Sydney

This past weekend I decided to take the 60 minute flight out of Brisbane Domestic Airport on Qantas and head South to Sydney. Ever since Sydney hosted the Olympics in 2000 this city has been one of the top tourist destinations in the world. After visiting for 3 days I can understand why.

Upon arriving on Friday afternoon the clouds decided to open up with a rain storm that looked as thought it was something only Hollywood could produce with special effects. The rain was coming down so hard and the wind blowing equally hard that it was very difficult to stay dry.... even inside! As most people know airports have large automatic sliding doors to allow easy access to travelers and their luggage. These doors decided to stay wide open and the rain coming down sideways made it very interesting in getting ones luggage. As with most rain that comes down that hard it didn't last too long but the rest of the day and night was raining on and off so I stayed closed to my hotel.

On Saturday I got up early, and walked a few blocks to the Court House Hotel and Bar which is open 24 hrs and has several TV's showing sports 24 hrs a day also. The previous day I arranged with the manager to have to have one of the TV's showing the Red Sox vs Indians. I sat myself down at one of the tables, looked at my watch which said 9:45 am, looked around, looked at the bar and said 'what the hell... the Sox are on' and proceeded up to the bar to order an ice water and a pint of Twooyes Extra Dry. I managed to nurse the pint for all of the game unlike my fellow patrons who I think may have still been there from the night before! After a great Sox win I set out to check out different parts of the city and do some exploring.

On Sunday I really found the true beauty of this city. Its harbor. After walking from my hotel for 30 minutes or so, taking my time with no set schedule, I rounded a corner of a large hotel and saw for the first time one of the iconic symbols of the harbor.... the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Like hearing a singer in concert sing one of their hit songs that you have heard on the radio for years and years and being blown away because you think to yourself 'that is Paul Simon... singing Mrs. Robinson' is the same feeling I got when I saw the bridge. I have seen the bridge since I was young on TV and movies. It is the center of attention each New Year when Sydney has one of the largest firework displays in the world in its harbor. The bridge, unlike the White House in Washington DC, is much larger than one would expect. It carries 8 lanes of traffic and at least 2 rails of trains!

The only thing that could have outshone the bridge was what I saw after walking a few more minutes.... the Sydney Opera House. This building is amazing. No other word can describe it. It is one of the most photographed buildings in the world and again seeing it in person is so different than seeing it in photographs or on screen. The area surrounding the Opera House is beautiful with cafes and shops and gives off an air of arrogance without being too pompous. You know you are in a special place where the best musicians in the world come to play year in and year out.

After doing the whole tourist thing I was back on a plane to Brisbane early Monday morning!

I will be back down in Sydney for 4 days over the Thanksgiving weekend. I am planning on checking out the famous Bondi Beach area and the Blue Mountains which outline this great city!