Sunday December 14th - Sydney

What an interesting day – very Serendipitis. We had gone to sleep about 8:30 last evening, going to bed about 9 PM. We were both very tired, but by 5:30 we were both wide awake and ready for the day. The temperature today was about 25 degrees, but the wind was really strong – about 57 KM per hour, and gusts greater than that.
Barb started the day with a 4.5 KM run and while away – checked out the distance to the church we had discovered yesterday – only 2 km each way! We decided to head out for the 10 AM service, leaving our condo about 9 AM so that we would have lots of time. Our first clue that perhaps things were not quite what we expected was that upon our arrival at 9:30 – there was no one around the church. We stopped next door in the coffee shop, and watched the front door of the church, expecting it to open any minute. By about 10:30 we figured that the formal sign was out of date, and that the only service was going to happen about 7:30 this evening. (There was a typed note stuck to the front door). So we decided to start touring – or something. We purchased a “Day-tripper” ticket on the bus and made our way to the Circle Quay. We had learned that there was an aquarium in Manly, so got on the Manly Ferry and away we went. We still really didn’t know where we were, but figured we would spend and hour or so at the Aquarium, then head back to see what else we could do. The ferry ride itself was 30 minutes through Sydney Harbour, where we got our first glimpse of the famous Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.





When we arrived in Manly we checked out the information center. Here we learned that there was more to Manly than the Aquarium. Actually – we never went into the Aquarium. It was clearly on older center, and we decided that we would not spend the time or the $$ to explore. Instead, we went the other direction and discovered a wonderful surfer beach – Manly Beach. For those foolish to ask - no neither of us tried our hand - or should I say our body at surfing. We wandered up and down the beach then took some time to have a bit of lunch and wander through the craft market and watched this delightful young girl play in the water fountain. We then took the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve walk around to Shelley Beach, enjoying the sun and the wide variety of people that shared the path, and of course – the amazing scenery. We also took delight in this group of iguanas that were sunning themselves on these steps. The sand on Manly Beach was fine and clean, the waves fabulous, though the water was fairly cold. There were lots of people who did not find the water all that cold as is evidence in the pictures. The sand at Shelley beach was much courser, but the water was much calmer, though just as cold. Around 4 PM we decided to head back to Sydney. We just made the ferry, and back at the Circular Quay checked out the information booth (it was closed) then went back to our condo. We took the train, and with the help of several native Aussie’s managed to get on the right train, change trains at the appropriate time, and arrived at our designated stop at Kings Cross. We stopped for groceries along the way and after a pleasant dinner and a lovely glass of wine we set about planning for tomorrow’s adventures.