The Land Down Under, Part 10: Bondi and More

 Sunday in Sydney was a gorgeous, sunny day. I set off early to catch the 333 bus, which would take me a  few miles across town to Sydney's famous Bondi Beach (they pronounce it bond-eye, for the record).

The ride itself isn't far, but there are lots of stops and as we got closer, the bus got more and more crowded. Still, it was pleasant enough, and after two days of rain, I was glad for the sun.

As expected, Bondi is incredible. The water is a gorgeous turquoise, and the waves crashed. I saw a surfer on the beach but no one on the water.

A selfie with the ocean...on the opposite side
from every other Pacific selfie I've ever taken.

I had not yet eaten breakfast, so I hopped across the street and found a place to eat--outside of course. 

The Aussie sense of humor is great.

If you've been following my posts, you know these
were not the first cheeky Aussie birds to sit on my
table begging for food. 

After breakfast, I walked a few blocks to have a look around. 

In Bondi, the convenience stores sell snacks...and
boogie boards.

This was the first time I noticed this particular 
souvenir. No, I did not. 

I wasn't dressed for wandering the beach, and it was quite windy, so I sat in the park for a few minutes just watching the world go by.

I had a few other things I wanted to see, so I hopped on a bus that took me a couple of miles to the Macquarie Lightstation.

That's downtown and the Harbour Bridge, a few
miles away.

I thought I'd walk a bit and then catch a bus on to Watson's Bay, but then I realized that it was only about a mile. 

Also, the views were spectacular. 

If I were walking a mile without stopping, for exercise, it would take me about 20 minutes. This mile took at least an hour, because every time I came around a bend in the path, there'd be a new stunning view, another reason to lean on the fence and just stare out at the water. Another selfie to take. It was lovely to not be in a hurry, to just wander along, feeling the sun on my face. 

I'll just pop in here to say, it's bloody gorgeous. And now I'll let the pictures speak for themselves some more. 

The bit of land in the distance is Manly, across the
opening of Sydney Harbour. 

The picture makes it looks like the edges of these
rocks meet the water, but it's an illusion. That was the cliff, 
far above the water. 

As I neared Watson's Bay, I had a few of the downtown area again. Watson's Bay has a ferry terminal, so I figured I'd stop for a snack and then catch the ferry across to Manly.

I love the Sydney crosswalk signs.

I found a very cute little café to have a coffee and a snack. 

A dead pufferfish on the beach. 

From here, I caught the ferry to Manly, across the harbour opening. The water was choppy, and we were all asked to stay seated. 

Manly is a neighborhood of Sydney, with it's own popular beach, but I opted to stay on the harbour side, wandering in a couple of shops, then having dinner at a Bavarian place as the sun started to set. 

A wee cocktail with dinner.

The view from my table.

I had chicken schnitzel, with mashed potatoes and
a marvelous mushroom sauce, and coleslaw.

After dinner, I caught the ferry back to Circular Quay. I was tired from being in the sun and the walking I had done around various places, so I returned to my hotel to make plans for Monday.