A final week in Sydney July 21, 2016 A final farewell to the capital of the land down under. View fullsize A Sheraton warm welcome to Sydney. View fullsize Sydney was hosting a Bastille Day fair at Circular Quay. View fullsize For some reason, there was a Canadian Village within. Maybe for Quebec? View fullsize We hopped on the 11:00 ferry to Manly - with great views of the Sydney Harbour along the way. View fullsize A new view of the Opera House. View fullsize Straight on from the side. View fullsize From this angle, you can clearly see the two sets of shells. View fullsize Opera House and CBD in the background. View fullsize A unique -- and relatively compact -- CBD skyline. View fullsize It's a nice day for a Saturday sail. View fullsize Lots of boaters out to enjoy the (relatively sunny) winter day. View fullsize More views of the harbour. View fullsize A boat parks at a lighthouse to take stock. View fullsize A sandwich of sea, cloud, and Sydney Harbour National Park. View fullsize The Hornby Lighthouse on South Head. Operating since 1858, it is the third oldest lighthouse in NSW. View fullsize The cliff of Sydney Harbour National Park. View fullsize Arriving at Manly Wharf, where the locals like their yachts! View fullsize A colourful sailing lesson is taking place in the harbour. View fullsize We've reached our destination, 9.5 km from where we started in Circular Quay. View fullsize Free chips for all! What a promotion. View fullsize Walking long the Wentworth Street promenade toward the beach. View fullsize Famous Manly Beach, with its winter population density. View fullsize Winter wefie on the beach. View fullsize Looking North, toward Queenscliff Head. View fullsize An artist paints his interpretation of the surroundings. View fullsize Props to these surfers for their year-round dedication to their sport. View fullsize Catching the waves. View fullsize This grumpy seagull got up on the wrong side of the nest. View fullsize Layers of waves. View fullsize Calling it a morning. View fullsize These waves wait for no one. View fullsize Meanwhile, back on the harbour side, the colourful boats are still out making a statement. View fullsize The marine-life rehabilitation facility. View fullsize One of the half-hourly ferries coming in from Circular Quay. View fullsize Coffee from a Thai-run cafe. View fullsize And we're off on a 10-km segment of the Manly Scenic Walkway. View fullsize Sailboats and cliffs. View fullsize More Sydney Harbour. View fullsize One of many public pools built into the open that we've seen along Sydney's waterfronts. View fullsize This bird dries himself off in the sun. View fullsize No shortage of yachts in this town! View fullsize Walking on water! I have to learn from this man. View fullsize We found the local dog hang-out. See the one rolling around in the sand? View fullsize No trip to the harbour is complete without playing in the water. View fullsize Crystal clear water, at that. View fullsize More boats. View fullsize Korean grannies stop mid-walk for lunch. View fullsize More colourful sails. View fullsize Synchronized swimming for one? View fullsize Happy Thanksgiving in July! View fullsize More harbour view. View fullsize The photographer in action. View fullsize The output! View fullsize About to scale a decent hill inside the national park. View fullsize Great view from half-way up. View fullsize More great views. View fullsize We stumbled upon a soccer match, in the middle of the national park. Hmm. View fullsize More great harbour views. View fullsize Hidden houses at the base of the cliff. View fullsize I think I'd live here. View fullsize Spotting the city skyline, not too far away now! View fullsize A bird nibbles on those funny brush-shaped cones. View fullsize Posing nicely. View fullsize Doesn't this look like an inflatable tree? View fullsize Kids in a dinghy. Should someone rescue them? View fullsize A diligent guard dog was watching the passers-by on the hiking path. View fullsize A man and his lab getting some exercise in the sea. View fullsize Finally. Some respite for Fido. View fullsize Why not also do some windsurfing? View fullsize More white trees. View fullsize This one in the foreground looks like a tug boat. View fullsize Our friend, the Pelican. View fullsize He swam in circles around the fishing boat until they threw him some fish! View fullsize Another blue beauty. View fullsize Back in the city, and up in Glebe for some late lunch. View fullsize Landsdown Hotel has seen better days. View fullsize A burger at an all-vegetarian cafe. View fullsize The next morning already! We're here to pick up our tickets for tonight! View fullsize One more ferry trip - this time to Parramatta. View fullsize Another misty morning! Will the sun come out? View fullsize Any crazy bridge climbers? View fullsize Our front-row seats in the nose of the ferry. View fullsize Under the bridge! View fullsize Cold, and suffering from wind-shuffled hair. View fullsize Seagulls welcoming us to Cockatoo Island. View fullsize "Stay away from our island, tourists!" View fullsize More sailors further inland. View fullsize Passing under the A40. View fullsize Passing a fellow ferry, coming back toward the city. View fullsize And a water taxi. View fullsize Two daredevil kayakers dare to go out in these busy waters. View fullsize Waterside garage. View fullsize A working boat outside the Sydney Rowing Club. View fullsize What's this Chilean airplane doing here? Turns out they operate routes between Sydney and Auckland. View fullsize A posh country club on the water. View fullsize These two boys were narrating the entire ferry ride very audibly. View fullsize The Rivendell Child, Adolescent and Family Unit; formerly the Thomas Walker Convalescent Hospital. View fullsize The river is finally narrowing as we head further west. View fullsize More pelicans! Straight out of Finding Nemo. (http://pixar.wikia.com/wiki/Nigel_(Finding_Nemo)) View fullsize A penguin-like bird. View fullsize Flying pelican! View fullsize More "penguins"... and mangroves in the background? View fullsize Finally, we reach Parramatta - the oldest inland European settlement in Australia. View fullsize This modest bird welcomes us to his hometown. View fullsize The Parramatta River - beyond where the boats are allowed to operate. View fullsize One of these birds is not like the others. View fullsize The ducks are out, enjoying the morning sun too. View fullsize One of Parramatta's original buildings. View fullsize A neat sculpture hanging over an intersection. View fullsize Another 1881 classic. View fullsize St John's Anglican Cathedral Church - the oldest church site in Australia in continuous use. View fullsize Parramatta Town Hall - here since 1883. View fullsize On our way back into town by train. View fullsize Stopping at a hippy-dippy Sunday market in Marrickville, Inner-west. View fullsize All the dogs were out! View fullsize Fresh local produce and exciting lunch options. View fullsize I couldn't resist my Gozleme. View fullsize Yum yum! View fullsize Antiques, arts and crafts, and more. View fullsize Like these fun pillow cases. View fullsize And nuts for all! View fullsize Aww. They call them Avos. View fullsize These colourful boxes were being sold by Thai people. View fullsize I would love to know how the DIY coin-operated dog wash works... View fullsize Next stop: the ever-posh Surrey Hills. View fullsize Where the money lives. View fullsize Lots of late-brunchers were still out. View fullsize This dog guards his owner's bike while she gets Gelato. View fullsize Heading back via Oxford Street. View fullsize Christmas in July here in Sydney, too. This festival was outside St. Mary's Cathedral. View fullsize These kids came for snowy powder... but by this time, it's cold wet slush. View fullsize Grumpy seagulls who want nothing to do with the Winter Forest. View fullsize Brr! A chill is in the air. View fullsize Skating outside the cathedral. Have to say, Sydneysiders seem to be slightly better on blades than their Melbourne counterparts. View fullsize The ice struggled to stay frozen in the 20-degree weather. View fullsize If one isn't stable enough, maybe 3 will be! View fullsize It's a bit tough on the mind to be celebrating winter in July. View fullsize This "Toboggan Terror" was truly terrifying. The kids kept slamming into the side, and landing in a mud puddle at the bottom. What an idea! View fullsize Final stop of our Sydney tour - a night at the Opera (house). View fullsize Moon is out over the Sydney Opera House! View fullsize Ticket-holders are given free reign of the building after entering. View fullsize The rear lobby, which overlooks the harbour. View fullsize View from our seats. What a beautiful concert hall! View fullsize Nothing to complain about! View fullsize Our box seats were fewer than 10m from the stage! View fullsize Who's this crazy man? View fullsize Packed theater eagerly awaiting Ira Glass and his dancers. View fullsize Post-performance. View fullsize A foggy-filled Monday morning! View fullsize Tuesday morning is much nicer. View fullsize Dramatic sky! View fullsize I'm going to miss this view! View fullsize Dinner at our favorite Chinese vegetarian joint. View fullsize Bon appetit! View fullsize Fare-thee-well, Sydney. Picked a good day to leave!
