It’s been a very busy time in Sydney. It’s a large city and there is much to see and do. I just barely scratched the surface. After my whirlwind tour of the city the first day, I decided for day two, I would hop on the bus again and jump off at the stop near the Sydney Fish Market and just take a long leisurely walk back to my hotel and stop at several of the plans I had passed on the bus tour the day before.
The fish market was great. There were several large warehouses where the wholesale trade takes place and then one large building open to the public. There were many different vendors selling all kinds of fresh fish (If only I had a BBQ in my hotel room!) and there were all kinds of places to buy seafood to eat right there. I was there about 10:30 am and the place was very busy. I could have walked out of the building absolutely stuffed but I already had lunch plans. However, I felt compelled to at least sample something so I got some grilled octopus on a stick – kind of like octopus kabobs! Delicious!
I then walked over to Darling Harbor, which was a little less than a mile away. It’s a very picturesque little harbor with all kinds of shops, restaurants, museums – not to mention great people watching! I wandered around a while and finally found a little cafe where I could have lunch and watch the world go by. It was about a mile and a half walk back to my hotel but it took me through the Central Business District which was a beehive of activity. Great fun!
After grabbing a coffee back near my hotel, I walked over to the Sydney Opera House, which was just short distance away. It really is a magnificent building. I have heard from multiple sources that the Backstage Tour, although a bit pricey, is well worth the money. Unfortunately, by the time I heard that, they were sold out for most of the month of December. So, if you’re going to be in Sydney and want to do that, plan ahead!
The next day was the infamous Sydney Harbor Bridge climb. It was fun and I’m glad I did it. You get a stunning 360 degree view of Sydney when you are clipped to a catwalk 500 feet above the water! I learned all kinds of factoids from the guide – including the fact that a new company took over the lease as of October ( after 20 years) so who knows how things will operate going forward. The whole thing moves little slow for my tastes but it was still worth doing. You can’t beat the views!
Yesterday I took an excursion out to the Blue Mountains, about two hours outside of Sydney. Unfortunately the weather was not very cooperative and we ran into some low clouds which put a little bit of a damper on things. But, we were still able to see some very pretty country. I’m sure when the sun is shining, the views must be spectacular. We were able to take a few short little hikes and see some pretty country.
On the way back to the city, we stopped at a wildlife park – I didn’t even know it was on the agenda! It was fun to get up close and personal to some of Australia’s indigenous wildlife. It’s interesting that there’s is virtually no wildlife ( including no poisonous snakes) that can kill you in New Zealand and here in Australia, there are all kinds of things that can kill you!
Dingo 
So now it’s time to wrap things up, repack my bags and get ready to head to the airport about 24 hours from now. I suspect this will be the last post for a while. It’s time for me to get back to the real world. It’s been a great trip- no regrets. But I’m looking forward to spending the holidays with Jordan and seeing some of my friends in LA before I head back to Montana- and begin to plan the next adventure! So, thanks for coming along. Bikingwithmike.com signing off! Outbound soon SYD to LAX.