May 11th 2016 - Arrival in Sydney



Part of group, off the plane in Sydney 

Today we entered the city of Sydney at 6:30 this morning. After passing through immigration and customs we met our tour manager Bryan Johnston. He currently works a consultant for Cattle and Beef Management Services. We loaded up onto our coach and got our bags stowed away for the day. Our first stop was Bondi Beach. Bondi means water hitting the rocks.  At the beach some students were brave enough to get in the water for a swim while others just got their toes wet in the ocean. After the beach, students ventured up the a little ways and stopped for a cup of coffee and sandwiches.

Bondi Beach

 

                After the time spent at the beach we loaded our bus up again and took a mostly driving tour of Sydney. Our bus driver and Bryan pointed out landmarks and building along the way. We also stopped a couple of different places to get out and look around. The first place was a walking trail at Mrs. Macquarie’s Point that overlooked the bay, Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The second place we stopped and had an opportunity to get out and look around was at St. Mary’s Cathedral. The Cathedral has been being worked on and restored continuously over the past 100 years. The Cathedral was beautiful inside and out.

View of Opera House and Sydney Bridge

 

Students in front of Opera House and Sydney Bridge

 

                After our short tour of Sidney on our bus we checked into our hotel and finally got the chance to freshen up after our long day of traveling. Then we all went our separate ways in groups for the afternoon. A group of us went to a restaurant just a few blocks from our hotel. Another group also walked down near Darling Harbour and ate at a restaurant there. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the city area around our hotel. The group then met up again for a supper at a nice restaurant near the hotel. After supper was finished, I think everyone was ready to head to bed as we made our way back to the hotel.

 

Laser tag for a break

 

 Jessica and James