8.13.2013

DAY 9 - MANLY BEACH


Shaunee was finally able to join us for a full day of fun. We took the train into the city, like always, only this time it was Shaunee's first time since she was in grade school; she can afford the ridiculous parking costs in the city. We started out at Circular Quay again and made our way to The Rocks for a delicious breakfast. We ate at a restaurant called Pancakes on the Rocks. Did you know that you don't tip in Australia? They just include it in the food costs. It has it's pros and cons—you don't get a drink refill as often, but you don't have to do math when you they bring you the check. After breakfast we walked though all of the shops for more souvenirs. We found a shop entirely devoted to honeycomb; I had no idea there were so many different kinds of honey. I bought a bag of honeycomb to share with my co-workers to go along with the little koalas I bought them. We then stopped at an opal shop (opal is the semi-precious stone here that is in all the jewelry) and I bought some opal necklaces for my sisters and myself.

We ended up back at Circular Quay for a ferry ride over to Manly beach. I love ferry rides, I could seriously ride them all day—we even saw a pod of dolphins before reaching Manly. At Manly Beach we played in the water while Shaunee watched and called us crazy kids. Just off the beach we got some fish and chips, a Bailey tradition at Manly Beach that is always followed with Copenhagen ice cream. We rode the ferry back during the sunset and got a true view of the harbor. The last place on our list for the night was Luna Park, the sort of Lagoon of Sydney. There are some slight differences though; first off, Luna Park is much more iconic for Sydney, and secondly, Luna Park is WAY smaller than Lagoon. The rides were all closed, but the park was opened to walk through because there was some sort of event going on in one of the fun houses. After some photos, we made our way back to the train station and rode home. It was good to have Shaunee with us; she and her parents had been making fun of us all week for how tired we were, but she saw firsthand how exhausting our days had been and she was just as pooped. We stopped for some McDonald's on the way home and turned in.


Pancakes on the Rocks was absolutely magnificent! Tyler and I split a sweet pancake plate and a savory pancake plate. Can you guess which one this was?

We had to take one more shot of the Sydney Opera House from the ferry; it just never gets old.


We also saw the Royal Botanical Gardens we had walked through on our first day in the city. They're huge—no wonder my feet were sore!


Shaunee couldn't believe that we were wading in the freezing water during the winter. I don't think that she understood that the water here in the winter was still warmer than a California beach's in the summer.

Shaunee showed us the Bailey's traditional spot to get fish and chips; it was not a coincidence that it is located so close to Copenhagen ice cream...

Tyler tried to convince me to try authentic Aussie fish and chips, but I'm not a fan of fish. I was happy to try a potato cake instead (which, ironically, had a distinctly fishy taste to it) and just enjoy the chips.

I have never had Copenhagen, but that stuff is like the heroine of ice cream… and of course we got hokey pokey and chocolate (the chocolate here is as amazing as the honeycomb).

 
So the entrance to Luna Park may be iconic, but it is completely terrifying. Doesn't it remind you of the evil amusement park in Pinocchio?

The deserted theme park made for some beautiful photos, but it was a little creepy, like a little donkey boy was about to run out of the shadows at any moment.

1 comment:

  1. Love the pictures. :) And glad that on THIS trip to Australia, Tyler is actually allowed to go into the ocean. /missionaryreference

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