The Mires Take Sydney Part II

We went on a really good three-hour walking tour of the city. It was actually free, and you were encouraged to tip based upon what you thought the tour was worth. Yes, we did give a tip because our tour guide was very informative and pleasant. Here are some pics along the way.
http://www.imfree.com.au/reviews.html

We started the tour by meeting our guide near Sydney Town Hall built from sandstone in the 1880s which is located along the main road in downtown, George Street.


Then we headed into the Queen Victoria Building which has been restored into a shopping mall. The hanging clock inside the building supposedly contains a letter from Queen Elizabeth II to the Citizens of Sydney to be opened and read by the Lord Mayor of Sydney in the year 2085. I wonder what that old lady said in the letter...hmmm
http://www.qvb.com.au/Homepage







Moving on to Hyde Park. It's a cool looking park with huge trees, a giant chess game, is home to the beautiful St. Mary's Cathedral AND is a comfortable sleeping spot for this huge St. Bernard...






Our local Sydneysider tour guide (in the bright green shirt) told us how the oldest part of the Parliament House was built as the north wing of the hospital which was referred to as the "Rum Hospital." Because Britain would not provide any funds to construct the building, Governor Macquarie negotiated a contract to build the hospital via convict labor and a monopoly on rum imports. Sweet, huh? Sweet like a New Orleans banana's foster with rum sauce! Sorry - homesickness moment!


Then Shawn was really bored with the Reserve Bank of Australia. Certainly not as exciting as the drama with the US Federal Reserve.


Erin pictured with "Bob" who was sculpted by John Seward Johnson, II, grandson of the co-founder of Johnson & Johnson. Too bad I didn't have a newspaper or hat to match, but I did have my little Coach purse!


Now on to Circular Quay which is right by the famous Sydney Harbour. We took lots of pics with the famous Opera House and we'll show more in a later blog...promise!




The oldest preserved house in Sydney located in The Rocks neighborhood. The Rocks is where most people (laborers/convicts) initially settled in Sydney. It was a crime-filled, plague-stricken place. Nowadays, it's clean until the crazy young kids drink at the pubs on Saturday nights.


The Sydney Harbour Bridge connects North Sydney to South Sydney. Tourists can pay $200 a pop to climb along the very tippy top of this bridge. Why would you pay that much to be scared out of your mind?!






A pic to end the tour with Shawn's classmate from Pakistan. Our tour guide thought it was rather humorous to see 2 Americans touring with a Pakistani. We can see his point.