Today was a free day in Sydney, as it is the last day of the OAT trip. I slept in just a wee bit and came down for breakfast in time to see several others including Roxy, who told me where I could find a new battery for my camera and also that my new suitcase would be arriving sometime that day. After breakfast I went and bought the battery, so hopefully I will be back to full power for the rest of my trip. Ethan arrived just before noon and we got going. It was a beautiful day - very sunny and warm, and I was reminded how lucky we have been with our weather. Despite it being the beginning of winter we have had sunny days and lovely temperatures. We walked to Hyde Park and went into the Shrine of Remembrance to have a quick look at the beautiful statues. Then we walked down through The Domain and past the Art Gallery, where, as Roxy helpfully pointed out a couple of days ago, the Aussies decided to give a famous Italian artist a first and last name when they decorated the building with the names of famous artists. Yes, if you go to the Sydney Art Gallery and look at the top of the outside of the building, you will see the name of Michael Angelo. HAD to have a photo of that.
We went on to Mrs. Macquarie's chair where we found a man who takes photos of you with the bridge and Opera House and of course we had to do that. He was kind enough to take a few more photos with our camera as well. We walked around through the Botannic Gardens to the Circular Quay and got some delicious gelati for "lunch" - YUMMMMMMMMMM. Then it was on to The Rocks and up Argyle Street to the steps leading to the Harbour Bridge. We walked across the bridge stopping to take photos, and we kept reminding each other where we were. When we reached the other side we walked down to the water and sat on a railing looking out at the harbour. Then we walked over to Luna Park, the amusement park, to have a look, and finally back to the bridge and back across. We then went to Darling Harbour to Wagamama (!) where we were delighted to find that they had T-shirts. They must have thought we were crazy because they don't advertise the shirts for sale and we were so excited about them. In fact, they had one there for Ethan, but none in my size, so we had to walk to a different Wagamama for a shirt for me. Crazy, but we have such lovely Waggs memories from the UK and also a visit to Amsterdam, so well worth all the walking. On the way back to the hotel we found a cupcake place so of course we bought one to share. On Elizabeth Street near Hyde Park we came across the Great Synagogue but unfortunately it was closed.
After saying goodbye to Ethan I changed into my farewell dinner clothes and we all assembled in the lobby and then onto the coach for a trip to The Rocks and our venue for the dinner. The Hero of Waterloo Pub has been on this site for a very long time, and we had a private room upstairs with one long table. The dinner was courtesy of OAT and was delicious, complete with red and white wine. I realised how nice it has been to get to know all these people who have been such a part of my life and have shared these adventures for so long. It is sad to say goodbye but I am very glad I don't have to leave just yet. We took some photos and wrote down our e-mail addresses for Roxy to copy back at the hotel and hand out. We toasted each other and the wonderful trip and Roxy for everything she did to help make it so special. Then we went around the table and each of us shared our favourite part(s) of the trip. Back at the hotel I said goodbye to Marcia, who will be leaving early in the morning for her trip to Perth. It was a lovely day with Ethan in Sydney, and a wonderful ending for the OATers.
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