This is a day I have been looking forward to for a while - I've been to Bondi Beach once on a coldish morning, so I wanted to see it in its full glory. Well, I did. Today was overcast but it never rained on me today (although a few photos may lead you to believe that it did, it was just hazy). The clouds parted when we went onto the beach and reappeared when we left it (literally, the wind kicked up and the skies went from blue to grey in the span of walking to the car). Bondi is one of the nicest beaches in the world (according to the Travel Channel, Conde Naste Traveller and others) - it is a beautiful little cove, soft sand, great waves, and very close to one of the world's great cities.
First we drove through downtown, up and down a few streets. It is a very good shopping city and has several parks & fountains (and so forth) throughout the central business district. In other words, even if it was not next to a beach and warm, it would belong in the same conversation with London, Paris, Chicago, New York, DC, and Boston on the "worth a visit" scale. I could have parked and walked around there, but I've done that before (a few times) and wanted to just see it without carrying anyone.
Then we drove through King's Cross. King's Cross has this rough, seedy reputation as a good place to buy drugs, get a tattoo, or get shot at. Others say it just a fun place to go out and it has more than its fair share of backpackers (perhaps "a hippie trail full of zombies", as Men at Work would say). Of course, it may look tamer at 10am than 4am and I was not rolling with my posse of rugby players (see a couple days ago's post if that makes no sense). Anyhow, it looked pretty normal as bar districts go - much closer to North Beach than the Tenderloin in San Francisco terms. Of course, that recommendation only goes for daylight hours.
Finally, we drove through the upscale eastern suburbs to Bondi. If I were to move to Sydney, I would want to live near here - Beautiful area, beautiful beach, great scene. Some places hae trouble living up to the hype, but this one is laid back and beautiful. The photo just above is of the Bondi Icebergs Lifesaving Club - nice location on the water with a pool sometimes getting splashed with ocean water. We had a good lunch, walk on the beach, a little bit of time in the water but mostly playing in the sand. I drove back by the cliffs and through Sydney. Thanks to Friday afternoon traffic, I had lots of time to take in the sights. Still, the traffic is not that bad - they are the friendliest big city drivers you could ever hope for. I'm glad I don't commute in it, but I don't want to paint it as miserable. Just get an eTag if you live here. No, they don't wave like the folks in the lonely parts of Australia (that would get old during rush hour), but imagined traffic slights are not taken personally and responded to with a horn either. The non-beach photos are from the drive back. 
I keep seeing that I get hits on this blog from Crows Nest, so I figure I ought to mention that I drove through Crows Nest (North Sydney) on the way back from Bondi. Alex thought it looked great:
So tonight will be our last night with the M & M's. Alex loves the kids and I very much enjoy the parents, so I hate to leave. Their kids are very bright and friendly and have been very welcoming to Alex. 
That's all for now, catch you in Port Macquarie!
1 comment:
Loved the picture withall the kids! Alex eems to be inthe middle of a Disco Fever move amd the three others "have ripped the faces off their parents" as we say in Bulgaria
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