Day 210 (January 18): See Ya, Sydney!

I have enough time and energy to report on our 60+ hours as tourists in Sydney in a very narrow way only.

We landed on Thursday afternoon, collected our luggage, bought our transit cards and rode the lovely, modern train for about 15 minutes into the city. The Museum Station in downtown Sydney reminded me of stops on the London Tube: big, winding, hot...and never before had I needed to depend on elevators. I think it took us 3, maybe 4, to reach the surface. We walked less than half a mile through the Big City to reach our hotel. The kids did remarkably well on their first non-taxi navigation of a city.

I have a very favorable opinion of the Radisson Hotel and Suites near Darling Harbor. It's a familiar kind of hotel/apartment combination and our suite was clearly a converted apartment. The location was perfect and on Thursday evening we walked to the very-nearby Tumbalong Park in Darling Quarter where our kids devoured a really nice playground. We had a lovely harborside dinner at Nick's and retreated to our room.

Friday was rainy so we started the day in the pool before embarking on a sightseeing expedition. The rain forced us onto a tram, which was a great discovery. This took us to Circular Quay with views of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. A guidebook told us about a restaurant with worthwhile views when there is no cruise ship in port and we found it deserted and delicious.

After lunch we explored a neighborhood called The Rocks and then walked around the Quay to reach the Opera House (with a quick stop at Baskin and Robins, of course). We beat the rain back to the tram and then back to the hotel.

By luck there is a night market every Friday in Chinatown and we enjoyed the atmosphere on our way to and from an excellent dinner at Emporer's Garden.

Saturday morning I enjoyed a spectacular run around the perimeter of Sydney Harbor and several adjacent parks. Then I took the kids to a 9:30am showing of Spies in Disguise (a cartoon) while Elise waited for her parents to arrive after flying from the States. Then there was lunch all together near the hotel as we continued to avoid raindrops.

Saturday afternoon we had the pleasure of seeing a Cirque du Soleil performance, Stratosphere, in the Sydney Opera House. It was a good show and it felt especially fun to see anything in that venue. We had a simple dinner (burgers) on our way back to the hotel.

One of the highlights of our stay in Sydney was befriending an American couple also staying in the Radisson. They were celebrating their 60th anniversary with a cruise around New Zealand. They were from Minnesota, which gave us some fun areas of common ground. They had many stories of travel and international friendships that were purely inspiring to hear. Once again, it was a chance encounter the enriched an already special travel adventure.

On one hand, I regret not having more time in Sydney. Even with good weather we didn't have enough time to do the city justice. On the other hand, this was a clear choice and big cities have not been the focus of our trip throughout. I'm very happy we got to see the major sights and to gain a sense of the city's feel and vibe.

It's also regrettable that we didn't get to take part in the annual Sydney Festival, which was on while we were there. Clearly, there are limitless opportunities for all ages and interests and we just happened to be there at the right time. There was even a participatory exhibit in the park near our house that we didn't explore because it was too early, too late, too bright, too wet or the line was too long. You just can't have it all.