Sydney - December 7-8, 2013

SATURDAY/SUNDAY – DECEMBER 7-8, 2013

BOTTOM LINE:

Drive south to Manly Beach (across the harbor from Sydney)

BACK STORY:

Guess the dune running was a bit much…had some knee swelling this morning.  No pain luckily.

Our slow paced travels ended as we entered the suburbs of Sydney today. Coming from the north into Sydney, the freeway abruptly morphed into tight small lanes of neighborhood shopping areas and residential streets.

Bruce had tried very hard to find a place to stay near Sydney, but with it being a Saturday night his challenge left him with one option…”The Nomad Backpacker Hotel” in Manly Beach. 

Manly Beach is a very affluent area with great shopping and alfresco dining along the waterfront. Tree lined streets and brick plazas define the areas, which are just up from a beautiful white sand beach.  

Parking is a premium costing $15 for one hour on the street.  We found a spot, fed the meter and hiked up to the hotel.  Drunken hostel guests had shattered the front door the night before and when the reception host saw us he thankfully warned us against staying there!  We didn’t need to be talked into canceling.  Everything about the place screamed, “EXIT!” 

So, we decided to grab a bite to eat while we still had parking time and come up with a plan…it was about 6pm and we had nowhere to go.  Our best plan was to find a cinema.  See a flick.  Brush our teeth. Sleep in the car…maybe in a church parking lot.  I simply broke out into prayer, thanking God for the perfect place that he would bring available to us…AND HE DID!!!

Bruce spoke into Siri on his phone for any available rooms in the area.  His phone listed one local bed and breakfast.  He called the number and was told that there was one room available for one night for $170.  We took it! 

It was called The Jacaranda (after the purple blossom tree) and it was an absolutely darling garden home on a quiet street not too far from where we had been.  Alison and Ern Ryan are a retired couple that raised four sons and open their home to travelers.  We were guided into a huge bedroom with bathroom and a separate little kitchen supplied with coffee, tea and breakfast items. 

  

Garden at Jacaranda B & B

The couple invited us to have dinner with them.  We declined as we had just eaten, so they offered to take us on a sunset drive around the area.  Oh my, gosh!  Once we calmed down from our stressful afternoon, we could see the beauty and desirability of the area. 

Sydney at Sunset

 

Headlands of Sydney's Harbor w/Ferry

We visited a couple of lookout points, which oriented us to where Manyly Beach was.  It is a northern suburb of Sydney, which can be reached by ferry…a ferry that docks near the famous Opera House.  We spent about an hour driving, walking and sight seeing.  It was a delightful exchange with gracious people that saved our bums from being bums for the evening. 

Bruce, Ern & Alison

Alison did ask how we found them.  Bruce explained and they were confused because they are only found on their website or through a B&B listing…not a random listing through Siri!  Furthermore, the room had been rented but the guest had canceled earlier which made it available to us!  God is good.

Speaking of which, our hosts told us to sleep in and don’t rush off Sunday morning.  It was the best sleep of our trip.  I felt safe and so comfortable in the home that I slept like a log. After “breaky” and packing up, we stood and talked more with our hosts before leaving for Sydney.

Thankfully it was Sunday and the traffic was light going into the City.  The GPS was flawless and got us right into the downtown area where we would be checking into the Y Hotel…a YMCA/YWCA hotel in the Hyde Park area of Sydney.  We were directed to a discounted parking lot and were able to leave our luggage in a secure area until our 2pm check in.

Crossing bridge into Sydney (traveling south)

What a find!  The accommodations were wonderful and very reasonable for the location…clean, friendly, helpful and breakfast is included…as is Wifi for a nominal fee.

The location was perfect for what we were in Sydney for.  We had been planning to attend an evening service at Hillsong Christian Church, which is a well known church for international outreach and their music.  We use a lot of their music at our church, Capital Christian Center in Sacramento.

City campus entry

The service was awesome and much needed going into the Christmas season while traveling abroad.  Excellent time visiting afterwards with people who are involved with women’s ministry and community outreach…exploring their programs and sharing what is going on in our area.  Everyone seemed to know about Bethel church in Red Bluff, CA asking if we had visited there. 

Even found a Christmas tree to have our picture taken to wish each of you a Blessed Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Australia!