Sydney, here we come!

Last week, we took a long weekend away to Sydney.

First impressions: Sydney is green, literally green, compared to Adelaide. It also seems to be clean and modern, though it does have some historical neighborhoods too, such as The Rocks.

Highlights:
(1) The Aquarium was a lot of fun! We got to walk under a tank filled with giant marine life, such as sharks, rays, and sea turtles. The effect was like being in the midst of the water with the sea animals swimming above and beside us. We also got to see a couple duck-billed platypus. They were active little critters.

(2) Seeing Bob, Gretchen, Maddie, and Sophie from Ann Arbor was definitely a highlight, especially for Elise who stayed in their place the whole time we were there. David and I didn't know Bob and Gretchen that well and were pleased to discover them to be really comfortable people to hang out with. Maybe they were just on their best behavior for us. (We were trying to behave ourselves as well. . . .) We really appreciated their putting up Elise for 3 nights and feeding us all at least once. Their apartment is lovely, situated close to the beach and very nicely furnished. By the way, we have nothing on them in terms of spider guests. They have at least 3 huge spiders in webs living in the foliage by their front walkway. Two look like female golden orb weavers, even though one is named Herman; the 3rd is just plain scary looking.

(3)Exploring the Sydney Harbour Bridge was fun, but that is my next entry.

(4)We took a tour of the Opera House which was also fascinating. There is a long story behind its construction, involving Jorn Utzon, a Danish architect who won the design competition, and gross underestimations of time and money. Originally expected to take 6 years and $7 million, construction ended up taking 16 years and $102 million. It was completely paid off 18 months after opening, thanks to lottery tickets.

(5)An afternoon at Manly Beach was relaxing and fun. We took the ferry over and back, taking in beautiful views of the harbor both ways. Yet another Ann Arbor family on sabbatical in Australia showed up. It was really nice to have a small A2 neighborhood reunion! We went for a little hike along the beach, and the adults eventually headed up into the cliffs overlooking the ocean while the kids continued to hang out on the beach, swimming and playing.