Sydney: Rainy Day Two
After taking a shuttle to the hotel, we realized customs and baggage claim experiences were so efficient, we arrived in The Rocks at 10:30am… way too early to check in. The hotel was happy to store our luggage. Initially, we sat in this lobby for a short bit to use the internet. Once caught up, we headed out, in the rain, to explore.
Checked in, luggage stored, we walked out the back door and into the alleyway. There was a short break in the heavy rains so we took advantage of it. When we got off our October cruise (blog to be posted after this trip) in Sydney, we stayed in the same neighborhood. So many shops, restaurants and pubs. Great location!
Despite the fact that we had just eaten breakfast during the last hour of our flight, we couldn’t resist returning to our favorite morning stop… Pancakes on the Rocks! A giant airy room, very clean, great food, friendly staff, good prices. We order the Aussie Sunrise. Gluten free pancakes, an egg, bacon with a grilled pineapple and banana. Delicious!!! And filling…
After filling our bellies, we headed out for a short walk. Hoping not to get drenched, we dodged in and out malls, shops and alleyways. The lanterns hanging in the pedestrian area added a vibrant splash to the otherwise dismal, gray day. They light up at night… if we can stay up and/or the weather holds up.
Each day, a new ship docks visible from our hotel window. On our walk down to the port area, I saw the Ruby Princess in port. This ship was in California last spring. My long, long time friend (from high school), Karen and I, sailed on her down to Cabo San Lucas last March. It was so relaxing and a nice sized ship. Fun to see her docked in Sydney Harbour with the Opera House in the background.
It took us a little while to realize that Sydney was in the middle of a Lunar Festival in honor of the Chinese New Year. During our walk, we took photos of the over-sized statues and honestly didn’t put it together that they represented the Chinese New Year astrology. Here we see the Year of the Dragon and Year of the Rat. Tomorrow, we will go looking for ours...I believe Barry is on the other side of the port, nearer to the Opera House. It’s only a ten minute walk at most, so if the weather breaks… I’m there!!!
Until tomorrow…
