Sydney

I wanted so badly to study ballet, but it was really all about wanting to wear the tutu. -Elle Macpherson

Three days in Sydney is not nearly enough, just as three days at the great barrier reef were not enough. Particularly when those three days include getting from one place to another.

Our return flight from Cairns took the better part of Saturday, leaving time for little more than a happy hour visit, an early dinner and bed. On Sunday, our friend Lee came downtown to show us more of her city on a picture-perfect day. We spent the morning strolling around The Rocks, one of those waterfront neighborhoods proud in its Victorian heyday, later gone to seed, and now brought back to vitality as a shopping, eating and drinking mecca. The architecture was interesting, and it was market day so there were many stalls to be browsed. We capped our Rocks morning with lunch at an apparently trendy spot called Pony's. Because it had embraced the small plate concept, it had the unusual-in-Sydney benefit of being reasonably priced.

The afternoon was given over to a harbor cruise, with a highly entertaining narration devoted more to which were the homes of the rich and famous, and where the nude beaches can be found, than to history. The ticket office for it was also the hot spot for U.S. visitors, and so we ran into several people we "knew" via the internet. It was funny that we instantly recognized one another even though we'd never actually met.

The next day greeted us with a drizzle that soon turned into an all-day downpour. But trooper Lee braved the wet to join Beth and me once again, this time for a visit to the aquarium. The great benefit to this was that we got a good explanation of much that we'd seen at the great barrier reef. It also was all under cover, which was great for a rainy day.

The afternoon was spent at a wildlife park, notably extensive for an urban setting. I finally saw some live kangaroos (having only seen one dead one by the side of the road in Palm Cove--those kangaroo crossing signs are no joke). The koalas were out in the rain, and so we saw little of their cute faces, as koalas curl up in the rain to let the water run off of them.

Other animals also were on hand, including crocs, large birds, and teh wide variety of things that can kill you in Australia.

Monday evening was a long-time dream of mine come true: attending a performance at the Sydney Opera House. No opera was on, so Betty and I attended a ballet in the opera hall. Arriving was spectacular, as our taxi brought us to the back of this icon. Across the harbor, we could see the ship docked that we'd be boarding the next day. Getting into the hall involved a series of dramatic staircases, with some hidden-away lifts for the sore of knee. The interior of the hall was spectacular, with the soaring angles that the House's exterior would suggest.

The performance itself was comprised of three vignettes, the first two of which could have benefited from further rehearsal. The third, however, was wonderful. It was a comic ballet--so much so that the audience was laughing hard throughout. It also was beautifully danced. Quite the topper to our Sydney adventure.

Tuesday morning was without ambition, as we spent the morning re-packing and getting ourselves to the cruise terminal in Circular Quay. Lee met us there, and had a special pass to join us on the ship for lunch. Too soon, she had to disembark, and away we sailed out of Sydney Harbor to the tune of bagpipes, as Sydney faded in the distance.

Tomorrow: Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road.