The Hochmuth Adventures 2018 - CAFE - California, Australia, Florida and Europe: Trip to Australia - Day Five - February 5, 2018

Super Bowl Monday here is Sydney!

Today our tour doesn’t start until 1:00 so we explored the neighborhood around our hotel. We were able to find an optician to put my sunglasses back together and did some souvenir shopping. Close to our hotel we happened upon a bar with a Super Bowl party. We stopped and had a bite to eat and watched some of the game. We left at halftime but were happy to hear the game results while on our tour. Our guide Paul was excellent in filling us in on Australia's history, updating us on current issues and highlighting the different areas in and around Sydney. We started in The Rocks and went by the Opera House and Mrs. Macquaries Chair. We learned about Macquarie's husband who was responsible for planning the many parks, gardens and reserved harbor land that now grace the Sydney landscape. We drove through The Royal Botanic Garden, The Domain, and Hyde Park. We saw the outside of St. Mary's Cathedral - we went in yesterday. We learned some of the background on the Harbour Bridge and how the harbor has come to be in it's current pristine condition. Paul also name dropped and told some tales of Russell Crowe and when his wife ate lunch with Hugh Jackman and his wife and pointed out the church, St. Marks, where Elton John got married. We went to the areas of Double Bay, Rose Bay, Watson Bay, Paddington, and Bondi Beach. At Bondi Beach we had a short time just long enough to stick our toes in the water and walk the beach for 10 minutes. I have pages and pages of notes from our tour today but I'll try to sprinkle in the facts as we continue on our trip.

Today's facts on Sydney:

-there is no snow in winter - low temperature 42 degrees

-their economy is robust - they didn't suffer during the global down turn - there is no unemployment in Sydney

-80% of their taxes go to social programs

-they have only about 50,000 in their military including administrators

After our tour we got dropped off in The Rocks and walked to Circular Quay and took the fast ferry to Manly Wharf. There we had a beer and a Rose slushie at the jetty bar. For dinner we had fish and chips from the Manly Wharf Hotel. We had delicious fish and chip, a salad and a beer or wine for $16. Definitely our cheapest meal in Sydney. After dinner we got back on the ferry - it is a 20 minute ride and they run usually every 20 minutes. Walked back to the hotel and started on the blog. Tomorrow is our last day in Sydney and we have lots planned so until tomorrow.