We arrived in Sydney on a wet & windy morning then we hopped in a taxi & sat in rush hour traffic for about an hour and a half. Give me the M50 any day! Not great first impressions. Thankfully things got better after that. Ian (Dave's cousin) gave us a very warm welcome to his apartment in Balmain before heading off to work. Then the sun came out & we decided to jump straight in at the deep end "two tickets to Circular Quay please". Let's go see the icons, and they didn't disappoint (I wonder if they ever do). Sitting on a bench in Circular Quay is the most surreal experience to look left and see the Sydney Harbour Bridge (a mammoth structure of immense beauty) and then to look right and see the Opera House in all it's glory. Having these two in such close proximity would be akin to placing the Taj Mahal across the road from the Eiffel Tower. Sensory overload.
For the remainder of the afternoon we acquainted ourselves with downtown Sydney visiting The Rocks, George Street and Darling Harbour amongst others. That evening we enjoyed a sociable evening with Ian & Emma at a Thai restaurant before hitting the Welcome Irish Bar for a few surprisingly good pints of Guinness. Keeping with the Thai theme the next morning we visited the Thai consulate in an effort to try and secure our visa's for Thailand (because we only have a one way flight) but alas the Thai New Year couldn't have come at a worse time for us and this would scupper our efforts in both Sydney and Brisbane. Afterwards we strolled through the Botanic Gardens (and were amazed at the copious amounts of fruit bats in the trees) and discussed "Thailand Plan B". That evening Ian & Emma prepared a fantastic BBQ, succulent lamb sizzling on the grill... oops I guess I should have mentioned that Claire doesn't eat lamb! Emma sprung into action and prepared chicken and salad for Claire.
Ian had recommended a guided walking tour of the Rocks area so that is precisely what we did on Thursday morning. The history of the area is fascinating. While in Sydney we also took the ferry from circular Quay home to Balmain, it's always nice when cities use the waterways as part of the transport system. On Friday night we visited James (Wyeth buddy) at his apartment where he put on a very impressive spread, another delectable BBQ and more tender lamb to be consumed! Martha (another ex-Wyeth employee) and her boyfriend joined us and we had a very entertaining evening . After several beers there may even have been a conference call made to Wyeth as the guys back there were just getting ready to finish up for the weekend. Good to hear the old familiar voices.
Ibis, plenty of them on view from Emma & Ian's balcony
All too soon it was time to catch our flight to Brisbane. I think we can hold our heads high in the knowledge that we gave Sydney a good run for her money. Ian and Emma - Thanks for your hospitality.
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