Australia July 2008 - Day 2 - Sunday, 13 July 2008

Today in a nutshell:
- Manly Beach / Manly Cove
- Chinatown
- Rodney's House - Pyrmont / Darling Harbour


There's nothing like 10 hours of sleep to help you feel like yourself again. We hit Sydney today a little later than usual, but make up for it by scurrying off to Manly Cove for beach-side viewing and a wander through this seaside town. On our way, we had the benefit of seeing hundreds of sailboats in Sydney's harbor. I added a pic here for your enjoyment.

Manly is one of the most visited beaches each summer (our winter) in Australia - particularly the Sydney area. The local art museum has some great photographs depicting Manly's history and significance to the Sydney community. We enjoy breakfast at the Blue Cafe along the waterfront, but only after being turned away from another (more favorite) local option that had stop serving food for the morning. The Blue Cafe was fine, but overpriced. We recommend asking a local if you can and using their recommendations. We made up for lunch by consoling ourselves with a couple of scoops of "Gelatissimo" gelato - a chain brand here in Australia that is FABULOUS.

We take a spin through the art museum and enjoy some of the works outside along the wall - a local artist has made a canvas out of common household items such as forks, nails, keys, etc. We ferry it back to Sydney Harbor and head home momentarily before meeting Welby (Chad's new friend from Holland) in Chinatown for dinner. The highlight comes after dinner though when we enjoy pipping hot emperor's puffs filled with sweet custard - a Chinatown must-have. We visit Circle Quay (pronounced Circle Key) in search of a great cafe experience, but sadly learn our sought-after option is closed early on Sundays. We bus it back to Michael's to transfer our baggage to Rodney's house which is located in the Pyrmont neighborhood - right next to Darling Harbour.


Rodney is another friend and has a spare room he's allowed us to use while we're here. He is from Melbourne ("mel-bun" if your local) and has recently transferred to Sydney for his job, which, ironically, is similar to what Chad did for Purdue. My pillow is calling once again, so more details tomorrow. We head off to Cairns ("cans" if you're local) on Wednesday to see the Great Barrier Reef and more.