More touring about Sydney

Last Thursday Jill and I took the ferry into the city, and then caught another smaller ferry into Balmain. Balmain is a neighborhood right across the water from downtown which used to be an industrial center. After much gentrification over the past 30 years, Balmain is now one of the more upscale and trendy areas in which to live close to the city. Jill and I spent the day walking around the main drag of the area, doing a bit of gift shopping for our family while enjoying another beautiful day.

Friday Jill and I woke up early so we could drive Veronica to her job site close to the airport. We did this so we could have the car for the day. After dropping Veronica off Jill and I went to Centennial Park, Sydney's biggest park. After walkign around for a bit, we drove to Bronte beach, a beach just south of Bondi. From Bronte we drove further South to a headland overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the area of Coogee. The wind whipping off the ocean was cold, so Jill and I jumped back into the car to drive over to Bondi Beach. At Bondi we walked around trying to find a decent, affordable place to eat. Luckily we walked past Mongers, a fish and chip place that we have here in Manly that is very good. Unfortunately we had to wait an hour before it opened, so we went and sat in the park overlooking the beach. After enjoying a great lunch, we headed over to Veronica's job site as she was finishing work early. That night we headed back into the city to have dinner at an Italian restaurant in Glebe. After dinner we headed into The Rocks to go take a night tour of the Sydney Observatory. The Observatory is quite old and small, and the amount of people that they had jammed in the building made Jill and I feel quite claustrophobic. While it was an interesting tour, it was rather unorganized and the fact that the Observatory's best telescope was only $30,000 seemed a bit pathetic. It is seriously cheap considering how much they charge for a tour and how many people they cram into the building for each tour.

Saturday we took it easy. After waking up late, Jill and Veronica headed to the mall so Veronica could buy some presents. After they got back, we all walked down to Fresh to have lunch and then we strolled around Manly for a bit. We then jumped into the car and drove up to the Northern most point of the Northern Beaches, Palm Beach. After walking around the area for a while, we drove back into Manly to get ready for the concert we were going to that night in the city. The ferry we tried to catch was canceled that night, so we ended up taking a bus into the city. We then hopped onto a train to Newtown, where we walked to Guzman y Gomez, the so-called most authentic Mexican food restaurant in Sydney. While the food was quasi good, I don't think it's ever going to satisfy our hankering for good Mexican food. After dinner we walked through Newtown to the Enmore Theatre for the concert. Old Man River, the band we wanted to see, was the 2nd act of the night, and they put on a stellar set. We stayed for the headlining act, a band called Thirsty Merc, which reminded me of a Train/Creed combo. While the band was entertaining, the lead singer had a real problem with talking between each and every song. Not just a little talking, we are talking 3 to 4 minutes worth each time. Highly annoying, and even the audience was telling him to shut up and play a song (not me though). A good time though, and Jill was definitely excited to see a concert here in Sydney.

Sunday we woke early to go to the Taronga Zoo. Veronica's company has a pass that gives free admission to up to 4 people, so that was a great way to start the day. We spent 5 hours at the Zoo, and it was a great time getting to see elephants, gorillas, giraffes, chimpanzees, seals, koalas and a few Kodiac Bears. Afterwards we came back to the house to rest before we headed out to the Quarantine Station for a nighttime ghost tour. How can I describe this tour without sounding like a complete jerk? Well, I don't know a way. First off, the tour started 30 minutes late. Since we were waiting in a little barn that tells all about the Quarantine Station, we had ample time to read all about it. It was also ample time to notice some glaring typo's on a few of the posters. Apparently the National Park needs to hire a proof reader. But these are petty complaints, the real complaint is that the tour wasn't really scary, or even entertaining. What made it worse was our guide's need to use one of the tourists to hide on the autopsy table in order to scare us. Obviously if you have to do something like that the idea of there being ghosts seemed overtly hokey. Plus, the cost of the tour was $34 per person, which was way too steep for that crappy of a tour. Long story short, I won't be taking anyone back there for a tour.

Monday we went back to Balmain to have lunch. Veronica took the day off since it was Jill's last full day in Sydney, and we had a good time riding the ferry around the harbour. It was a mellow day and that night we went and saw a movie at Warringah Mall.

On Tuesday Jill and I went to Candy's for a Chai Latte. We hung out for a bit before we had to drive out to the airport. It's hard to believe Jill is already gone, it feels like the days flew by while she was here, but we definitely had a great time.

Jill arrives in Sydney

It has been jam packed past 6 days. Since Jill has arrived in Sydney it feels like I have done more sightseeing in a week compared to the previous 4 months of living here.

Jill’s flight arrived early Friday morning in a big rainstorm. Fortunately, there was no fog as there had been the previous day. In fact, it was so foggy on Thursday that several flights were diverted from Sydney to Melbourne.

Jill’s first views of Sydney were from the highway as we inched along the rain-drenched streets. After making it back to Manly, Jill and I hung out for a bit before I had to drive into the city for my final day of work at Video Australasia. Jill wandered around Manly while Veronica and I were at work. We ended up going to dinner at a pizza place, La Casa (strange name for a pizza place, don’t you think?) for a nice mellow night.

Saturday we slept in for a bit, but around 11 we headed to Dee Why Beach in our “White Chariot” so I could go for a quick surf. Meanwhile, Veronica and Jill walked around the neighborhood, as it was a beautiful morning. Afterwards we drove back into Manly to have lunch at one of our favorite cheap eateries, Fresh, for some delicious chicken burritos. That night our friends Guyns, Jase and Brenda invited us over for dinner at their house in Freshwater. We walked over from Manly to Freshwater, and back, thus introducing Jill for our affinity to transportation by foot.

We woke early on Sunday morning for our trip out to the Blue Mountains. After catching a ferry into town, we hopped into a tour company minivan for an hour and a half journey to the mountains. The day was fun and we saw all the sights and highlights of the area. Unfortunately I can only remember the name of one of the highlights, The Three Sisters. Pathetic indeed. It was a long day, but after getting back into Manly we decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal at the Bavarian Café.

Monday saw Veronica back at work. Jill and I headed back into the city to check out some of the attractions. First we checked out the Museum of Contemporary Art, located right next to the Circular Quay. Since neither Jill or myself are art critics, nor have either of us taken art appreciation classes, I will keep my opinions about the museum to myself. The one good thing I can say about the museum is that admission is free. J The museum’s shortcomings were more than made up for afterwards when Jill and I walked just down the road to visit an Art Gallery. The Touch Gallery showcases the artwork of Nelson Mandela, comprising of sketches of the prison on Robben Island in South Africa. I don’t feel like I am an overtly easy person to impress, but this gallery impressed both Jill and I immensely. Strolling around The Rocks area, we didn’t find any cafes or restaurants that were suitably priced for our budget. Instead we jumped on a bus and headed out to Glebe Point Road so I could introduce Jill to my favorite lunch place, Fish on Fire, for a delicious chicken burger and chips. After lunch we caught a bus back into the city to visit a mall called The Strand. (Sidenote: On the bus ride we sat behind a man, aged 65 to 75, who had the longest ear hair I have ever seen. I am talking about ear hair that was an inch and half long, all around the ear. It was an amazing sight, and I cannot even fathom how one gets ear hair that long.) Built in 1892, The Strand looks like it should be placed in London, not Sydney. Unfortunately Jill did not find anything affordable enough to buy as all the shops are quite hoity-toity. Jill and I then walked over to Hyde Park, and then headed into St. Mary’s Cathedral. Still not done, we headed to the State Library of NSW to check out the photo exhibition.

Tuesday we took it a little easier, heading into Darling Harbour to check out the sites. After a subpar lunch at a restaurant over looking the Harbour, Jill and I went and saw a movie as both of our legs were exhausted after all the walking. We had a relaxing night; I cooked dinner and we watched Flushed Away on DVD.

This morning Jill and I took a ferry back into town to walk around The Royal Botanical Gardens. Even though the day was cold, the sun was out and there were no clouds in the sky. After a nice picnic Jill and I headed to the Art Museum of NSW. Luckily, this museum was much better than the Contemporary Museum and we saw a Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, and two works by Andy Warhol.

Tomorrow Jill and I are going to the Opera House for a tour, should be a good day. Cheers.

Surfing with a World Champion and Our New Ride is now Street Legal

This past Saturday the Northen Beaches of Sydney had a nice swell come in. The waves were 3 foot plus and clean at Dee Why Beach and the day was gorgeously sunny. Veronica headed to the beach with me while I went to go catch some waves. Imagine my surprise when I get out into the lineup and see Barton Lynch, 1988 World Champion and Pipeline Master, streaking down the line on some extremely fast and hollow lefthanders. Super cool to say the least.

The other good news is that our new ride, a 1989 Toyota Camry Station Wagon is now street legal. Oh yeah, we have insurance, a safety check and the rego all squared away, and now that we replaced the brake lights, our white chariot is now ready for action. I have posted a picture or two, but please, don't be too jealous of our pimpin' new ride. Just remember, this beautiful vehicle was given to us by our good friend Andy. Nothing beats a free car.

As you can see from the pictures, Sunday night Veronica and I made dinner, something of a novelty as we have been eating out pretty much all the time. Sadly it is almost cheaper to eat out here than buy groceries and cook for yourself a lot of the time. Yep, I had to document Veronica and I cooking, pretty sad.

This week is my last week working at Video Australasia. They have finally found a new driver, so Friday is my last day. Perfect timing as my little sister Jill arrives this Friday to spend 2 weeks with us. This is good news for you friends and family as there will be many new postings and pictures these next two weeks. Hopefully this will offset my recent slacker ways with the blog.

Cheers.

Tony Roma's!

Turning 30 and we got a car

We’ve been blessed with some beautiful weather this past week. The sun has been shining, but it’s not too hot, and a nice cool breeze has been blowing. Basically, perfect fall weather in Sydney.

This past Friday we celebrated my 30th birthday. Good times were had by most as Veronica and I spent Friday night hanging out at the Harbord Hotel, listening to some good tunes with our friends. Unfortunately, Veronica was not feeling good due to having worked outside for 10 hours that day. I told my lovely wife that we should just go home, but she would have none of that business. Veronica is a trooper and made it through the night while suffering from a bad headache.

After sleeping in on Saturday, we headed into the city to watch a movie and have dinner. As you can see from the pictures we went to Tony Roma’s. Let me tell you, it was delightful getting to eat some good barbecue baby back ribs. As we’ve mentioned before, the cuisine here can be pretty hit or miss, so knowing that we were going to get to enjoy familiar BBQ was a real treat.

Sunday Veronica and I headed to Dee Why to go to the beach. I brought along my board (even though it was supposed to be flat) just in case there were a few waves to be had. Again, the pictures sum up how good the surf was, basically non-existent and pathetic. In an hour I caught 3 small waves. BTW, can you see me out there? Yeah, I have my back to the beach, wearing a black wetsuit top, and I am basically in the center of the photo. Pretty sweet, I know. After a late lunch, we went and did laundry, 3 weeks worth of laundry to be exact. For dinner we had our leftover ribs, which were still quite tasty. Overall the weekend was nice and mellow, perfect for a newly minted 30 year old.

This week the big news is that we now have a car. Yep, our friend Andy gave us his 1989 Toyota Camry Station Wagon, as he bought another car just recently. Getting a free car is pretty choice needless to say, and the best part is that it runs. Only bummer is that registering a car in Sydney is an expensive endeavor. After all is said and done with insurance and registration, the grand total will be a little over $1200 just to drive the car. Ouch! But the expense will be worth it to have a car to explore the city in, of this I am positive. It comes at a perfect time now that my little sister Jill is coming out to visit on the 16th for two weeks.

Hope you enjoy the photos, and we will be sure to include photos of our new chariot in the next post. Cheers.