Mom's Visit - Part 4 - Darling Harbour, the Fish Market and the Infamous Bondi Beach...

My mom commented often that everything in Sydney was so picturesque. With her here, it was a good opportunity to explore Sydney's touristy side. Darling Harbour, home of Sydney's famous Aquarium, Maritime Museum and all sorts of other major attractions, including yet another beautiful Sydney harbour (as shown above), was much more than I expected. We had time for a loop on the Monorail before heading to the Fish Market. After visiting this working harbour, I'm not sure how an ordinary fish market will satisfy me...fresh fish and seafood of over 100 varieties is deposited daily for auction and public sale...and consumption. We shared an enormous seafood platter which included seafood that tasted as if a mermaid had prepared it and delivered it straight from the sea. Yum. The bridge in the background of the harbour where the fish comes in for the fish market - see the two points? - is the Anzac Bridge, although I am told by Sydneyers that it is referred to as "Madonna's Bra"...weird. The friendly penguin in that same picture happened to be the most caricature-like animal I have ever seen...when staring at it I thought I had happened into a Walt Disney picture.

My cycling buddy, Paul, was kind enough to take us for a day trip to Leichart, the Italian area of Sydney, where we had fun in "The Merchant of Venice" playing with the beautiful masks delivered directly from Venice. We then made our way through Newtown (where I managed to snap this Martin Luther King depiction from the car), on our way to Australia's favourite and infamous beach - Bondi. An entire television series based on the work of Bondi's lifeguards, called "Bondi Rescue", has been created based on Bondi Beach. And there it is behind Mom. It is quite a place and has a characteristic 'feel' about it, although it's a bit over-rated in my opinion. But then, what do I know about surf beaches. In any event, there is a fantastic boardwalk that goes on for many kilometers and we enjoyed a great walk along it that day.