A three hour flight brought us from Cairns to Sydney, the final stop on our journey, yesterday afternoon. We easily found a shuttle to carry us from the airport to our hotel. For Sydney, we chose the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel, and yes, as the name implies there are both a brewery and a bar on the first floor. It is also the oldest hotel in Sydney. Located in The Rocks neighborhood (the oldest suburb in Sydney), we are right on the bay with easy access to numerous restaurants, pubs, and attractions.
For dinner on Tuesday, we enjoyed pizza at a small, cramped but delicious pizzeria (a popular dish here). To end the night, we sampled a pint of Quayle's Ale at the Lord Nelson -- named after our former Vice President.
With so much to do in Sydney, we had to prioritize our efforts, so we started with the big attraction. Just over an hour ago, we finished climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge...the largest steel single span bridge in the world. Built in the 1930's, the bridge is a relic of classic engineering and construction. As our guide pointed out, a bridge such as this one would never be built today primarily due to the high maintenance costs. Although we were not allowed to bring our own cameras on the climb (who would want a camera falling on them from 35 stories above?), we did purchase several photos of ourselves standing atop of the bridge. Unfortunately, the internet terminal at the Sydney Visitor Center does allow access to the computer's CD drive. Will hopefully post tomorrow (with my scuba photo).
After the climb, we enjoyed an Australian lunch at a pub near the bridge. I had a Guiness and meat pie (like a chicked pot pie) and Zach had a classic hamburger.
Shortly, we will be walking around Circular Quay (pronounced "key") to visit the world famous Sydney Opera House. Afterwards, we will probably explore The Rocks neighborhood and grab dinner before crashing for the night. Tomorrow, we will be fulfilling our two week long dream of seeing a
live kangaroo at Featherdale Wildlife Park outside Sydney. In the coming days, we are also planning to visit the famous Bondi and Manly beaches as well as the Sydney Tower and Aqaurium. Internet cafes abound here, so I will probably post again tomorrow.