Awoke to a rather damp and dreary day, unfortunately, which rather spoiled our plans to do the Congee – Bondi Beach walk. Maybe tomorrow….

So instead we went to the Opera House and booked ourselves on a guided tour. Not uninteresting, as we saw a couple of short videos of its history. We also were lucky enough to see some ballet class rehearsals (I still don’t get ballet, though) and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra rehearsing a piece by Mahler. No pictures allowed inside the theatres themselves, but took a few around and about. It really is a most impressive structure.

Took a walk back along the concourse and stopped for coffee and a snack. Another cruise liner, even bigger than the one yesterday, was in harbour.

We took the pedestrian walk along the Sydney Harbour Bridge, so at least we can say we’ve crossed it. Some good views on the way.

Because we know how to have a good time, we spent the rest of the afternoon doing our washing. These things are important, you know…..

Extraordinarily, the inner city of Sydney does not have a self-service launderette. The prices charged by the hotel are astronomical, so at the moment the bedroom and bathroom are festooned with damp clothes all dripping and drying at various rates. Hoping and praying that they will be packable by late Thursday night, as we fly to Auckland early on Friday morning…..

Our evening was spent on a pre-booked dinner cruise around Sydney Harbour. A very pleasant 5-course meal with paired wines, but all a bit rushed at the end as we set off late, due to the late departure of the enormous cruise ship we saw earlier. Eerily quiet on the top deck as well whilst we were dining.

However, a lovely sunset at the start gave us the opportunity for some nice pics.

Back to our now tropically humid room.

Planning to do the Coogee/Bondi walk plus the Manly Beach ferry tomorrow. All very weather dependent.