FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 9th Port – Sydney, Australia – Day 23
February 22, 2016 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Slow Boat to Singapore – 9th Port – Sydney, Australia – Day 23
Wednesday, February 17th
- What Bond, James Bond is to England…
…Bondi, Bondi Beach is to Australia.
- This legendary beach (one of the most visited tourist’s sites in Australia) and the surrounding neighborhood are just a mere four miles to the east of
downtown. Its crescent moon shaped bay and expansive white sand beach attracts surfers and sunbathers alike. What struck me was how the vivid deep emerald green ocean faded to a sea foam green as the waves broke on shore.
And what bathing suits are to beaches…
…Speedos are to Sydney…as they were born in Bondi in 1928. Who knew?
- Strolling along the waterfront and through the Rock’s district, boarding the Sydney Explorer double-decker bus, seeing new parts of the city and reminiscing our last visit, with hops off at Rose Bay and Double Bay rounded out our day.
- No question about it, Sydney is a world-class city with great energy. And reminds me of San Diego… only on steroids…. with its bunches of bays!
- Ahh…Sydney…pretty much like how we feel about San Diego…picture perfect weather in the low 70’s, with some light cloud cover, made for an ideal day…and one you don’t want to end!
FUN-fact – The Rocks, named for its rocky shoreline, is the site of the oldest settlement in Australia; a rough-and-tumble place, as it was home to the first convict tent camps in 1788.
More FF – We have sailed a total of 7092 nautical miles or 8156 land miles since we left San Francisco.
The Rock’s
New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups: 2005 – 2007
July 22, 2010 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups: 2005 – 2007
NYC & Dennis Haysbert
There were twenty-one landmarks that were up for the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is our goal to see all of them. We decided that Timbuktu (once one of the world’s richest cities, in Mali, Africa) isn’t one we care to venture to. But hey, we think we will go there when we do Morrocco since it’s fairly close. Also, Chris and I have collectively seen a lot of the twenty, however, not together. So the rule is, we go back and see all of them together!
1. Statue of Liberty, New York harbor – In June, 2005, we went to New York for the book sellers show and spent a week seeing all the sites and three plays. Ran into Dennis Haysbert at Nobu (who was then playing President Palmer on 24) right after I had just got my first pair of Monolo Blahniks across the street. (Clearly watched too much Sex in the City) LOVE that show and New York City!
Sydney Opera House
2. December 30, 2005, we went to Sydney. I didn’t want to go unless I could see and be a part of the most fabulous fireworks of anywhere in the World. Thanks to the advice of my niece Mary (who had gone the year before) we got to experience them in a boat in Sydney harbor. On top of that, our boat was one of the ones that got to be a part of the Parade of Lights!
Hagia Sophia
3. May 2007, we went to Istanbul, Turkey and saw the Hagia Sophia. Famous for its massive dome, it’s considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have “changed the history of architecture.” It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520.
4. We left Istanbul and cruised the Greek Islands before we ended up in Athens where we went to see the Acropolis, a flat-topped rock that rises 150 m (490 ft) above sea level in the middle of the city. Known as the “Sacred Rock” it is topped by the Parthenon.
The Acropolis