My Cousin Carol and her daughter, Vivienne, recently visited Australia for two weeks from their homes at Poulton-le-Fylde and Glasgow respectively. They travelled quite widely in the Eastern States - Victoria, NSW, and Queensland, visiting relatives in Melbourne, taking a break on the Gold Coast (where they unfortunately encountered the tail end of cyclone Debbie, which dumped upwards of 500 mm of rain (c. 20 inches) in 3 days) and meeting up with Dot and me and our mutual Cousin David and his extended family in Sydney.
We stayed for 3 days in the same Travelodge hotel as Carol and Vivienne located just to the south of Hyde park (yes, Sydney has one too!) and for much of that time went around together sightseeing - often using Uber taxis to transport ourselves from place to place cheaply and efficiently. This post recounts some of the things we did together.
We ate breakfasts each day at a different cafe in the vicinity of our hotel and, on the first morning, it as the Fat Man's Cafe just off Oxford Street (yes, we have one of those too!). The cafe and its neighbourhood had interesting wall paintings as the first three pictures show. I liked the third item in which a drain-pipe becomes a rifle - perhaps against my better instincts.
Here we are performong and enduring ritual - taking the harbour ferry to Manly from Circular Quay.
We saw a few yacht races en route, including some yachts turned upside down, and encountered a heavy swell when crossing between north and south heads. The ferry pitched and tossed to add fun to the trip.
And so to the beach after a stroll down the famous Corso linking the beach and ferry. Despite the choppy conditions, there were heaps of surfers in the water, some of them pretty good.
On returning to Circular Quay we strolled through the Rocks area - the site of Australia's first European settlement - paying particular attention to the interesting street market with a wide variety of stalls.
The following day we travelled to Darling Harbour for breakfast and a stroll around this entertainment zone. We focused much of the time on the Chinese Gardens, which I had never previously visited and they were excellent!
We were even given a bowl of food - little pellets - to feed the voracious carp in the pool. They fought each for the food, while I tried to be fair and scatter the food widely.
We next travelled to the Queen Victoria Building - a 19th century shopping mall lovingly restored and home to many top-end shops and services. It's multi-level as this image shows, has interesting clocks, and a pianist to add to the up-market atmosphere.
On our final day, we took a trip to another Sydney icon - Bondi Beach. Cousin David did the honour of picking us up in his spanking new Mazda at the hotel and accompanying us to the beach, not far from his home.
At the top of the beach a wall hosts dozens of interesting art-works - not graffiti - like these show here.
I rarely appear in my own blog, but here I am suitably attired for the beach. And below that, Carol posed for the camera with feline company.
As a storm was brewing we made a strategic retreat, though I don't think the prospect disturbed the surfers!
AS
We stayed for 3 days in the same Travelodge hotel as Carol and Vivienne located just to the south of Hyde park (yes, Sydney has one too!) and for much of that time went around together sightseeing - often using Uber taxis to transport ourselves from place to place cheaply and efficiently. This post recounts some of the things we did together.
We ate breakfasts each day at a different cafe in the vicinity of our hotel and, on the first morning, it as the Fat Man's Cafe just off Oxford Street (yes, we have one of those too!). The cafe and its neighbourhood had interesting wall paintings as the first three pictures show. I liked the third item in which a drain-pipe becomes a rifle - perhaps against my better instincts.
Here we are performong and enduring ritual - taking the harbour ferry to Manly from Circular Quay.
We saw a few yacht races en route, including some yachts turned upside down, and encountered a heavy swell when crossing between north and south heads. The ferry pitched and tossed to add fun to the trip.
And so to the beach after a stroll down the famous Corso linking the beach and ferry. Despite the choppy conditions, there were heaps of surfers in the water, some of them pretty good.
On returning to Circular Quay we strolled through the Rocks area - the site of Australia's first European settlement - paying particular attention to the interesting street market with a wide variety of stalls.
The following day we travelled to Darling Harbour for breakfast and a stroll around this entertainment zone. We focused much of the time on the Chinese Gardens, which I had never previously visited and they were excellent!
We were even given a bowl of food - little pellets - to feed the voracious carp in the pool. They fought each for the food, while I tried to be fair and scatter the food widely.
We next travelled to the Queen Victoria Building - a 19th century shopping mall lovingly restored and home to many top-end shops and services. It's multi-level as this image shows, has interesting clocks, and a pianist to add to the up-market atmosphere.
On our final day, we took a trip to another Sydney icon - Bondi Beach. Cousin David did the honour of picking us up in his spanking new Mazda at the hotel and accompanying us to the beach, not far from his home.
At the top of the beach a wall hosts dozens of interesting art-works - not graffiti - like these show here.
I rarely appear in my own blog, but here I am suitably attired for the beach. And below that, Carol posed for the camera with feline company.
As a storm was brewing we made a strategic retreat, though I don't think the prospect disturbed the surfers!
AS
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