After a run this morning, Rose and I headed into the city and walked the Harbour Bridge, which has stunning views of the Sydney Opera House. Rose is a high school history teacher, which makes for the perfect tour guide. I learned many significant historical events during our walk, including how Sydney was first discovered by Captain James Cook, 16 people died while building the Harbour Bridge, and during the 1930s New South Wales was run as a cash economy!
We spent the afternoon exploring The Rocks, a historic neighborhood and where Sydney all began, it is the only place in Australia to have been affected by the plague. And guess what doctor parents: The Rocks was home to Australia's first hospital run by nurses who were convicts! Now its sandstone buildings are occupied with high-end shops, boutique stores selling buttons, puppets and the like, pubs, bars, and hotels (including a Hilton).
Fun Fact: bars and pubs are called "Hotels" here. So all the signs say hotel, but its really a pub with local beers on tap.
Case in point: We had lunch on the rooftop of the Glenmore Hotel.
Later on we explored Circular Quay (pronounced key), snapped photos of the Sydney Opera House and enjoyed a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc at the Opera Bar overlooking the harbor.
Tomorrow its a much needed laundry day, perhaps a hike, and more sightseeing!
