Sydney

On our first full day in Sydney we got a half day lecture about Australian history, culture, government, and economy. Frankly, when I saw on our itinerary that we'd be sitting in a lecture for so long on our first day,  I was disappointed. But the professor was fantastic and provided just the right level of content for our exploration of Australia's most populous city.

Good weather continues to follow us. We couldn't have asked for a better day to visit Bondi Beach, one of 29 beaches in Sydney. With temps in the high 60s, the beach was crowded with young people swimming, surfing, sunning, and just enjoying their first day of the beach

season. Bondi is where the 2000 Olympic volleyball games were contested.

We also had a fantastic private tour of the Sydney Opera House. The next evening we attended "La Sylphide", a love story in which the witch wins. It was absolutely fantastic.

After a walking tour of The Rocks, where loosely described as old Sydney (similar to Georgetown or Old Town Alexandria), we went on a boat tour of Sydney Harbour. We got a water view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

So far this tour has exceeded my expectations. Now that I've seen the Opera House, one of the main reasons I came to Australia, I can't wait to see my second main reason, Uluru.