Sunday in Sydney...

Sydney, Australia

May 27, 2007
S 33°51.438
E 151°12.910

The weather was perfect again, around 22 C (74 F), we headed across the street to a little café Myles recommended for a bacon and sausage roll. To make a long story short, the place probably shouldn’t have opened that morning. Their cook called in sick, one of the young ladies was trying to cook, people were walking out, canceling orders, and we waited around 50 minutes for our bacon sandwich (they were out of rolls). We could have walked out too, but figured we could wait it out since we didn’t really have a set itinerary for the day.

The sandwich was somewhat worth the wait, probably not 50 minutes, but maybe 30… we might try it again. Now sufficiently fueled up in every way—hydrated, caffeinated, and full—we headed towards the Royal Botanical Gardens. After walking through several Botanical Gardens in New Zealand we figured these may not compare. We were absolutely wrong!

We followed the paths throughout the Botanical Gardens, through a fern grove, flowers, and palms before discovering the huge colony of fruit bats living in the trees above our heads. The fauna was spectacular, of course, but the bats living in the trees were really something else. Their screams were almost deafening at times, with a very high pitch, as they hung upside down wrapped in their wings. They looked like rust-colored furry little balls hanging from the tree until they decided to stretch their massive translucent brown wings… creepy, yet intriguing, all at the same time.

We managed to find our way out of Transylvania and toward the Sydney Opera House. The Botanical Gardens end at the edge of the harbor, where a pathway leads east and west towards different precincts. We headed west with the bay to our right and made our way to the Opera House.

The Sydney Opera House is an international icon, something almost everyone has seen in the news, magazines, newspapers or travel guides. We read about it and knew we had to see it, but we didn’t have high expectations. We turned the corner on the path near the Opera House and were immediately in awe of the iconic building.

With the water in the background, the harbor bridge and the gardens surrounding the Opera House, we immediately fell in love with Sydney. We snapped a few pictures from afar and walked closer, slowly, like a guy trying to think of a pick up line for a hot chick across the room. How can we photograph such a beautiful building and give it justice? How do we explain the area surrounding the Opera House? Would we feel the same if the weather wasn’t so perfect, maybe a chilly 10 C?

We knew two things for sure, the day was perfect for a long walk and we may have found another city that we could call home. Of course, we have only been here two days, with a lot more exploring to do, so only time will tell.

We snapped out of our little trance as we walked away from the Sydney Opera House back towards our hotel. The plan was to meet the crew for a BBQ on the roof of their building and we wanted to enjoy the sun before it set behind the neighboring buildings.

We thought the BBQ was simply on the roof of the building, but when they told us to hit the “P” button in the elevator we started to understand. We were headed to the Penthouse (Myles and Ben’s boss’ place), with views of the harbor, city center, and all of the surrounding suburbs.

What better way to spend a Sunday evening in the beautiful city of Sydney, or should I say Gotham City? As the sun set against the skyscrapers, hundreds of bats took flight, crisscrossing against dusk skyline. It was a surreal site to see the bats, with their vast wingspan, stealthily flying over the city… their day just beginning.

Our day ended shortly thereafter since it was a Sunday night. We knew the Ozzies had to get up for work early in the morning. While the crew is at work, the rest of us (Marc, Elise and I) will be off exploring Sydney.