On a clear day, Sydney is a beautiful city!

Unfortunately, not every day is like this one, as bushfires in the area have been covering the city with a smoky haze. It is affecting air quality, and gave us an appreciation for Australia’s fragile eco system.

This was the worst day on our trip – it was clear when we went over on the ferry in the morning, but by the afternoon, the winds had changed direction.

We were happy to take the fast ferry back to Manly Beach where we were staying, where the air was clear and the skies were blue. We have concluded that as commutes go, the ferry is the best way to travel!

Manly Beach was also a great base because we could walk to everything (grocery, restaurants, public transport, etc). Ken is still sad that he didn’t go to the Hungry Jacks in Manly. And if you recognize the logo, you’re right, it is the Burger King brand in Australia!

And we even had a curious and friendly cockatoo that came to visit us on our balcony!

When we did go into the City, it was easy to get around on the trains – first time we’d ever ridden on a double decker train! Marta (public transport in Atlanta) could certainly take lessons on spiff and cleanliness from the metro in Sydney.

One of the sights we visited was the Opera House (of course!). And that was when we experienced one of the highlights of our visit to Sydney. The ballet company was practicing for the Nutcracker, and we were privileged to watch the climatic dance of the show, the Grand Pas de Deux. With only about 20 people in the theatre at the time, it was as if they were performing just for us!

An interesting tidbit about the dollar bills in Australia – they are made from plastic so they don’t crumple. The polymer notes are cleaner than paper notes, more durable and easily recyclable.

But the best part of any big city is the people! Sydney is extra special because a very dear friend, Angela, lives there, and the time we spent together are the memories that I treasure! We also made new friends when we attended a Camino group meeting in Sydney – with fellow pilgrims, there are no strangers and we had a wonderful afternoon sharing Camino stories!