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.