Sydney

We spent July 13 - 15 in Sydney. Our room at the Marriott Circular Quay overlooked the opera house, and each sunrise and sunset provided a postcard cameo of the landmark. Our experience at that hotel was very pleasant and relaxing. The staff provided fine first-class service, and I would gladly stay there again.

Though our stay only lasted a couple of days, we got to experience quite a bit of the city. We visited Chinatown and the Paddington market during the first day. On the second day we went to the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife Exhibit, both which were fascinating. I learned how to use the video function on my digital camera at the Aquarium, as well as a few other advanced features. I just may accumulate a few nice photos while I am here. :)

On our final day there, we got up early. I took photos of the sunrise (including the one shown here of the opera house) while Michelle went for a nice run along the harbor. After breakfast, we spent several hours walking through the Royal Botanic Gardens. Of all the places we visited in Sydney, this was my favorite. The garden is very inviting, well laid out and open. It's full of numerous different trees, flowers, and birds. We saw a large flock of white cockatoos cackling and screeching as they flew from tree to tree. When we neared the final loop of the walk, we stumbled upon a large colony of fruit bats. There were hundreds of them sleeping in a section of the garden -- and they are huge! We found out more about them later. They are some of the largest bats in the world, and the city is working on a plan to move them at some point because they are killing the trees in the garden. They strip the leaves off the branches, and a couple of historic trees have already had to be cut down after dying from the colonization.