Boston College Athletics
Journal 2 - Manly Beach - Sydney Opera House
January 11, 2005 | Lacrosse
On the first day of 2005 we explored the main attractions of Sydney. At about 10:00 a.m. we walked down to Darling Harbor to catch a ferry to Circular Quay, where we caught another ferry to go to Manly Beach. The ferry rides were exciting because we went under the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We saw the New Year's Eve ball that had been lit up the night before and the Sydney Opera House for the first time. Manly Beach was beautiful, but crowded since it was the middle of a summer holiday weekend in Sydney. It was located in a quaint little shore town with many souvenir and beach shops. We spent about two hours on the beach tanning and playing in the water before we had to catch a ferry back to Circular Quay, where the Sydney Opera House is located.
We had a scheduled tour at the Opera House at 4:15 with Sharon our tour guide. The Opera House was magnificent, even though it was still covered in streamers from the celebrations the night before. There are three different buildings that comprise the Opera House and up to ten events can take place in a single day. It was built by a Danish architect, who is still busy applying the finishing touches, several decades after construction began. The view from the Opera House was unbelievable because it overlooked the many sailboats in the harbor. After the tour was finished, most of the team decided to take a scenic walk through the Central Business District back to the hotel while the rest took the express ferry.
Back at the hotel, we showered and dressed for a team dinner at a mysterious location. We took the monorail to Darling Harbor so we could rest our feet, and we had a delicious dinner at a restaurant in Darling Harbor called The Docks. Many people had a dish called Wild Barramundi, which is a local Australian fish that was quite good. To end the night, we danced for an hour or two to a combination of Australian and American music before heading home for a good night's sleep.
-- Brooke Wilson (`06) & Lizette Blohm (`06)
