Sunburned Down Under: December Holiday with the McConnells, Part 3

Sunday, January 29, 2012

December Holiday with the McConnells, Part 3

Sydney, Australia

Visiting Sydney at Christmas time is festive and fun. It is so different from Canberra - in Canberra you really don't have many of those obvious reminders of the holiday -- street/store decorations, tree lightings, etc which is a shame especially for this girl who comes from a Norman Rockwell inspired community where there is snow (lots of it), decorated trees, the streets and store fronts are decorations and everyone is playing Christmas music. A few days after Christmas, we took Lilly and Jeff into Sydney via Murray Bus Line. This will be Lilly and Jeff's first of three bus trips into Sydney during this week. I am sure if you ask them they will tell you that they have had enough of Murrays even though it is quite reliable and comfortable (as buses go, that is).

We did all of your typical Sydney sightseeing. This never gets old. Sydney is a beautiful city with something new to see each time we visit. We took a stroll down to the Circular Quay to show Lil and Jeff the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridget then we strolled through The Rocks and were surprised to see the Markets were opened. We had a deliciously salty and buttery corn on the cob on a stick followed by $10 steaks at the top of Glenmore Hotel in The Rocks. You can't beat the views at this rooftop location, however, on this particular day there was a very large cruise ship in the harbour blocking the Opera House. Lil, Jeff and I had a morning run across the Harbour Bridge and then down along the Opera House. We took the ferry to Manly Beach - a perfect beach day. At night, we walked to Darling Harbour for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Malaya. On the way back we enjoyed the Christmas tree at Martin's Place.