Sydney Day 3

Day 3 was our last day in Sydney.

We wandered through town to the Botanic Gardens, which were a-ight. Then we walked over to the Opera House, which was pretty tight! It really is cool up close.

 The man who designed it knew the general shape he was going for, but couldn't figure out architecturally how to make it work (and not collapse on itself). Then he found inspiration in a sliced orange, and somehow that solved it. Yays!

An interior design feature (don't think it's anything in particular)

 

From there, we caught a ferry to Manly, one of the coastal beach suburbs of Sydney.

Again, I was struck by the beauty of Sydney Harbour. We basked in sunshine on the ferry, even getting warm enough to remove our sweaters!

We walked the main street, lined with surf clothing stores like Quiksilver and Billabong, to the beach. We looked for fish and chips, but the only chippie on the strip was charging $18 for a meal. After searching the side streets for a while, we finally found some for $12. This country is expensive! While the Aussie dollar has just squeaked ahead of the US dollar in worth, the prices here reflect the fact that the AUD has traditionally been weaker. This means that my USD $100 is worth fewer AUD, perhaps $98, but an item that would cost USD $100, costs AUD $120. (There are other reasons for higher prices in Australia, but the end result is that I get screwed.) Anyway, we ate fish and chips, then caught the ferry back to Sydney. See, here are the HUGELY IMPRESSIVE bridge and Opera House. Isn't your breath just stolen away from you? (Hugh is giving me a hard time for saying I was unimpressed.)

Overall, Sydney struck me as a mix between London and San Diego. I liked it, but I'm not sure I could imagine myself living there. It's still too big a city for me. I think London ruined me for big cities. We collected our bags from the hotel and caught the train to the airport, and...BUSINESS CLASS, BITCHES!!! Oh yeah, that's right. I told you he spoils me. We flew in STYLE to Adelaide. The flight attendants address you by your last name. They offer you a selection of newspapers. They offer you a drink before take-off, then come back before take-off to collect your glass. They feed you dinner on a one-hour flight! And that's not even mentioning the cushy, spacey seats. Luxury.