We arrived in Sydney after a long journey luckily the bush fires did not affect our journey. The hotel room was double the size of our HK room so felt quite luxurious . Although the view wasn't so spectacular. The weather was a bit dull and drizzly so a quick tour of Darling Harbour where we immediately appreciated the sound of birdsong and the lovely park areas with the spring blossom. An early night ensured we were ready for a busy next day
I slept through a thunderstorm so was ready to do the sights of Sydney. The sun was shining and the forecast was for extreme heat and wind. We set off through Hyde Park, the lovely Botanical Gardens with iconic views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. We toured all the sights and even sat down occasionally to enjoy the views.
At lunchtime we caught the ferry to Manly and hired bikes for the afternoon. Although it was very hot we cycled to some beautiful view points and beaches even stopping for a swim .
Manly was the epitome of the perfect lifestyle where the city folks commute across the harbour and return in the evening to their beautiful beachside homes to have a quick surf before dinner.
As we were waiting for the ferry back in the evening the commuters were streaming off the ferries onto the quayside and picking up their bikes. We were trying to compare it with a London commuter.. I think I know which I would prefer.
Back through Hyde Park where there was an evening food festival , so we stopped for a quick bite to eat there as it seemed to be the thing to do, although we were a little older than most of the clientele.
So a busy day in beautiful, hot, sunny Sydney.