Sydney Harbour Bridge

A street performer juggles two swords and an apple

The juggler expresses his opinion of a stander-by who didn't leave a tip...

Sydney Opera House on a cloudy, stormy day

Please walk on the grass...

Government House, Sydney

Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney

Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney

Decided to get out of the hotel and take a walk around the harbour.  Headed down to Circular Quay and the Rocks, past the Opera House and on to the Botanical Gardens, one of my favourite spots in Sydney.  It was completely deserted on a cloudy Friday afternoon.

You really get the perspective of size and space here – on a totally different scale to Europe.  It was nice to have the park to myself.

Sydney is much more expensive than I remember it.  I’m not sure if that’s because of the strong Australian dollar or whether it’s because I now convert back to Swiss francs instead of British pounds, but in any case my money doesn’t seem to go nearly as far as I remember it going before. 

Maybe I’m just getting miserly in my old age.

It poured with rain last night, the kind of thunderstorm I remember from growing up on the East Coast of the US.  I managed to make it back to the hotel just before the heavens opened, watching the storm from the hotel bar with a glass of Australian Pinot Grigio in my hand.  I love thunderstorms.  It was a perfect way to end an evening.

Sadly, the rain has continued into Saturday, thwarting my plans to head down to Bondi Beach for some golf and a suntan.  I’m working on an indoor Plan B – right now, leading contenders are the Aquarium, a photo exhibit, or some shopping.