Day 2: Roos and Views

Woohoo!

Today we started somewhat adjusted to the new timezone, which made last night an early one (Perhaps the easiest room check ever for our staff).

After having a hearty brekky at the hotel, we began today’s adventures at the Sydney Harbour YHA ground floor briefly observing a bit of uncovered history, dating back to convicts, who left behind several artifacts which have since been uncovered.

Next, we headed to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Pylon Lookout. On the way, we passed the historic Australian Hotel, famous for the Coat of Arms Pizza. At the Bridge, in addition to learning of the extensive history of the construction, and the bridge’s durability, we took in a breathtaking view of both the bridge and Sydney from above.

After walking to the other end of the bridge, we headed to the Taronga Zoo. Here many of us enjoyed meeting Kangaroos and Koalas in walkthrough exhibits. Other highlights from the zoo included emus, wallabies, Australia’s largest snake (the amethystine python), frozen coca-cola, reptiles native to both Australia and Fiji, and more fantastic views of the city.

Continuing our day of meeting new friends we headed to the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium. Here there were two impressive tunnel exhibits where we could observe sea creatures from below including Grey Nurse Sharks, Dugongs, and several types of Rays. Other highlights included hundreds of types of exotic fish (including sawfish), the Port Jackson shark, snapper, and “old wife” (all local to Sydney), and frozen coca-cola

After dinner at the Haymarket Hotel, we headed to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, along the way passing the historic Victoria Building, and Sydney Town Hall. Here we heard performances from choirs around the world including La Cigale De Lyon, Nagoya Children’s Choir, and the Toronto Children’s Chorus. We heard works from familiar composers such as Brahms and Faure as well as many others allowing us to become familiar with sounds native to different cultures from around the world.