Internet research said don't waste your time on visiting the famous Bondi Beach. Info online said traffic is bad, crowds are unmanageable and it's just more of the same old, same old. Bad advice! A couple of days ago when planning our remaining time, we decided that since we will probably be here in Sydney only once, we should see one of the most famous beaches in the world, Bondi. And it was worth it. Gorgeous! If we should ever return to this area, I'd ...

March 23, 24, 2013 Wow, what full days we have had! Yesterday, we spent the morning visiting Paddy's City Market on Hay Street, Chinatown and the very cool, Darling Harbor. Paddy's Market is pandemonium. It consists of hundreds of booths, most offering the same types of merchandise, jammed into a very large covered market space with throngs of people milling around. You want cell-phone covers, they got 'em. You want knock-off purses, they got 'em. You want ...

Well, sleeping and functioning in the little hobbit-house is ok. The late evening air last night brought cooler temperatures and drier air, but we still needed the ceiling fan in order to sleep well. All in all, it was fairly comfortable. As things quieted in the house we were reminded that we are in the city, which means city noise!! Not accustomed to cars and trucks driving close-by at night, it was a little disturbing but we were so tired that we managed t...

When I took my center seat on the plane today, a woman was already in the window seat. She looked at me and said, "I cannot believe it's you. I saw you waiting for your taxi this morning. I thought you looked beautiful and even pointed you out to my friend. Now I can't believe you are sitting next to me!" As Kelly and I got to know each other, I learned even more coincidentally that her group and Stan and I all stayed in the same Clifton Beach villa complex...

Stephan said there was absolutely nothing to do at Goulburn and he was right on the money. That's ok though. We woke to a steady light and cool mist outside, so no exercise walkie today! We took our time getting packed and ready and then stopped for the complimentary continental breakfast in the restaurant. If you want a full breakfast, it is available, but all the old folks like us opt for the freebie. We greeted the chef because he was there and cooked ou...