#8 - Two whirlwind days ( and the WTF Answer )

We've literally got about 30 hours to see as much of Sydney as we can before we meet up with our friends on Wednesday at 6PM. And we vow to make the most of it. I've got a list of about six musts that I let Steve vet and although he doesn't tick anything off, I know he's thinking that I am making a killer schedule. 

We start off the day with a coffee and the first Opera House tour at 9AM. The structure is surely impressive, the tour not as much, but since there is no Opera or symphony while we are right at the Rocks, the tour is the best we can do to peek inside. The architect was Danish, and the design shows it - from the two-woods paneled concert hall that the Kimmel Center is surely a total knock-off of, to the incredibly comfortable sleek seating that has stood the test of time, like all Danish design. 

                                           

Next up is our first Harbor ferry ride and we decide to head out to Manly- think a bit of Venice Beach Aussie-style. The day is sunny and spring like and we walk the Corso, checking out the beach and enjoy strolling the neighborhood amazed at the interesting and eclectic architecture, especially the unique terrace houses. And the beach is chock full of dozens of school kids with a day at the beach for surf school.

                                               

But I must digress and do an about face from my impressions of Port Douglas and its likeness to Canada. While true, it just does not apply to Sydney..Sydney is most definitely the San Fran/Northern California of Australia. As you ferry across the harbor, you can see hills of neighborhoods full of houses and high rises (really, who  knew Sydney wasn't flat? ), bridges spanning this incredibly huge harbor that seems to go on forever. And sailboats everywhere. 

              

The landscape from the bow of the ferry looks like the ride from Tiberon, CA to to the Golden Gate bridge. This area looks like Pacific Heights and then next one like Richmond and the one after that resembles Soma. There are wine regions close by, beaches everywhere, boat horns tooting, and the buzz of the city. And since San Francisco is one of our favorite cities in the US, you can imagine that we are having a blast in Sydney and we've only just begun. 

We manage to get to the Contemporary Art Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales (outstanding), the Sydney Museum, another ferry to Darling Harbor and a Rock Star photo exhibit at the exquisite State Library by Australia's most famous rock music photographer.

                 

And in between we manage a lunch at Sydney Fish Market  and a dinner at Yellow, in Potts Point, that is worthy of our first food porn photos - it sure took us long enough.

First the fish market. Hectic, hot and crazy, busy mostly with Asian tourist groups. Frenetic, fresh and full of fish and fishy things, cooked and raw that we have never seen. I am in heaven with all this eyecandy. We do a once around to assess and decide on our strategy. We see groups with huge platters of fried everything, we see chili fried crabs legs and fresh oysters by the dozens.

                                                   

We see grilled skewers of calamari and giant blocks of salmon being cut into sashimi. I queue up for oysters while Steve goes forth for cold drinks - I grab a table in the shade by the water, the seagulls and the ibis. We eat sashimi, giant prawns, oysters and calamari until we are full. It's a very Sydney experience.

               

                                                                    

Dinner. Yellow. Researched and reserved from back in Philly. Part of the new bistronomy movement that has caught on with 'hatted' chefs here too. 

      Bistronomy  - big name chefs with high priced restaurants opening small bistros with more reasonable prices next door or nearby, bringing great food to the masses.

       Hatted  - receiving one or more hats ( toques) as a rating of your restaurant; think Zagat, Michelin, or simply Craig LaBan bells.

Degustation Menu, five courses, $70AUD, conversion x.73 ( so, about $50 USD )

Quinoa chips with mushroom dust

Breads with herbed butter

Spanish Mackerel, Sugar Snaps, Celtuce

Chargrilled Asparagus, Fennel & Goats cheese

South Australian Calamari, Duck Tongue & Charred Corn

Rangers Valley Beef Flank, Zucchini & Mint with ricotta potato salad

Strawberries, parsnip ice cream and  cookies

             

                     Calamari & Tongue

And for us, 97% of the time vegetarians, the duck tongue and flank steak were the highlights. The steak was the tenderest, most flavorful single piece of meat I have ever eaten, hands down. We had a great bottle of wine and an amazing evening.

    Flank Steak...

After a quick cab back to the hotel (we did walk the 3.5 kilometers to dinner) we hit the hay in anticipation of the next evening...meeting up with our old sailing mates from the Panorama in Croatia  2013, at the Taronga Zoo, rekindling a friendship and sleeping with the animals. Hope they remember what we look like and still like us, both tomorrow and for the next week as we enjoy their hospitality on the North Shore. 

        The ANSWER to the first  WTF CONTEST         

There were many interesting, but sadly incorrect  answers. Some of the wrong guesses were a fish cleaning station, a baby changing spot, and a vegtable prep area...

The winner, perhaps because she is really a forigner, is Hanne, who completely and correctly identified it...they must use these in Denmark also.

Careful, don't burn the baby......

          There are two spots to use it........    

                      Outdoor BBQ area  

  

  Free outdoor gas Bar-B-Q....you cook right on the hotplate area...no grill or charcoal needed......Aussies really do like to use the Barbie........

Thanks for playing!      Steve