We were very excited to be going into Sydney again today. After brekky we walked to the station at North Ryde and rode the Tangara into the city. We sat downstairs today for a change but it wasn't as good as the top deck. We vouched to go upstairs every time after this. It's nice to have a choice on a train though. We changed trains at Wynyard today and got another one to Circular Quay. The view when we got off the train at Circular Quay was brilliant. We decided to go on the ferry to Manly today. We went and got our tickets and then queued to board the ferry. This was a public ferry and it took about half an hour to get to Manly which is on a peninsula between the harbour on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. There are loads of ferries in Sydney going to different places around the huge natural harbour. We were near the front of the queue and got great seats outside and at the front of the ferry. There was a great view from the water of the city and especially the harbour bridge and the Opera House. Sydney looks just spectacular from the water. When we got to Manly we made the short walk down the shopping street from the wharf at the harbour to the ocean. The beach was superb for a city beach and we sat here for ages watching the surfers and soaking up the sun. When we felt hungry we had a mooch along the seafront to find somewhere to eat. There were loads of places to choose from. We settled for the Manly Grill which had a great menu. There was a crocodile burger on the menu and I just had to have this! It tasted delicious and as I remembered it, a cross between seafood and chewy chicken. Quite a snappy flavour! After lunch we went to get the ferry back to the city. It was fantastic to see the Opera House and the bridge come into view from the water. We got talking to a lovely Australian couple on the ferry back and got our photo taken together. Once back at Circular Quay we wandered up through The Rocks to the bridge. The Rocks area is the old part of Sydney and there are lots of characterful historic buildings here. We eventually found the steps up to the bridge and had a walk right across the bridge to the other side. After this it was nearly 5 and time for some beer. We had arranged to meet Vicky and Zoe at the Lord Nelson Brewery Pub in The Rocks. They used to work with Jay in the UK and are in Sydney on a working holiday/ round the world trip. The Lord Nelson is Sydney's oldest pub and is also a brew pub. It is a beautiful old pub, very rustic and with loads of character. They brew real ales on the premises. We got here before the girls and ordered pints of Quayle Ale and Three Sheets. They were both extremely delicious and full of flavour. The Three Sheets was the best beer that I've had in Australia. Vicky and Zoe got there at about quarter to six and there was a lot of shrieking and hugging when they arrived and saw Jay. I had not met the girls before but they knew all about me from Jay. With proper introductions done we settled down and talked about Sydney, our travels and their travels across Asia. Monday night at the Lord Nelson was $7 beef pie night. This was a bargain price so we ordered beef pies all round and we got more beers. The pies were absolutely delicious. They were served on a bed of mash and topped with mushy peas and gravy. Later on and with the warm fuzzies we wandered back to Circular Quay. The city at night looks awesome with the bridge and the Opera House lit up and all the other building lights. We said goodbye to the girls and got the Tangara back to North Ryde. We were absolutely shattered again and crashed out. We were both really looking forward to another day in Sydney tomorrow. Despite the heat we slept like logs.