzec Day which is like our Remembrance Day so being a holiday it was particularly busy but was fun and entertaining. The trip back and forth was very scenic with wonderful views of the city. One thing that surprised us is how hilly Sydney is and we certainly have got a workout in with all our walking which we have need with all our over indulgent eating and drinking. After dinner we went to the bar at the Opera House and with wonderful views of the lit up bridge sat and enjoyed our cocktails.

Our last day in Sydney we started out by climbing up the pilons of the bridge. An excellent alternative to the bridge climb as you can take your camera and the views are stunning. As you climb up the inside of the pilon the history of the building of the bridge is explained which is very interesting. Once you reach the top one can walk all around and get 360degree views of the city. Stunning. We then strolled through the market at the rocks before heading over to Darling Harbour. On the way we stopped at the historic Queen Victoria Building which has been turned into a high end mall and is well worth a look at even if you are not shopping. Lunch at Hunter Barrel on Darling Harbour was fantastic with absolutely wonderful kangaroo. We even stopped at the casino before heading back to pack. Dinner out at Pony in the Rocks was the perfect way to end our stay in Australia. Tomorrow morning we start our long flight home but we are taking home many memories of wonderful places that we have been to and so many interesting and incredible people that we have met and shared time with. As Eric sometimes says for a couple of kids from Belmont we are so blessed.