Ahh sleep, so so nice. Brett flew in this morning and we got ahold of him by around 10. I showered and got ready and we hopped on the bus to the Marriott by the water. Brett flew first class here…so I kinda hate him right how. Oh and he is also on the 18th floor with a view of the Opera House. I suggested we all switch rooms but he wasn’t really into that. It was a lovely day in Sydney so we walked down to Circular Quay and Dave decided that we would go to Manly. I didn’t think I’d be able to make it there but I think it was a really nice way to spend the day, even though we only went for lunch. We got seats at the front of the boat and all very much enjoyed the ferry ride over, which is about 30 minutes. Manly is a really great place – tons of people, a bit upscale, beautiful beaches. We walked down the main plaza area and stopped at the beach for a moment before walking down the main road in search of a place to eat lunch. We quickly chose a place that looked like it had decent fish and chips for $15. Dave and I both had that and Brett had steak. After lunch we began to walk along the beach…it was just beautiful. Really, blue sky, bluer ocean, fine sand…just a lovely beach town. We took some photos, I ran into a flock of seagulls, and I just enjoyed not wearing shows…I’m afraid there is still a few months before that is the case in Boston. We actually didn’t stay too long and we caught the 2:45 ferry back to Circular Quay. We got great seats right at the front of the boat and were able to see Sydney Harbour coming into view. I have never seen a more beautiful harbour because probably one doesn’t exist. We got some pics in front of the bridge and opera house and got off the boat ready to buy some crap for people!!
We would be taking the bus to Paddy’s market so that I could buy some things for people back home. This really was the place to go and I got stuff for everyone on my list and was done shopping in no time at all. I even got myself a little didgeridoo (sp??). Along the way we stopped at a bar called Jacksons to have a beer and revive ourselves…it had been a lot of walking. We walked all the way back to the Marriott so that Brett could change for dinner and we could pick up the bagels for the morning. Oh that was very exciting. Odd to come to Australia to get NY bagels delivered. From there we took the train back to Newtown. Brett was getting really tired at this point and we both teased him that first class had done him in. Indeed, I think it had. He just slept way way too much on his way to LA. Back at Dave’s we both changed and then took a cab to the Italian section of Sydney. We had some trouble finding an Italian restaurant but eventually we found an area that had lots and we decided on one. We got garlic bread to start and Dave and I split chicken and shrimp marsala and penne with red sauce and shrimp. Btw, they had never heard of rigatoni, lol. It certainly wasn’t chicken marsala as it was cream based rather than broth based but it was still very good. We were stuffed and Brett was looking pretty sleepy. Back at Dave’s we had a couple of drinks, Brett took a quick nap on the couch even with all the commotion of Godwin, Jakob, and Travis, but we woke him up for a trip to the Argyle. From there he could easily walk back to the Marriott. The bus ride took a while but soon we were back a Circular Quay and walking to the Rocks, which is the oldest area of Sydney. The Argyle was quite busy and even had a line!! It was a quick line though and soon we were walking through a courtyard and then into the bar. The dj was playing techo and Brett began to liven up a bit and really seemed to like this place. We had one round while Brett was there then he decided to call it a night but got Dave and I drinks before leaving, which was very nice. So so weird seeing Brett in Syndey! Dave and I stayed to finish our drinks and were originally going to go to Pancakes on the Rocks but there was no way I could even come close to eating pancakes after such a filling dinner. We took the train back to Newtown and found drunker Godwin, Jakob and Travis at the table. Dave had another drink but I passed. After that, it was shower time and then bed time…my last night in Sydney had come to an end 🙁
