Down Under: Days 8 and 9

Yay, the weekend! I was so happy that my husband was off for a couple of days so we could enjoy Sydney together. I really wanted to see some animals (I still hadn't seen a koala or kangaroo), but left the weekend itinerary up to my husband as these were his last two days off in Australia.

On Saturday, we to the Manly Ferry to Manly Beach.

The best part of going to Manly beach is taking the Manly Ferry and getting a piece of this view.

From this side of the bridge, you can get the bridge, opera house, and city skyline all in one shot. Well, you can if you're a professional photographer with a wide-angle lens. We're don't have those tools, so we did the best we could.

The little town at Manly is quite touristy, though I did have the best meal of the trip at Manly Grill (I think?). It was a salad with grilled chicken and goat cheese and roasted pumpkin. The pumpkin was ah.ma.zing.

Even though it was winter, the weather was amazing. It probably got to about 70 at its warmest. The surfers were enjoying the waves and we were enjoying the scenery.

While it was warm on the beach, it was chilly on the ferry, hence the huge coat I'm carrying.

This is my husband's attempt at an artsy shot (can you see the reflection in my glasses? our shadows and the beach?).

On the way back, we enjoyed the beautiful sunset behind the harbour bridge...

and saw these crazy people climbing it.

See those ant-looking things on top? Crazy people who paid over $200 to climb to the top of this huge bridge and freeze and it shakes and sways.

Sunday, my husband wanted to check out the most popular beach in Sydney, Bondi (pronounced Bond-eye). No need to take a ferry, we drive about 10 minutes to get here.

While the beach was smaller, I liked it better than Manly. The town was far less tourist-y and reminded me a lot of Santa Monica.

The walls behind the beach are all painted with beautiful murals. This one says, "Keep Australia Colorful."

There was a little skating competition going on that day as well. We watched the youngest age group for a bit and were in awe of their abilities.

We had sandwiches for lunch up on a grassy hill over-looking the beach and enjoyed the amazing weather.

After lunch, we sat on the sand and admired the scenery. This hotel pool is filled with sea water that splashes up into it every few minutes.

Plenty of surfers at Bondi, many of which wear speedos. This guy was showing his Aussie pride. Be grateful we don't have a picture of him from the front...

After Bondi, my husband got to see the bats!

Up next: I want to go home, then I finally get to see my koalas and kangaroos! Stay Tuned!