After breakfast out on our large balcony, we walked to the Taronga Zoo, which is on our peninsula, but evidently uphill the whole way. The sun was shining strong today so it felt considerably warmer. Nicole was very excited for the zoo because she admires marsupials, and surely Australia would not have any shortage of them. We paid a little extra to get the "Koala Experience," a sort of one-on-one time with koalas. While one is not allowed to touch them, we were able to get pretty close. This does not seem to disturb them since they can sleep on pretty much any position, a skill I could have used on the Qantas flight the other day.
They sleep around 18-20 hours a day, being most active between 11am and 2:45pm - a very suspicious and specific time if you ask me. We did see a little activity for about five minutes mostly because they were eating eucalyptus, getting high, and immediately falling back asleep. Curious creatures, the koalas. We later saw some kangaroos, emus, and platypuses (platypii?). We took the sky safari over the zoo and to the ferry dock where we took a boat to Circular Quay. I was quite hungry, so we had pancakes at a place called Pancakes on the Rocks underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The "Rocks," is an area of Sydney with a bit of old city charm and reminded us a bit of Brooklyn, kind of trendy, quaint, and a little less chaotic than the nearby quay and port area, where a massive cruise ship was docked. We then walked toward the Opera House, where we discussed how it is like the symbol of Sydney, whereas similar looking buildings (the Disney concert hall or the Guggenheim) are not emblematic of their respective cities. We decided that it must be the lack of other defining landmarks in Sydney, though the story behind its construction is upsetting. I'll sum up -- the designer never really got the credit they deserved thanks to dodgy government officials; and it was completed at a 1400% cost overrun and about 12 years late. Harrumph.
We continued our stroll through the royal botanical gardens and to a place called Mrs MacQuarie's chair, a bench built by convicts for the former Governor's wife. Her view wasn't as good as it could have been. If only she had known about the opera house and harbour bridge in the opposite direction. . . We then retraced our steps ant went back to the Rocks, where I had made a reservation at an Italian restaurant with outdoor seating. We both had a hearty filling of pasta. For being a long flight from LA, it sure feels a lot like home here.
They sleep around 18-20 hours a day, being most active between 11am and 2:45pm - a very suspicious and specific time if you ask me. We did see a little activity for about five minutes mostly because they were eating eucalyptus, getting high, and immediately falling back asleep. Curious creatures, the koalas. We later saw some kangaroos, emus, and platypuses (platypii?). We took the sky safari over the zoo and to the ferry dock where we took a boat to Circular Quay. I was quite hungry, so we had pancakes at a place called Pancakes on the Rocks underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The "Rocks," is an area of Sydney with a bit of old city charm and reminded us a bit of Brooklyn, kind of trendy, quaint, and a little less chaotic than the nearby quay and port area, where a massive cruise ship was docked. We then walked toward the Opera House, where we discussed how it is like the symbol of Sydney, whereas similar looking buildings (the Disney concert hall or the Guggenheim) are not emblematic of their respective cities. We decided that it must be the lack of other defining landmarks in Sydney, though the story behind its construction is upsetting. I'll sum up -- the designer never really got the credit they deserved thanks to dodgy government officials; and it was completed at a 1400% cost overrun and about 12 years late. Harrumph.
We continued our stroll through the royal botanical gardens and to a place called Mrs MacQuarie's chair, a bench built by convicts for the former Governor's wife. Her view wasn't as good as it could have been. If only she had known about the opera house and harbour bridge in the opposite direction. . . We then retraced our steps ant went back to the Rocks, where I had made a reservation at an Italian restaurant with outdoor seating. We both had a hearty filling of pasta. For being a long flight from LA, it sure feels a lot like home here.
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