WC2011 Sydney Visit

What did CruiseGran/Jane/Mama and I do for the two days we had in Sydney? Well...

We went to dinner with my cousins. Leave it to Merrill to take us to a restaurant where the menu looks like THIS.



Trust is a big thing within families, right?

Golden Century Restaurant is one of those oriental restaurants where you look around and the place is PACKED...but most of the patrons are Asian. Always a good sign.



Downstairs, large tanks hold the freshest seafood available.

Mud Crab



Stone Crab



Abalone.



Merrill and I went to pick out our mud crab, the speciality of the house.

This one was a possibility...but we settled on a mud crab of equal size.



Feeling a little like Vanna White with our dinner.



Jane made a mad grab for the check at the end of the meal.



Why her expression?

Here's why.



We said "goodbye" to the rest of the merry band, as they were leaving early the next morning for Ayers Rock. What fun memories we will carry with us of this trip. We are already planning next year's cruise!

Next morning, after a lovely breakfast with an amazing view...



we took off to walk a bit .

Loved this sculpture.



Saw a shop that fits my friend John.



As a recent convert to all things Apple, I was delighted to walk past here...



and then had a giggle when I saw school children inside, looking like they were on a field trip.



Imagine...a school field trip to the Apple Store!



(actual fantasy...visiting the Apple Store with someone ELSE's American Express Black Card...........stop laughing, Captain Storli.)

Mama wanted to make sure I saw the Queen Victoria Building.



Definitely worth the walk. So many lovely shops. So many lovely details to see!







We hopped on the harbor ferry to Darling Harbor for lunch.








Over at Darling Harbor, we found that Silver Spirit (last seen in Melbourne) had followed us to Sydney.



A Norwegian Flag???



Captain Cook wasn't Norwegian......



But there was love in the air.





On the way back to the main harbor, I saw this house.



Bet that view is AMAZING!

I could have taken photos of the Opera House all day long.



Next stop was the Opera House for a tour. Before that even got started, I was taking photos. The ladies' room was AMAZING.





(Oh, come on...you know if YOU had been there, you would have taken photos there, too......)

Our delightful and informative guide chaperoned us around the entire facility.



Including this AMAZING view



for which we had to climb THESE stairs.



The interiors of the Opera House are so unique.







Textures, lines, angles.





Even the roof tiles are fascinating. Some are off white, some are white. Some are shiny, some are matte.



For dinner that night, the concierge at the hotel recommended Manta, which was delicious. the location could not have been better.



It was a perfect way to end my trip "Down Under" with a perfect sunset.



I will admit that I was glad to return to Middle-Of-Nowhere-comma-Georgia and see Alix and AJ. But I will always treasure my memories of my trip to this beautiful area of our planet.

What a Wonderful World.