Week commencing Sunday 25th March 2001
Sunday 25th March
Peter decided that, being a Notherner
(and therefore rock-hard) that he did not need to wear a hat today. This
is our usual table at Alexanders.
As it turns out, he's spent so much time down South that he's gone soft 8-)
From now on, it's hats with everything !
Since Peter is under the weather today, he opted for a Smoothie (ice cream,
yoghurt and fruit).
The ketchup bottle is just in case we fancy a bowl of chips 8-)
Later that day, we decided to try the Chinese restaurant at harbourside...
...although the location is top, the
food was pretty dire 8-(
Monday 26th March
Peter spent the day working on the
laptop.
Irene went walkabout in Sydney !
Tuesday
27th March
This
is the coffee bar in David Jones.
Also on this floor is a smaller version of the Harrods food halls !
Wednesday 28th March
Today is the (delayed) trip to the
Blue Mountains. The
Blue Mountains are so-called because of the blue haze that hangs over them.
This is apparently caused by the Euchalyptus oil in the trees vapourising and
mixing with the atmosphere !
The
journey to the bottom can now be taken via Skyway Cablecar or Scenic Railway.
We chose to go down by cablecar. As you can see from the cable, it is VERY steep
8-(
This
is a closer view of the base station. 
At
the bottom, there is a dirt path that eventually leads to this waterfall.
We
chose to return to the top via the Scenic Railway.
The picture does not really do justice to the steepness of the climb, which
was stated as 1 in 1.8 !
We were in a long roller-coaster like train, travelling backwards up the mountain
very quickly.
The latter part of the trip to the Blue Mountains took us to the Featherdale Wildlife Park.
Peter got very close to this critter - he was very tame !
Cute
huh ? (The koala's not bad either) 8-)
Another
cute bird - he was so tame that he didn't even flinch as I moved in for this
close-up !
At
the end of the trip, we were taken round the site of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Pretty impressive site considering there was next to nothing there before they
started !
Thursday 29th March
After a few days of sufficient pain-in-the-mouth
to prevent Peter from eating, he finally got round to seeing a dentist.
The problem turns out to be a root abcess and dead nerve. The nice Mr. Dentist
drilled out the three root canals and removed all the dead nerve tissue before
sealing the tooth for the remainder of our stay.
The relief from pain was incredible
8-)
So off we go to Darling Harbour again...
Tried
this eatery overlooking the harbour.
Pictured is probably the BEST desert that Peter has EVER eaten...
Main ingredients: Chocolate, Meringue and Cream - totally Yum-Yum !!
We haven't seen the Sydney Aquarium this visit, so...
This
critter is a fairy penguin, bombing along the surface of his pond !
Below
the aquarium is a tank with a viewing tunnel in the form of a glass dome so
that we can see them close-up. Pictured are a couple of lazy sharks basking
on the top of the tunnel !
This
girl here comes from England 8-)
Here
is a long shot of the tunnel.
This
giant turtle was very graceful, but he couldn't half shift !
This
amazing creature looks like a cross between a manta ray and a shark.
The Sydney Aquarium has been extended since we last visited, and there is an
incredible array of exotic creatures.
We lost track of time, and ended up spending most of the afternoon there !
Friday 30th March
Waiting
for the damned lift again 8-(
(Our apartment is behind Irene)
Doyles
III - we just can't keep away from this place !
Saturday 31st March
Double Bay to investigate today. Starting at Circular Quay...
Believe
it or not, this bronze statue is a street artist !
(She was very good)
This
is the harbour at Double Bay.
This area is very up-market. We lost count of the number of Porsches and Ferraris
parked about the place.
Had an Indian meal here that was pretty average, but in spite of that we enjoyed
the day enormously !