Sydney....like parking next to a Rolls Royce

As we navigated into Sydney early this morning, the ship pulled into a wharf slip in Sydney Harbour like it was a parking spot at an exclusive mall and the next car over was a Rolls Royce. Except there were only 2 cars in the lot...us and the Sydney opera house. I kid you not. It was that close. What a beautiful way to get acquainted with a city you've only ever dreamed about visiting. Actually, we were on the Lido deck early for the sail in. They told us that Sydney has an exquisite port approach and it did not disappoint. Between the opera house and the bridge, it was something to behold.

We've learned to get off the ship as early as possible even if nothing is open yet, as was the case in Sydney on a Saturday. So we strolled (aka geocached) around until the HOHO (hop on hop off) bus started, steps from the ship. They're not always that convenient. Circular Quay, where we docked, is where everything is happening so it made sense the HOHO would be here.

We did the HOHO red line first, which lasted about 1.5hrs and took us past great sites like "the rocks", the bridge, old architecture (heritage protected), new architecture, Woolloomooloo bay (not a typo), the opera house, Chinatown, botanical gardens and more. Total cost was $90 aud or about $65 usd.

We hopped off about 9:45 and bought tickets for the zoo, which included a water shuttle, as it was much faster. By 10:30, we were at the zoo. Such a special, special treat. At some point in Australia, I wanted to see a kangaroo, a koala and a tazzie (Tasmanian devil). This zoo had all 3 and so much more. The highlight was entering an area called the "Farm", we weren't quite sure what to expect. It turned out to be a petting zoo of sorts, but none of the animals were in pens. They were just roaming free, as were we! At first, we didn't quite "get it". There was a low log structure lining the path they requested us to stay on, my wife and I on one side, a mid-sized kangaroo on the other. We assumed there might have been some type of unspoken rule the kangaroos (and other animals) knew to stay on their side, though he could easily have hopped the fence (see what I did there?) And then he did. Stood right at our feet and looked up. Then "boyng'd" off. I was too in shock to take a picture but my wife got a good one.

Now that we understood the rules of engagement, we had a blast spending time with the kangaroos (there were about 8), an ostrich, and tiny pigs. What a joy it was. Highlight of Sydney and the trip overall. There were so many other animals at the zoo too. It's hard to remember what zoo animals I might have seen over my lifetime but I'm pretty sure I never saw a live giraffe or an elephant up close. I never saw a camel in a zoo before, but we rode them in Egypt around the pyramids back in 1996, so seeing 2 in the zoo was a nice, unexpected reminder. The best part of this zoo was how close you could get to all the animals. Only the Tazzie was on a zoom setting. Safe but shockingly close for all the others.

We spent a full 3 hours at the zoo, which was situated on the side of a large hill overlooking the Sydney Bay, so the views were spectacular too. Here's two of the view from the zoo ;-)

The zoo and the water shuttle was $130 aud, so about $95 usd. Well worth it.

We arrived back on the mainland about 2pm and immediately hopped on the HOHO again and navigated to the blue route, which took us past Bondi beach. Reminded me a bit of our summers at Seaside Heights, NJ, where our family had a beach house for a few of our teenage years. I'm trying to find a matter-of-fact way to describe the beach goers without sounding like a creeper. Such a good looking, young crowd! Every last one of them. There was even an outdoor gym where lots of people were working out....like Venice Beach, CA??? I've just heard about it but I think the vibe must be very similar. Little shops lined the streets with knick-knacks, lotions and hats. I would like to go back after I lose 30 lbs and grow about 6 in taller. Here are some pics from the blue route.

We ended our day at the Sydney Opera House, so iconic, such a dominant structure in the landscape and yet fits in so beautifully. The designer/architect, a danish gent named Jorn Utzon won the job in a competition, but then wasn't happy with the final product and the $30M overrun, so he didn't even attend the ribbon cutting, which was attended by HRH Queen Elizabeth. There just happened to be multiple geocaches there too ;-)

We headed back to the ship, exhausted, for a dip in the pool and a late dinner on the lido deck, but not before going to our new perk, hor'dourves in the Explorer lounge for Platinum loyalty and higher. It was actually quite nice, a respite from the normal routine. A slow but "destinial" (my word) gravitation toward a little-known truism that a cruise isn't a vacation, it's a lifestyle.

The evening show was changed from a comedian to a guitarist, which while pleasant, was a disappointment because comedians are my favorite. That said, we left the theater at about 8:30 to the following fireworks display and light show.

Fireworks through the sunroof of the Rolls Royce. Just outstanding. They don't do them every night. These were in celebration of the beginning of a 2 week-long world pride celebration, which was graciously welcomed by so many companies throughout Sydney. Many buildings and store fronts displayed rainbows and shared messages of inclusion and diversity. I was surprised we didn't see a parade or any WP specific events. The fireworks display culminated with this.

Sydney is definitely on the bucket list of places to return to. The weather was outstanding, the people were/are outstanding, the sights and history were/are outstanding. Nothing not to love.

Now I'm enjoying a much-needed sea day to relax and catch up. And to think I was worried we'd have too many sea days.