Adventure: These Boots are Made for Walking
My friend graciously offered up her apartment during my stay while she traveled for work — a fabulous location right up the hill from Luna Park in North Sydney. The down side: only crossing paths with my friend for about 20 minutes. The up side: the gift of my friend’s beaux as a tour guide!
What a full day of walking! Beaux is a trooper.
Walking around the Kirribilli neighborhood is hilly and delightful. Ample sidewalks, lots of stairs, tiny restaurants, kind faces, beautiful weather — cool in the shade, warm in the sun, lunch vendors cooking out on the sidewalks, runners, dog walkers, grassy knolls, and amusement parks. Luna Park is right down the hill from the apartment and people show up every day to ride the rides and play the games. It’s a modest park, making it easier to maintain the daily operations and cover expenses. Listening to all those giggles really warms up the shady spots along the walk.
A short walk across the Sydney Harbor Bridge — which, incidentally, is the perfect place from which to see the “One Way! Jesus” sign and is a walk I would gladly take every day — brings you to The Rocks, a part of town just up the hill from Sydney Harbor, who’s rock buildings are built from local limestone (where the area gets its name). The stone and concrete steps snake down between the buildings at dramatic angles. My boots? Made for this!
Sydney Harbor is awash in activity. Tourists, street performers, fast food, and a sidewalk barista for all your coffee needs. The docking area is huge! Ferries come and go like clockwork. (Have I mentioned that I love ferries?) The Opera House is an amazing sight in-person, but it’s funny how quickly you get used to seeing it.
Walking through Sydney’s business district feels very American. The hustle & bustle is quite familiar, just in time for the lunchtime folks to make their way to the local food stands. Want to know who’s got good food? Look for the long line.
Darling Harbor is a little more laid back. Not as many people, far fewer ferries, but the street-bird turf-wars are still in full effect.
Several of the restaurants around the piers (Sydney Harbor & Darling Harbor) are enormous — as large as what you’d see in the US — and you should definitely stop in for a pint (or 4) of the microbrews. I’ve really enjoyed the smaller boutique size of the restaurants I’ve visited thus far on this trip.
By my calculations (which may be a little off), I think I covered around 10 miles, in boots, with beers.
Not bad for the first day!