Sydney

From Fiji, we flew directly to Sydney for New Years Eve. A friend had been nice enough to offer us her apartment for free during our stay. What luck! The only problem was, the key had been moved. So when we got there we had a momentary panic. Luckily, it was all soon resolved when we got in touch with our friend (then traveling in Vietnam or Cambodia - not even sure, but she called us on her cell!). Another friend also offered accommodation at his place. We visited our friend Alex at his super nice apartment with a big terrace and this fantastic view:

The next day, it was time for several views of the famous Sydney Opera House

We went down to the wharf and checked out the very big ferries

Then, we decided to take a day trip to Manly - a popular voyage for any beach-loving tourist

The Harbour Bridge

The Opera House, on the way to Manly

 
 
  

 

Yes, the signs "Beware: You might get wet" were telling the truth!!

 





After Manly, we came back to the city and made our way to the famous Botanical Gardens. They were very large, with sprawling grassy lawns and a multitude of various exotic greenery.

There were also bats... 22,000 large, black and orange fruit bats, or flying foxes, to be exact

A weird bird that walked up to us while we were lounging in the grass

From Mrs. Macquarie's Chair

Sitting in the chair. My question: How big was Mrs. Macquarie?! Why is her chair so huge? She was the wife of one of Australia's first governors, in the early 1800s