We start the day a bit earlier than we managed to yesterday and this gives us time to jump on a bus into Sydney’s CBD (city business district) before we've even had lunch! It's immediately obvious how different this city is from Melbourne - there's no grid system which makes it confusing, plus it’s really humid. We take a stroll around a couple of the shops and Hyde Park, before heading down to catch the Manly ferry.
The ferry, which forms part of the Sydney public transport system, is not only a great way to get to get over to the (beach resort) suburb of Manly, it also gives you a fantastic view of the Harbour. Alicia takes hundreds of pictures of the Bridge and Opera House. On top of that, there's a ridiculous amount of sail boats out today and we get to see a couple capsize, which is fun.
We have some lunch and take a wander around Manly, and along the beach. There's some kids doing paddle boarding with a lifeguard and it's really impressive how good they are. Seeing all the energy they have only serves to highlight how inactive we all are, so we decide it'll be best to head back to the ferry - and maybe grab a quick drink on the way.
By the time we get back to the city, it's getting dark and we decide it's time for dinner. We haven't been up to the Rocks yet and Ally tells us there are some good restaurants and bars there so it seems like the perfect solution.
There's a cool looking German restaurant called Löwenbräu Keller and its a packed beerhall-style place, with long tables and lederhosen clad staff. The pork knuckle (with crackling) looks and tastes awesome, well accompanied by tankards of beer and followed by multiple shots of Schnapps. The ever vigilant Tristan realises that the long queue near us is for an attached club upstairs and he quickly negotiates our way in with one of the bouncers.
The night is complete when Ally has captured all of us singing (or shouting) the entire eight minutes of Bohemian Rhapsody on video.
Great night in Sydney.
