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Sydney / Fri & Sat Feb 8 & 9

After  leaving Auckland we had two days at sea. We've met a lot of people on the ship and have become friendly with several couples. It's been fun to join them for dinner and some of the tours. Last night we were invited to celebrate the birthday of a new friend. He definitely enjoyed the evening!

We sailed into Sydney Harbour at 2pm on Friday Feb 8. Weather was beautiful and so is the harbor. 



We've been to Sydney several times before and done a lot of the sight seeing people normally do including a tour of the opera house, a cruise in the harbor, trips to Manly and Bondi beaches, walks around the Rocks and the botanical gardens and more. 

The ship is staying in port overnight so we have almost two full days here. It turns out that we've arrived in time for a couple of large festivals - the Chinese New Year and Sydney's Lunar Festival.

Friday evening we had hoped to walk around the Circular Quay area and the Rocks but there was a huge rain storm that lasted several hours. The thunder and lightening was amazing. It was like watching a fireworks show. Needless to say, we decided to remain on the ship. We had a great view of all the sailboats returning to the harbor during the storm.



The Sydney Lunar Festival runs from Feb 1 - 10th. It's a vibrant arts festival with over 80 cultural events, markets, tours, exhibitions and entertainment. Saturday the weather in Sydney was beautiful. We walked around the Circular Quay and the Rocks enjoying the Lunar Festival displays and vendors. 













Last time we were in Sydney we did the Coastal Walk from Bondi to Coogee. Since it was such a beautiful day we decided to take the walk again. It's great exercise along a very scenic route. We took a bus to Bondi Beach then started the 5+ mile walk. 





Here are a few other photos from the day -


 






Today is Sunday and it's a sea day. The water is choppy and the Captain said that between the wind gusts and the ship's speed it's close to minimal hurricane levels. 

Tomorrow we dock in Hobart which is the capitol of the Australian state of Tasmania.

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