Riding the Rails and Visiting Manly

It was a beautiful day – high in the 70s with bright sunshine and a soft breeze which was the perfect day to ride the ferry to Manly.  We began our morning by stopping at the Cosmopolitan Cafe in Bondi Junction for coffee and pastries.  Linda and I had a wonderful cherry strudel.  Bruce had a mango smoothie and Stan opted just for a cup of coffee.  Coffee, or what is close to American coffee, is called a long black.

We bought Opal passes, which gets us on trains, buses and ferries; and we headed to the train station.  The trains are very clean and have upper and lower sections which provide a lot of seating.  Seats are adjustable so that you can make four seats face each other, which we did so we could talk to each other while we traveled.

As a former New Yorker, I feel very comfortable traveling by public transportation.  We needed to change trains after several stops, climb some stairs, find another platform and descend there.  We did it without a hitch.  We arrived at Circular Quay where we caught the ferry to Manly.  As we left the pier, we traveled past the iconic Sydney Opera House once again.

One thing that really amazed me about the Harbor was the color of the water.  I always think of  New York Harbor and the murky water that one would never think to swim in.  But this water appeared translucent with various shades of blue reflecting under the bright sun.

We had a wonderful time walking a scenic Harbor walk around Manly where we watched bathers enjoying the delightfully warm weather.

We had lunch at Hugo’s, a seaside restaurant on Manly Wharf where we ate some tasty but interesting Australian pizza.  Hugo’s restrooms were quite unique as well.  They were set up in a long corridor with individual bathrooms.  Fortunately for Linda and me there were more women’s then men’s bathrooms.

After lunch we walked across from the Harbor side to Manly Beach.  The area was alive with street musicians and young people skate boarding or going out to surf.

Our ferry trip back was a little crazier.  The beautiful weather turned stormy and there were quite high rolling waves in the harbor.  I looked over at Linda and Stan and they were sleeping like babies.  We all were used to the rocking and rolling from 22 days at sea.  On the return trip we passed by the Sydney Harbor Bridge.  If I get a chance, I might walk that bridge.

Another great day on our adventure!