After an adventurous drive with our rental car through the city center to our hotel, which is mostly blocked due to a construction site, we then looked for a gas station. With Google, we drove through the traffic - unfortunately, the gas station displayed there did not exist. After wandering through the city with the GPS signal repeatedly dropping, we finally found a gas station and were able to return the car fully fueled at the rental car station.
We were glad to be able to get around without a car and walked through Hyde Park to the city center. There we saw the oldest surviving cathedral in Australia, St. Andrew's Cathedral.
St. Andrew's Cathedral A bit further, we came across the Queen Victoria Building, which used to be the market hall. Today, there are a variety of shops and dining options in addition to two huge old clocks. We decided to take a break at the Viennese café, where we ordered the most expensive chocolate cake we have ever eaten. However, we were able to enjoy it in a very beautiful ambiance. We strolled further through the shopping streets, where the Christmas decorations were already shining and the occasional Christmas song was playing. We found it a bit strange with sunshine and 20°C... The Christmas trees here in Australia seem to be overloaded and sometimes decorated with surprisingly tasteless color combinations. In the evening, we went to the harbor where we took the ferry to Manly. We were repeatedly advised to use public transportation for the crossing instead of an expensive harbor tour. From the water, we had a beautiful view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. In Manly, a suburb of Sydney with a beach by the sea, we walked through the pedestrian zone to the beach promenade. As we strolled along, we saw - as expected - some surfers in the water and on the beach. In the dark, we drove back and were able to see the skyline in the dark.
