Sydney, Australia -Part 2

The ferry and water taxi system here is very efficient. We took a ferry from Darling Harbor to Circular Quay to get an overview of the harbor. We didn't have time for a full-blown harbor tour but wanted to see a few of the iconic sites including the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Circular Quay is one of Sydney's major focal points. It's a commuting hub as well as a recreation space.

It was a beautiful day! Not too hot yet.

The Sydney Harbor Bridge crosses the harbor at one of the narrowest points. Completed in 1932 at a cost of $20  million AUD, this bridge is an icon. Partly due to the size but also because it links various parts of the city. It also boosted employment during the Depression.

We didn't do it, but you can join a climbing group and scale the bridge itself! The spots to the right of the flags are people! You can also climb the stairs of the eastern stone pylon to a lookout point.

The world famous (I'm quoting from a tour book) Sydney Opera House was inspired by palm fronds. You can see it in the distance in the wide shot of the bridge above, but here is a closeup.

 Two more views on our trip from Darling Harbor to Circular Quay.

Near Circular Quay there is a weekend market in an area called The Rocks. Sydney's first European settlement was on this spot. This was really interesting so we spent quite some time here. We met a lady who dyes her own Australian wool yarns. She also works with silk yarns. I had already purchased the suitcase restricting quota of yarn so I couldn't purchase any of these yarns, but so pretty. I don't believe we took any photos at the market but I have the yarn lady's business card!

The next morning we left Sydney for a couple of days in the Blue Mountains. We then returned to Sydney to spend a few more days before returning home.