We are leaving Cairns and probably also the easy going of rural life in Australia and preparing for 3 days in the world metropolis Sydney.
Our hotel Habour Rocks is located in the district The Rocks, Sydney's oldest and formerly a poor district, from where we can see the Bay with Habour Bridge and Opera just around the corner.
In the afternoon, we walk along the promenade and familiarize ourselves with the area. There are so many people here, especially Asians. The large ocean liners also dock here. Every morning, there is a new cruise liner at anchor, by the way, right in the city, which then sets sail again with a lot of fuss and noise in the afternoon and disappears into the open sea on its way to the next destination.
The opera house is about a 10-minute walk away, where we climb the steps and look around in search of the main entrance to the concert halls, because we have concert tickets for tomorrow.
We return to the hotel and have dinner at the Oriental Hotel next door, to then experience how the district unfolds its nightlife and lives up to its name. Across from the hotel, the girls in high heels are waiting in line, dressed up to the nines, with their companions - just as dressed up - in line. Taxis constantly arrive, spitting out more cheerful twens. The security only allows as many people into the party zone as have left the Carre before. We don't join the queue, we don't have the right outfit with us, and - there is face control, oh no.
PartyzoneTags for everyone to see
So we return to the hotel, have a nightcap in the hotel bar, where good music from the 90s is playing, and fall into a deep sleep.
Harbour Rocks Hotel
On the next day, equipped with an Opal card for public transport, we take the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly Beach. We take one last look back at the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and drive through many neighborhoods of the metropolis - Sydney is a city that is located almost directly on the sea everywhere.
Harbour Bridge In Manly Beach, we find a beach resort with a wide sandy beach and great Pacific waves, which naturally attract many surfers in search of the perfect wave. Today is a freestyle contest for the surfers and we watch the participants with their daring and skilled maneuvers.Manly Beach Surfercontest Manly Beach Although the sun is high in the sky, we are freezing, as the sharp wind allows only 18°C, so we are wearing a jacket and scarf. The streets are hosting the jazz festival, with live music everywhere - jazz, beat, swing. Good atmosphere in the town, the old locals also mingle with folding chairs, packed lunches, knitting, and crosswords among the swinging fans.On the beachfront Back for a short stop in Darling Habour before we get dressed up for our concert at the Opera. Tchaikovsky and Johann Strauss are on the program of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, which does its best. The opera house from the inside has something sacred about it. Sydney Opera, Concert Hall The next day, we travel through the city by bus and ferry, visit Bondi Beach and various weekly markets with arts and crafts and local specialties. Live music at Circular QuayMarket in the RocksBondi Beach In the evening, we quickly stop at the street food market for a quick pizza and at the bottle shop for a bottle of well-chilled Chardonnay. Our feet are screaming for relaxation, and we make ourselves comfortable in front of the TV and watch Aussie Rules Football - an intensified version of American Football, without helmets, without protection, just 'full-on' 😅. Conclusion: 0 crocodiles, 0 cassowariesBut: An incredibly diverse, vibrant, and international city by the sea, and a concert in an unforgettable ambianceSydney we 💕 you Next stop tomorrow: Singapore - where the old and the new world come together