Hyde Park Hoppin’

We’ll shower when we’re dead!  …Or something like that.  Who needs a shower when you have Sydney to conquer? We checked into the Y Hotel in the Hyde Park area of Sydney, and two rooms weren’t ready yet, one of them being my single bedroom.  Since it was about 7 AM and all, it could easily be forgiven!  People changed and we met in the lobby, with the timing of the ladies being a little off, giving strong indications that this group may not be entirely punctual, but… we’ll just adjust!  We went to a tiny shop around the corner from the hotel to eat lunch at a breakfast hour, and I had a beef burger.  I told them to hold the beetroot (Australian’s put beets on their burgers), but it was on there anyway.  I took half off and ate the entire thing.  Beets aren’t bad!  We spent the day walking around Sydney, starting with Hyde Park which had a few rad statues and a reflection pond.  We then ventured into the harbor area, of Sydney Opera House harbor fame, and much like America, there were aborigines playing their dijeri-do’s on the streets with suitcase trunks open ready for money and CD’s with their recordings ready to sell.  Soon enough, the Opera House revealed itself from a distance, and we were all instantly enamoured.  Greer continuing to be great with all things Australia, he soon escorted us through an area known as The Rocks in a path towards a pylon that was a part of a massive bridge.  This pylon had 900 steps, but were interrupted with a gift shop area and a place where you pay admission to see a small museum behind the history of the bridge, as well as paying the fee to scale to the top to see our promise picturesque view.  So worth it.  You could see the entire Sydney skyline and a breathtaking view of the Sydney Opera House.  There were a few different Asian couples, and I took their pictures to get the bridge and the Opera House in the background by putting one foot on the bench and my other foot against the wall in an awkward split.  I was proud of the shots I took for them, and it certainly harkened back to my halcyon days as a Walt Disney World photographer, pre-manager era.   Now that we were able to get every angle of the national icon from a distance, it was time to dominate the structure up close and personal.  Back to the harbor area for that scenic walk, and just when we arrived and began to do the visitor thing of taking turns with taking pictures of each other, our group was suddenly approached by a stranger.  (To Be Continued!)