Aquarium'd Out

Loves the camera.

Sydney is Australia's largest city, and Sydney-siders (as they refer to themselves) generally consider their city to be extremely cosmopolitan, international, and full of excitement.

A face only a mother could love!

So it would make sense if I spent my days in Sydney seeing unusual museums, trying out new restaurants, attending various festivals (there's always one floating around), or just generally being a cool person, because that's what Sydney-siders are.

Did I do that? No. I went to not one - but TWO aquariums (Sydney Aquarium and Oceanworld Manly) over the span of 3 days. I also went to the Sydney Tower. Having been to the CN Tower - can't say I was over the moon about that one. Now, don't get me wrong - the aquariums are very cool. They both have underwater viewing tunnels where you can tease and poke at the animals, engage in as much flash photography as possible, and generally be an annoying tourist. Oceanworld even had a scuba diving option into their main tank. (I think they also call it feeding time - it's very cost-effective.) 

But when you have a giant outdoor aquarium called the Great Barrier Reef at your fingertips (if you had Michael Jordan's armspan), the aquariums are a little underwhelming. But I do have nearly 2 years - I will get there! 

I also hung around the Sydney Opera House for an hour or so - but it definitely makes a stronger impression from the water, or when it's all lit up at night. Also, other annoying tourists simply refused to get off the steps so I could have a person-free photo. How rude!

A local highlight of Sydney was Manly Beach. (I say local highlight because my local friend suggested it, making it really cool and special and making me part of a secret club that only hundreds of thousands of others know about. Super exclusive.) Only a half-hour ferry ride (and a pretty one at that) from Sydney, Manly has a huge white sand beach (with lifeguards, phew) that offers a nice break from built-up Sydney. Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in Sydney.

Oh, and a final highlight? The Oceanworld Aquarium in Manly - a place for families, keep in mind - had a lovely feature that one might call a "Wheel O'Death" - in essence, a wheel detailing all the ways that one is more likely to die than from a shark bite. You were encouraged to spin the wheel and... er... see which way you were going to die? Definitely an Australian sense of humour...