Today's royal program - Royal Botanical Garden in Sydney

Today's story is quickly told. After breakfast at the YHA (Youth Hostel Australia), we set off for Sightseeing Sydney, Day 2. It's barely 10 a.m. and already quite warm. Today's forecast promises clear skies and temperatures up to 30 degrees. So, light luggage is advisable.

Our first destination is the area around the Harbour Bridge. Once again, a cruise ship docked early in the morning is “blocking” the view of the Opera House ...

Upon arriving under the bridge, we make a last-minute decision to head into the Botanical Garden, which is located on the other side of the harbor. The reason: the weather is lovely all day today, and tomorrow the sun is only expected to shine for an hour ... and we should treat ourselves to the view of the Opera House and the bridge from the Botanical Garden in the sunshine. Moreover, it should be a pleasant place for a walk, and we hope for lots of shade from the trees ...

We stroll to the park and pass by the residence of the Vice-Governor of New South Wales, to which Sydney belongs, the Government House. The old English style is immediately recognizable and relates, like much of the city, to its connection to the English Commonwealth and its colonial past.

We see old trees, wonderful colorful flowers, and a quite large number of birds known as the White Australian Ibis.

With their long beaks, they give the impression of being related to New Zealand Kiwis ... but we're not sure (and Google doesn't mention it either ...)

While walking through the Botanical Garden, we suddenly notice an airplane high in the blue sky leaving white “contrails.” We realize that it's not a coincidence but that the pilot is trying to write a message in the sky. We first identify an H, then the plane draws a B, and we start guessing what the next letter might be. It turns out to be a D. We think it could be an abbreviation for Happy Birthday. When the word or name Carrie was then spelled out, it seemed to confirm our guess. Happy Birthday Carrie was the message. By the time the pilot finished his writing, the H and B had already somewhat dissipated. We found it a lovely change to witness this and a truly fantastic idea to send such a birthday greeting. We hope Carrie saw it before it all disappeared into thin air.

We take a break on the shady benches, feeling happy and enjoying the fact that we get to see and experience all this. We are on the other side of the world! And once again, it becomes clear how well this trip was planned. We didn't experience any jet lag from traveling to New Zealand, nor from New Zealand to Sydney. We had short transfers and could enjoy all the cities from the very start without jet lag. However, this also had the “disadvantage” of not feeling so far away from home since we didn't have to endure a long journey ... Everything has gone very well for us, and we are very satisfied.

And with this good feeling, we wind down our day and buy a bit of provisions for future dinners, which are not included here at the hostel.