Made it to Sydney!

[Mon 11/14-Wed 11/16]

Our flight left LAX on time Monday night and we arrived in Sydney at 8:45am local time Wednesday (as if Tuesday never happened) in better shape than either of us expected. We both managed to sleep a decent amount - at least enough to power through our first day. Victoria was taking her last final when we landed and planned to meet up with us early afternoon.

We taxied to our hotel, the Rydges Sydney Harbour, dropped our bags and headed out for a walk until our room was ready. The Rydges in nice, nothing fancy, but in a great location near the waterfront and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and in a cool neighborhood called The Rocks. We checked out a couple shops near the hotel then walked along the waterfront, from the cruise ship terminal, where Carnival's massive 'Ovation of the Seas' was docked, under the Harbour Bridge, around Dawes Point to Miller Point and the Barangaroo Reserve, a beautiful waterfront park with trails, open spaces and great views of the harbor. We headed back to the hotel around noon, but our room still wasn't ready. So we walked a block to the Endeavor Tap Rooms for a pint and an appetizer. We grabbed a table outside on a beautiful afternoon and enjoyed watching the locals and tourists pass by.

Campbell's Cove - our hotel (not visible) is behind the red brick steepled building

Harbour Bridge from Dawes Point

On the waterfront trail in Barangaroo Reserve

We had noticed a free museum, The Rocks Discovery Museum, right next to our hotel, so decided to check it out. It's small, but they have some great exhibits on the history of the area, from the early aborigines, through it's settlement in the late 1700's where it became known as a slum and home to many of the convicts who were shipped to the new colony.

We got into our room around 1:15pm, very excited to shower, brush our teeth and change our clothes! The room has a great view of the harbor (at least once the cruise ship heads out) and the Sydney Opera House. While we were cleaning up, the skies turned dark and we watched an intense storm pass through, with thunder, lightning, hail and heavy rain. Victoria arrived just as the rain was letting up. We were so happy to see her - and she seemed pretty happy to see us!

We caught up in our room for a bit, then walked along the harbor to the Opera House. We walked around the outside for a bit, then headed toward the neighboring Botanical Garden, just as the skies started to turn threatening again. So we decided to find shelter in a nearby covered, rooftop bar while the storm passed through. It was a great opportunity to catch up on Victoria's adventures.

Our hotel is just behind this monster

Happy mom with happy daughter, on the steps of the Opera House

View from the edge of the Botanical Gardens, just before we bolted for cover

We decided an early dinner - and early to bed - might be in order, so headed to Lord Nelson Hotel, Sydney's oldest pub brewery, for fish & chips, a (delicious) burger, and a couple pints. A great spot in a cool, old building. After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and briefly checked out the roof-top deck with amazing views of the harbor. We said goodbye to Victoria and quickly headed to bed, impressed with ourselves for staying awake until 9:30pm! Great first day!

Rooftop view; the cruise ship previously blocked the view of the Opera House

Harbour Bridge at night

One last squeeze before bed!

It's now Thursday morning. We both slept 9+ hours. We plan to head back to the Botanical Garden this morning, then meet up with Victoria and take a ferry to either Manley or Bondi beach and walk along the waterfront. Tonight we get to meet... a boy Victoria's been hanging out with!