A soggy day in Sydney town

Only three months in and another visitor from the States! My hoops buddy Mike was the first, just a week after we moved into the house. Not sure that ever made the blog, but he suffered through our early grilling adventures at the house, though it was still good to have a friend in to talk with and share a meal with. This time it was Kirsty's sister Zoe, who was on the backend of a whirlwind business trip to the Pacific Rim. We were able to meet up with her Friday night in Sydney and had a good, if soggy, weekend visit. After a fruitless search for a hotel suite that would accommodate 3 adults and a child (for less than our monthly mortgage back home), I settled on a B&B in the Surrey Hills neighborhood, about a fifteen minute walk from the Opera House and Circular Quay (thanks Oprah! By all accounts, Sydney is experiencing unprecedented tourism the last two months, and theories are the culprit is the big O, and I'm not talking about Oscar Robertson. This has turned an already pricey city into a seller's market, and the sellers aren't budging!). Once settled, it was just a matter of filling time (and trying to stay dry) between meals! We did have a good hour or two where the rain let up in Manly, retracing the the coastal walk Kirsty and I took back in September. This time with less sun and much to Mika's chagrin, and only slightly less to my own, more spiders!

These guys were hanging out (literally) overhead in the bushes we walked through once we got to the point. I may have gained a few pounds since hitting these shores, but am still vertically challenged so was relatively confident of passing underneath without notice. Mika had her doubts, which intensified with each new gauntlet. Fortunately we made it back without incident, aside from getting dumped on again by the rain (mostly my fault as I had pushed for one last hiking segment along the cliffs).

A nice ferry ride back in to the city, a few more great meals and before we knew it we were dropping Zoe off at the airport and heading back to Canberra. All in all it was a good visit, highlighted by incredible food. To paraphrase an old friend, you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting some hip\trendy\flat-out-amazing cafe or restaurant.