Bondi Beach is perhaps one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever visited. The deep blue water punctuated by the white waves as they crashed just off shores was more than a little inviting, even to us non-surfers. As we walked the sandy beach surfers took to the water making up the difference, and by end of day there were too many to count.

We followed up the trip to Bondi Beach to the Blue Mountains. A two hour ride by train west of Sydney, the Blue Mountains are one of the more popular destinations outside of Sydney, particularly to those wanting to get away from urban center. The most famous attraction in the Blue Mountains is the Three Sisters, 3 rugged towers of rock reaching for the sky before giving way to the deep blue of the valley below.

We were lucky to catch the Three Sisters at magic hour, just before sunset. The views were spectacular. While I had visited the Blue Mountains on my previous trip to Sydney in 2001… the views continue to inspire. But as the sun continued to drop below the horizon, so did the temperature… and it was time to head home.

Fortunately we were rewarded with another sunny day and spent our time at the Rocks and the Botanical Gardens.

The Rocks is an outdoor market at the base of Sydney Harbor bridge selling a broad variety local foods and crafts. Everything from aboriginal carvings to gluten-free fudge (which was particularly tasty). We might have some left when we get home to share with friends… we might not. 🙂

After spending the morning at the Rocks we visited the Botanical Gardens, a huge swath of rolling green hills near the Sydney Opera House. The park is home to many native fauna and wildlife, including whole cities of fruit bats perched in the trees, and a flock of cockatoos raising a ruckus as they moved throughout the park.

Today we are we heading out to Bondi Beach, a popular surfing destination here in Sydney, and the one of their most well known beaches. I doubt will do much surfing tho.. until tomorrow…

One thing we have quickly learned about Sydney is that the weather is much like it is in San Francisco. Unpredictable. The promised forecasts have rarely come true, and for the most part we’ve been lucky. Thanks to the lack of rain we have been able to walk all over the city, visit the Sydney Opera house, and take a ferry out to Manly Beach. Finally toward the close of yesterday did the storm clouds roll in, with the promise of much rain today.

But this morning we woke up, nary a cloud in the sky. Our plans of taking in a movie during the inclement weather seem to have been dashed. My vote is for the botanical gardens… we’ll see.

To the right, please enjoy a few of the photos from the past few days.

We have safely arrived in Sydney, with thoughts of New Zealand still fresh in our minds. Auckland is an amazing city, reminiscent of San Francisco and Vancouver, its denizens friendly and gracious. There’s almost a 1950s feel to the place, not that I was around at that time to say for sure.

Since it is winter (they seem to skip the fall entirely), the weather was a bit dodgy and we were unable to be as adventurous as we would have liked. Hobbiton and the glow worm caves were unfortunately out. So we decided to stay close to Auckland and the local environs.

To the right you’ll find a few snapshots from our travels. Some of the highlights include Skycity Tower, Rangitoto Island and the black sands of Piha Beach along the western coast.

The updates should be coming more frequently now, so, it’s off to the Sydney Opera House. Toodles!