Monday in Sydney

Rain before 7 quits by 11. That's what my Mom would always say, and today that held true. We awoke to RAIN AGAIN this morning and it actually was raining quite hard the entire time we ventured out of the hotel for some breakfast. By the time we left for our day's activities, the skies still didn't look good but the rain was only a drizzle.

We headed toward downtown Sydney right during the Monday morning rush hour. Australia is a country that drives on the wrong....oops...LEFT side of the road. That also is the way the walking on the sidewalks tends to go. We just keep telling ourselves, keep left, keep left. This should have us well trained by the time we actually have a rental car in Tasmania and have to drive on the left. Very noticeable was the work attire of people rushing to their job. Men wear black or dark grey suits. Women wear black pant suits/dresses/skirts. It was like walking through a sea of black.

Our first stop for the day was to the Sky Tower, which has the typical observation deck on top. While in line for the elevator, in walks Kay & Jack, a couple from the cruise critic group on the ship so we had someone to chat with for a few minutes. The views from the top were great and by this time the rain had stopped! (It was before 11 am!) We noted areas that we have walked and the Darling Harbor area that we were off to next.

View from top of Sky Tower

We had planned on riding the monorail between the Sky Tower and Darling Harbor but after noting how close the harbor actually was, we decided to just walk it. While on the foot bridge that crosses the harbor, we walk right up to Derek and Marj, the Victoria Vancouver Island couple that we chatted with several times on the ship. We compared notes of Sydney sites and talked about the lightening strike
that hit the cruise ship while she was still in port on Saturday afternoon. (No damage reported, probably hit the lightening rod, but it did make the newspaper).

Next stop was a quick visit to the National Maritime Museum where we saw a replica of the ship Captain James Cook sailed in the 1770's when he charted the coastlines of Australia and New Zealand.

Replica ship of Captain James Cook's Endeavor

Our afternoon activity was a 3-hour sail on a yacht around the harbor. Once again we had a tour all to ourselves. It probably is still early in the season and that along with the fact that the weather didn't look good this morning, we were the only 2 on the yacht along with the captain and his crewmate. This was great! Terry got to take the wheel and steer the sailboat for almost 2 hours. The captain and crewmate handled the sails and Joyce snapped photos and held on. We sailed throughout the harbor, alongside the Opera House, and under the bridge. It was a most fun time. By the time we returned to the dock, the sun was shining and we grabbed dinner at a restaurant along the wharf, sitting outside, watching people go by, recounting the wonderful experiences we have had while in Sydney.

Skipper Terry & Joyce is hanging on



Our sailing yacht



Sky Tower and we finally have clear skies!

Tomorrow morning we head to the airport and fly to Cairns--back to the tropics!