SYDNEY TRIP RePORT – REGINA’S AND ANDRE’S TRIP REPORTS

We arrived in Sydney on Dec 30, 2016 coming from Francfort via Singapore. On Dec 31st on New Year’s eve we were looking for a good place look at the fireworks in Sydney. And of course we wanted to have a good view on the Harbour Bridge and on The Opera House.

We choosed the vantage at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and wanted to go there on Dec 31st at 3 pm. Fortunately people on the street told us to go there much earlier. We arrived there at 11 am and were totally astonished about the huge queue of people waiting for entry. We waited ca. two hours before entering the place. And the place was totally filled up with people and we could hardly find a place. And then we waited and waited … for 12 hours. But at midnight the firework display over the whole bay was spectacular and the atmosphere at the vantage point was great.

Another absolute highlight was the ‘La Boheme’ performance in the Sydney Opera House. We enjoyed very much the performance, the spectacular architecture and the excellent acoustics of the performance hall. From the terrace you have a terrific view over the whole Bay.

A favorite neighborhood in Sydney is Manly. We traveled there by ferry. We strolled down the Corso which connects the harbor with the ocean beaches. We then went to the ocean beach were we saw children taking surf lessons in a quite cold water.

The other day we rented a car and drove to the Blue Mountains. We were disappointed. If you have ever been in the Alps or in the Rocky Mountains or in the Andes don’t go there, it is boring! The Wentworths falls didn’t have water (beginning of January). The ‘Three Sisters’ are three normal rocks. At the ‘Echo Point’ there is no echo anymore. And the so called ‘Scenic World’ is an excellent marketing gag. 2 minutes ride with a steep train (52 degrees) then 10 min walk (or 30 or 50 minutes) and then a ride back with the cabin. There is another cabin there but it is not worth either. And this costs 45 AUD.  Waiting time: 2 hours for 15 min ride. 95% of the visitors were Chinese.

The other day we used our Opal card to go to Bondi beach, the most famous of the Sydney beaches. As it was a quite chilly day, there were not that many people on the beach, but still plenty of surfers. Spent some time surfer watching, then we made our way to Bondi Icebergs and accessed the coastal trail. We strolled to Bronte Beach, stopping frequently to take pictures and sitting down to enjoy the view. By the time we got to Bronte, it was close to sunset. Nevertheless, many surfers were still on the beach, riding the waves. Overall it was an easy pleasant walk.