Thursday 9th April Sydney
UNITED KINGDOM | Thursday, 9 April 2009 | Views [154] | Comments [4]
Having completed our journal yesterday, we returned to our hotel and went for a swim in the hotel swimming pool which was very refreshing. After that we had a welcome shower to get ourselves ready for our evening out with Peter and Laura. Peter is the son of our friends in Kesgrave, John and Angie, and is over here with his fiancee Laura, whose family live in Holbrook. They are both working over here as Peter was transferred by his London company 15 months ago.
Pete picked us up from our hotel in his new Honda Jazz car and whizzed us over the Sydney Harbour Bridge to their wonderful, Harbourside apartment where Laura was waiting. Thank you John and Angie for providing the wine for the evening. A bottle of sparkling was opened as we looked around this fantastic apartment and gave them their Easter presents from John and Angie. These had travelled 16,118 miles on 8 plane journeys, 1,327 miles on 4 train journeys and 895 miles in our hire car. We had to tell white lies at 8 airport check ins, when asked "did anyone give you anything to carry on their behalf?". Thankfully they both loved their presents and did not ask us to bring them back again!!!!
We then carried our glasses outside and down onto their patio. WOW We were stunned when we realised that their apartment faced the Sydney Opera House and was almost next to the Sydney Harbour Bridge which were both lit up and looked fabulous in the night sky.
It was then off for a stroll along the riverside path, under The Bridge to Ripples Restaurant where we all had a great meal and thankfully this was a BYO so we could take our own wine and beer. What a lovely evening we had chatting and laughing non stop with this great couple. All their parents should be really proud of them and how they have settled into their way of life here in Sydney, and are obviously enjoying it very much. We were sad when the evening came to an end and we had to say goodbye to Peter and Laura. Thanks to you both for a great evening and your wonderful company.
The sun was shining again as we woke up on Thursday morning. Peter and Laura told us about a walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach, which is one of the Top 25 things to do in Sydney. So we caught the 333 Express Bus to Bondi Beach, where we enjoyed a cup of coffee sitting on the promenade of this vast golden beach, to which 35,000 people are attracted on a hot day in summer. Thankfully they were not all there today!!! The temperature was showing 27C and not a cloud in the sky as we went for a walk on Bondi Beach before setting off on our 4 mile coastal walk which passes a number of beaches each different in character, as well as traversing dramatic clifftops and passing probably the best appointed cemetery in the world, Waverley Cemetery which was established in 1877 and is absolutely enormous. During our walk we stopped at Bronte Beach (named after Lord Nelson as he was Duke of Bronte) and had our picnic lunch.
When we arrived at Coogee Beach we were grateful to find the bus stop for our return journey to Circular Quay and just had to have a McDonalds ice cream when we arrived there!!! Again we strolled around Circular Quay, there is some kind of magic attraction about this place and we love being a part of it. The sun has not stopped shining all day.
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