Day 3

Today started without the awful noise from whatever bird sounds like someone is killing it. It was another standard morning in the apartment, which is everyone waking up as they see fit and congregating in the living room for good mornings, coffee, e-mail checks, etc. Leslie shared with us that she thought the apartment was potentially being robbed last night. Rob crept out of the apartment early to go to the beach, and was trying to be quiet when he came back since Leslie is sleeping in the living room. While laying on the couch, barely awake, she describes her slight fear as the front door starts to creep open while everyone in the apartment is asleep, or so she thought. It just turned out to be Rob coming home and trying to be quiet so he wouldn’t wake her up.

It was decided yesterday that we were going to take a yoga class by the sea this morning (http://www.yogabythesea.com.au/). After breakfast, Leslie, Jen and I took the Bronte to Bondi coastal walk again so we could make a 10 am yoga class at Bondi Icebergs. It was the first time I’ve taken a yoga class, even though practicing yoga has been on my list of things I want to be able to do once the day is somehow able to gain about 5 hours in length. During the walk, the girls just about left me in the dust. I’ve been told that I walk fast due to my long strides, but I don’t know if I’m involuntarily slower since I’m on vacation or what the deal is, but I consistently found myself trying to catch up with them. The yoga class was nice, I’ll have to find a way to squeeze them in back home, and relaxing. Practicing on the patio overlooking Bondi Beach and the ocean was an added bonus. I’ll have to get another class in before it’s time to head back to NYC. Once class was over, we hit the coastal walk again and headed back the apartment for lunch.

Showered, full, and in a peaceful state of mind due to yoga, we all pile in the car and make our way into downtown. Rob isn’t due at the school for a few hours, so he was able to join us today. We parked the car just off of the Botanical Gardens (http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/) and started to walk towards the Harbour. The gardens are gorgeous and are one of Sydney’s top 10 things to see according to the travel book I came with. With some amazing views of the Harbour, the Opera House, and the Harbour Bridge, we stop for a moment to take some pictures. After a failed attempt to get a local to take a photo of us, we found someone who was both willing to take the photo and actually took one. One guy offered but then didn’t even actually take a photo before returning the camera and moving along. Ugh. We continued the walk through the gardens and went up to the Opera House. With more great views of the surrounding area, we stop to admire the Opera House and take some more pictures. At a nearby railing, Jen points out a few areas of town we’re able to see, as well as the Opera Bar which is a top place to visit according to my book. We’ll have to make sure we stop there for a drink or two before the trip is over.

I don’t think I’ll be able to do the Harbour Bridge climb this trip, but maybe a nice walk across the bridge would suffice. I asked Rob if there is a foot path that goes across, and he says not really. There is one, but it’s only open during special occasions or something like that. Jen, Leslie, and I are a little unsure of his response since we can clearly see both pedestrians and cyclist going across the bridge, but Rob is stickin’ to his story. After a quick reference to the travel book, it turns out that one of the top attractions of the bridge is indeed its multiple foot and bike paths that allow pedestrians and cyclists to go across. Ha!

It’s now time for Rob to break away from the pack since he has to get to school. Once he left, we continued our tour of the area and walked through The Rocks and The Quays. It’s an area that could easily be compared to the South Street Seaport back home. After walking a few blocks, we came across a store sign for a puppet maker. We made our way downstairs to look at the shop and it was not as unique as I thought, or the sign made it appear it was going to be. Some nice stuff for sure, but some of it seemed a little mass produced. We continued our window shopping excursion through The Quays, which wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the local Louis Vuitton store so I could get another visual on a few items that are on my wish list.

After all the walking, it’s time to take a break. We stop at a place called “Jet” for coffee and we proceed with recapping our day thus far. Jen mentions that she needs to go to Myers, the local Macy’s type store, to get some pillows for her bed. We make the quick trip to Myers, and after helping Jen pick out pillows and getting Mary (the sales rep) to take another 10% off the price, it’s time to make our way back home for the evening. After a nice stroll through Hyde Park on our way to the bus stop, we are back in Bronte for the night.