It's Spring in Australia, and the gardens were in full bloom.
My goal was to make it to the tip of Mrs. Macquarie's Point, said to have the best view of both The Harbour Bridge and The Opera House. I would have to say, I agree. The Garden's were established in 1816 by Governor Macquarie as part of the Governor's Domain. Elizabeth Macquarie, the Governor's wife, used to walk to the point and liked to sit and admire the view of the Harbour. Her husband has his workmen carve a special seat for her.
After walking to the tip of Mrs. Macquaries Point, I plopped myself down on one of the many lawns and read my book for awhile. What a view! I had the city and gardens to my back, Farm Cove in front of me, and The Opera House and Harbour Bridge off to my left.
After reading for awhile, I walked a short distance to the Opera House Cafe. It's a Bar and Grill type restaurant with outside seating at the base of the Opera House stairs. Another place with GREAT views. There, I had my first bubbly of the trip while enjoying the views of the Harbour.
Sydney is quite an active city. In Brisbane, I have never felt like a tourist. I realize that I am a foreigner here, but I've never felt like a typical tourist. In Sydney, it's different. Yesterday, I was surrounded by multiple languages. I heard German, Spanish, Japanese, English, Italian ...just to name a few. And everywhere I looked people were taking just as many pictures as I was with their Nikons and Cannons. I guess this is to be expected when you're in one of the World's Great Cities.
