It was Sophie's first trip to Sydney, so we set out on Saturday to see a few sights. Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating: 42℃ is not an ideal temperature for wandering around. Gusts of wind in the botanic gardens felt like an oven door being opened nearby. Eventually we escaped to the Sydney Shangri La, our CHP-provided hotel for the next two nights.
The CHP dinner was at Guillaume's restaurant, in one of the sails of the iconic Opera House. The seven-course extravaganza was predictably excellent, and the matched wines were also very good.
Sunday was busy. We went for a 15-minute seaplane flight in the morning, giving us excellent views of the harbour, its bridge, and the beaches. After that we met up with a few other CHPers to board the 18-foot-skiff spectator ferry, which follows the fleet during their races. These overpowered sailing boats are excellent to watch, particularly with beer, as their crews struggle to keep them upright and guide them round the course.
After the sailing, we met Matt, Celine and some of their friends on Bronte beach for a relaxed few hours. Tim went for a swim and nearly got carried off by a rip-tide, but all finished well.
Monday was Australia day and Syndey was packed. We had a 3:30pm flight to catch, but we managed to catch sight of the annual Ferrython (a race between ferries, obviously). We also saw some funky close-harmony singing at The Rocks before heading to the airport.
Tim, Sophie, Celine and Matt
More photos, from the seaplane and of skiffs, here.
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