Greetings from Sydney

Saturday

We are having a fantastic time in Sydney. Today we took the train into the city and wandered around taking in all of the sights. We had lunch in a park by the wharf where there is a beautiful view of the Opera House. On the weekends in the area near the base of the Harbor Bridge called The Rocks is a bustling market, primarily for tourists, where you can buy crafts and souvenirs. We picked up a few things but mostly it was just fun to walk around and look.
Then we walked back down to the wharf area. There is a constant stream of water taxis and ferries coming in and out taking passengers to various points around the harbor. There are so many different boats it is fun to watch them. After a little more shopping we walked over to the Opera House. It is beautiful!!! We were especially lucky because we got there right at sunset. That meant that it was difficult to get good pictures of the Opera House. However, the Sydney Harbor Bridge is directly west of the Opera House so we got to watch a beautiful sunset behind the bridge (and take tons of pictures of the bridge). We took the train home and met Kostya and Galya for a delicious dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Both the bridge and the Opera House are stunning, making Circular Quay a dramatic and amazingly beautiful area.

Sunday

On Sunday we got up early and met up with Andy’s cousin Steven and his girlfriend Lyndal. Andy has not seen either of his Sydney cousins in 20 years! It was a very exciting and fun reunion. They took us up to the Blue Mountains. By Seattle standards they are not very high, more like the Smokey Mountains, but they are still quite impressive. They are called the Blue Mountains because of the blue mist that hangs over the mountains from all of the eucalyptus trees. We went on a scenic hike through the park. After lunch and a short drive we went to the Three Sisters. It is a look-out area overlooking a beautiful canyon, plateaus and a three-rock formation known as the Three Sisters. Andy described it as “a smaller grand canyon that is full of trees”. Unfortunately, it was quite cold and windy so we didn’t stay very long. After our day of tramping in the mountains, we came back to Kostya and Galya’s for a scrumptious dinner of lamb, salad, pumpkin and potatoes. The highlight of the day was definitely reconnecting with Steven and getting to meet his girlfriend.

Monday

Today Kostya took us on a scenic drive around the bays and beaches that are north of Sydney. It was breathtaking, Kostya’s favorite views in Sydney. The weather was beautiful, the sun was out and it was warm (especially considering that it is the middle of fall-our November!!). West Head is a look-out from the top of a cliff over the bay and ultimately the Pacific Ocean. From the look-out it is a panoramic view of Lion Island, Palm Beach and several other beaches, you can see for kilometers. Then we drove on to Church Point a beautiful and exclusive neighborhood in Sydney. Here we just enjoyed the view, checked out the boats and soaked up a little sun. We ended the afternoon at The Newport Arms hotel, a lovely outdoor restaurant on the beach. This is near where the reception will be this weekend. We met up with one of Paul’s (Andy’s other Sydney cousin) school mates, Paul Catts (Cattsie), who lives in the area. He joined us for lunch and drinks. It was the perfect way to spend the day. That's it for now, we'll try and post again soon.