We arrived in Sydney this week and have been exploring our neighborhood by walking. Our apartment at the Meriton Kent Street is very centrally located. We found a huge mall with a Cole's supermarket just around the corner, so we made several stops there for groceries. We're on the edge of Chinatown so we walked there and ate twice at East Ocean restaurant -- so good! For dinner we indulged in one of our favorite meals, Peking duck served in two courses. This was the best we've ever tasted. For lunch the other day, we were delighted to discover they do dim sum only here they call it yum cha (and it is yummy!). We haven't had this type of meal since our San Antonio friends, Len and Fran, introduced us to the concept. I guess we do eat with our eyes first, devouring the dishes presented by little Asian ladies pushing trolleys of steaming food around the dining room. Yum cha!  

 Sydney must be the shopping mecca of the world as there are shopping malls in every direction . From Paddy's Market in Chinatown with over 1000 stalls and more shops on the second floor, to the beautiful upscale Queen Victoria Building with its elegant and expensive shops, you could just shop till you drop in this city. As our luggage is already at its max, I've simply window shopped but even that is fun in Sydney.

We discovered about a half dozen pubs and bars within a block or two of our apartment; actually, I think there is one on every corner in Sydney. Since Friday was St Patrick's Day, everyone was Irish and the pubs were jumping with music and lots of people drinking Guiness. We spent a couple hours at the pub on the corner where Cory scored two free Guiness-embellished baseball caps and t-shirts along with his beer purchases. A good time was had by all!

 When the shopping malls and pubs get to be too much, Sydney has beautiful parks offering a green and peaceful respite. We wandered through neighboring Hyde Park, Sydney's oldest park, and admired the Anzac Memorial with its reflecting pool . This is a memorial to the men who fought and died in World War I and the impact of the great war on this country. We strolled underneath the canopy of giant fig trees that line the center of the park all the way to Archibald fountain at the north end of the park. St. Mary's Cathedral borders the park and is a large stone Gothic building that we need to explore another day. 

Yesterday we walkedto the Royal Botanic Gardens and spent the day strolling its many paths and admiring the garden flowers and trees. The gardens border the sea wall and offer an amazing view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Bridge. We stopped for coffee and purchased a jar of honey at the gift shop. The honey is made from the bees with hives on the grounds of the gardens and is quite tasty though probably not as wonderfully curative as our friend Ed's honey from his own beehives. The garden rose gardens and magnificent trees, some over 100 years old, are beautiful. 

We'll continue to explore Sydney in the coming weeks and we'll keep you posted on our activities. Enjoy the pics!