After an easy trip on the train from the Sydney airport to the city center I got settled into my Airbnb by late afternoon.  I had been to Sydney several times before, but as the most recent trip was nearly a decade ago, I set out to reacquaint myself with the city.  My Airbnb, located just off the Circular Quay and near the major shopping district teemed with people, both locals and tourists, out on holiday.  One of the bars nearby was hosting a DJ reunion of some kind (I asked the security folks standing outside what all the noise was from) and there were quite a few colorful characters out and about.  I decided to wander randomly and soon found myself in Darling Harbor.  The harbor hosts restaurants, an aquarium and other tourist experiences, and in the summer, a funky outdoor theater with large couches for people to lay in to watch the featured movies on Wednesday night.  I strolled down the waterfront checking out the restaurants before finding a seafood menu that tempted me.  (It was awesome!). After I ate, I continued strolling down the harbor until reaching the park at the point, which I cut through to go to The Rocks.

I found an alley with a bunch of bird cages hanging in the air. Haven’t gotten to the bottom of this yet.

The Rocks is essentially the “old city” of Sydney where the initial settlers, many of them convicts, established a town.  Unfortunately I was too late for the outdoor market, which closed at 5pm, but I checked out the pubs, shops and restaurants for future reference.  From The Rocks I meandered over to Circular Quay and made my way back to my Airbnb to call it a day.

I headed back to The Rocks the next morning around 10:30 when the outdoor market opened to try some of the street food that always accompanies markets the world over.  I had a pleasant time checking out the various stalls. One of the more interesting vendors had created a method of impregnating cotton cloth with beeswax which created a stiff material that could be used as flexible storage for fruits and vegetables as well as covers for bowls and dishes.  It was unique and very clever.  After going through the market I decided to walk across the Sydney Harbor bridge and spent a few moments trying to figure out where the access points were.  It is possible to climb to the top of the bridge but as I am not a fan of heights and the tickets were expensive, I ruled that out—walking across the bridge would be sufficient to get the views I was looking for.

Outdoor movie theater outfitted with comfy bed/couches near Darling Harbor. There is another outdoor theater near the opera house, but not with as comfy chairs.

The harbor had a lot of traffic.  Sydney has an extensive ferry system making it easy to get around the city and the ferries were constantly coming and going from Circular Quay.  In addition, there were numerous private boats, ranging from large yachts to one person sailboats, dotted across the water.  A huge cruise ship was docked right next to The Rocks (I saw a different cruise ship parked there every day I was in Sydney) and tugboats were moving around the harbor as well. It was busy!  It did not take long to walk across the bridge, even stopping to watch the harbor activity.  When I got to the other side, I checked out the small street of stores and cafes then turned around and headed back.  My goal for lunch was the Sydney seafood market.

One of the fish market vendors.

It took about an hour to walk to the seafood market from the bridge, but it was a pleasant way to see more of the city.  When I got to the market I found it teeming with people.  The main building housed half dozen seafood retailers as well as cafes/restaurants that prepared seafood to eat on the premises.  There were several other vendors who had stand-alone shops outside of the main building.  The Sydney seafood market is by no means big as the Tokyo market, but nonetheless had a large amount and variety of fish and shellfish available. Every time I visit a seafood market I am astonished that we extract, every day, the amount of fish and sea creatures out of the oceans that we do.  How is it possible?  Having said that I contributed to the problem by buying some freshly prepared sushi and a lobster roll for lunch and both were excellent!

After my yummy fresh seafood lunch I headed over towards the shopping district to pick up a few things I needed, including a face net to protect me from flies when I go to Uluru later in my trip.  I stopped to marvel at and explore the Queen Victoria building, still in its original promenade mall configuration, as I was hunting down the items I was looking for.  The weather was turning, bringing with it rain and thunderstorms, so once I was finished running my errands, I headed back home.

The Queen Victoria building. Inside are four floors of promenade with small shops lining the aisles.

The following day I had lunch with a colleague who had moved to Sydney for work and planned to settle down in the city.  He took me to he and his wife’s favorite café at The Rocks and we had a nice time getting caught up.  He introduced me to his favorite gelato vendor, too—I never pass up gelato!  After we said good-bye I took his advice and meandered over to the Barracks museum near Hyde Park.  The Hyde Park Barracks is where the convicts who were working for the government lived and later it served as a home for women who immigrated and needed a place to stay.  The visit was free and an audio guide is provided to walk you through the story of the people who lived there and what their lives were like.  It was very interesting and if you like history, is worth a stop if you are in Sydney.

Leaving the Barracks I passed through Hyde Park and the war memorial, heading to Chinatown. Unfortunately, the large Hayes Street Market was not open (only open Wed-Sun) so I’ll have to return when I come back to Sydney before departing Australia.  As I was walking back towards my Airbnb I found a place to duck in and get a much needed haircut.

Hyde Park Bararcks. Worth a visit if you are ever in Sydney.

My plan for the next day was a ferry ride to Manly Beach and hike up to the lookout at the entrance to Sydney harbor.  Because it is summer, and school is out and still the holidays, the ferry to Manly was packed with people heading out to spend a day on the beach.  The trip was easy— get on the ferry at Circular Quay, get off at the Manly wharf, walk straight ahead for five or so minutes and you are on the beach.  Between the wharf and the beach are a ton of shops, café’s, bars and restaurants (gelato!) and people were everywhere.  Manly beach is a long, broad swath of white sand and even though it was early, only 10:30 when I got there, the beach was filling up.  People were surfing, boogie boarding, basking in the sun or walking along the water—a typical beach scene.

Manly Beach. Clearly very popular!

I walked down the beach to check it out before turning north to the path that led to the park with the lookout.  I climbed the hill (more steps!) through a wooded area before merging with the road that led to the lookout.  After about an hour, I reached the lookout and enjoyed the wonderful views of the entrance to Sydney harbor as well as the distant skyline of downtown Sydney. From the lookout it was very easy to see how spread out the city was, clinging to the waterline, following the bays and inlets, as far as the eye could see. I met a nice Australian couple who was visiting from Melbourne and after chatting a bit realized that their son and his family live near me—small world!

I walked back down to Manly beach through the old military base perched at the top near the lookout.  Most of the buildings have been repurposed, turned into homes, small businesses, artist studios and a gym; it looks like a peaceful place to live. I treated myself to a gelato before buying a ticket and boarding another crowded ferry to Circular Quay.  Once back in the city center I walked over to and then past the iconic Sydney opera house to check out the botanical garden, which I remembered from previous trips.  It was a hot day so I sat in the shade and watched people go by for a bit before getting hungry.  I found a nice restaurant along the Quay, continuing my people watching while having a glass of wine and some food.

View from the entrance to Sydney harbor back towards the city center.

I am now off to Brisbane but still have some remaining things to explore in Sydney when I return before departing the country and heading home.