Sydney, part I: the Botanic Gardens and Potts Point

Sydney, Australia

How could I begin a post on Sydney without a picture like this? 

Our accommodation was in Potts Point, which is an interesting little suburb east of the CBD. Our first excursion was recommended by our AirBnB hosts: walking along the water's edge in the Botans to the Opera House. This walk (including dawdling and photo taking) took about half an hour, and on a fine day was an excellent start to our Sydney visit. 

One thing that was immediately apparent is that Sydney is built on solid rock. There are great walls of rock everywhere, and often buildings built on top of those walls and a staircase going up made of rock. 

This is a famous seat carved of rock - the story goes that governor Macquarie had it made for his wife as she liked to look out at ships coming in to the harbour. As is frequently the case in Sydney, it was built by convicts. (We nearly didn't get this photo as there were swarms of tourists waiting for a go. As we were only going to be in Sydney for two days, we would be partaking in all the touristy things too.)

Australian birds are loud - much louder than New Zealand birds. One cockatoo is screechy and raspy and annoying, but a flock is something much more nightmarish. Luckily this flock was mainly eating the grass (or insects in the grass) by snapping up the roots noisily, and not many were screeching. Then quite without warning they all took flight. I didn't realise where they had gone until Yannick told me to move or we'd be hit by lots of falling poo, as they were now all perched in the tree above us. Just as I took a step, a white dollop landed near my shoe and I ran away. I don't much like cockatoos. I did see a funny bird that was like a black and white fantail that swivelled this way and that - now that's a nice Australian bird. 

What you see here is a grass replacement scheme. They cut out a section of good grass from this area and stuck it into another part of the gardens where the green stuff wasn't faring so well. At least that's my theory, as there were areas where the grass had been pieced together like a quilt. Now, I'm not sure this is the Botans exactly, as the Domain was right next to it and I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. Forgive me. 

After a day wandering around the Rocks (that will be in part two), we walked back to our accommodation via a different route through the gardens. This took us past some gazebos and sculptures, as well as this fine pond. It was popular with shags, who filled up a tree and one of them perched on a statue looking smug. I read a plaque and apparently the eels keep coming back every time they drain the pond in an attempt to get rid of them; it seems they slither across the grass from nearby water. The very thought makes me shudder. 

This plant was infested with some sort of insect. It was unpleasant. 

Later that evening, we dined at Apollo in Potts Point, a restaurant serving Greek Australian food. The starter of saganaki (fried cheese with honey and herbs) was worth a visit in itself. The lamb shoulder with tzatziki was well cooked and went well with a side of crispy potatoes. The sausages on saffron chickpeas also rates quite highly for me. 

The next morning we stumbled across a market on Victoria Street (one of the main streets in Potts Point) and enjoyed a croissant, strawberries and a mocha while we thought about what we wanted to do that day. It was a delightful surprise, as was this dandelion fountain!