Queen's Birthday Weekend - Part I

This past weekend Ron and I decided to take a tour of Sydney Harbour. We set out on foot on Saturday walking a total of 15 miles for the day (umbrella in tow, of course!). We began walking down through Sydney's CBD (Central Business District), then onto the harbour itself where the sun finally showed its face, if only for a couple of hours. It was a beautiful afternoon, and we snapped some great pics in front of the Sydney Opera House.

The harbour was bustling with people enjoying the first...and last little bit of sunshine over the past couple of weeks, shopping, eating and taking ferries across the harbour. This past weekend was a holiday in Australia - The Queen's Birthday, so it was a 3 day weekend for most people here. Monday was the holiday itself. Most of you may know this, but for those who don't, Australia falls under the monarchy of the Queen of England, and, although, Monday wasn't the actual day of her birthday this year, it is celebtrated as such every year.

Next, our journey took us beyond the Opera House onto the Royal Botanical Gardens. These gardens host a variety of beautiful, native flowers, trees, and as you can see in the Picture of the Week, flying foxes. The flying foxes are basically huge bats with fox-like bodies and faces. In parts of the Botanical Gardens, the trees were literally packed with these creatures. I didn't mind them so much (I actually thought they were kind of cool), but for anyone who has a fear of bats, this would have been a nightmare, since they were hanging from the trees in masses. Aside from the flying foxes, it really was a lovely place overlooking the harbour.

Finally, we rounded up our day by taking the long walk back home. We took a little detour on the way and stopped for dinner in Surry Hills, a somewhat trendy little niche near downtown Sydney filled with all sorts of little shops and restaurants - mostly Indian and Turkish - where we enjoyed a burger and fries at the Clock Bar as we dined on the second floor balcony over looking Surry Hills. It was a great day, and we were completely exhausted by the time we made it home, but that would be short-lived as we headed out for our next adventure the following morning. To be continued...