Manly Beach

Yesterday we made it to Manly Beach, which involved taking a half hour ferry ride from Sydney’s harbor and walking 10 minutes from the terminal to get there. Supposedly this beach is one of Sydney’s most famous or well-known, which I wouldn’t doubt for crowded it was. The white beach landscape seemed to stretch for miles and it was met by clear, blue water that was too hard for us to take our eyes off of.

I think it only took 30 seconds upon arrival for Riley to be the first one in. But, after the lifeguards announced that there were jellyfish sightings seen in the water and gave a short description of the Blue Bottle’s nasty sting, Annie and I were a little reserved on the idea of just jumping right in.

But, after we quickly put the situation in perspective- we’re in Australia, we’re at a beach, it’s hot and we’re dying to go swimming- the two of us jumped in afterward. I guess we beat the odds and managed to not get stung.

The ferry ride there and back was absolutely gorgeous and certainly made the trip even more worth it, as the route took us all around the Sydney Opera House in almost a close-up 360-degree view from the water and alongside the Harbor Bridge. Coming back on our return we watched and waited as an enormous cruise ship was inching its way under the bridge that was just spectacular. Everyone on the ship could only think of it as Titanic.

Later in the night we met two British guys staying at our hostel and ended up talking to them for a couple hours, not realizing it was past “bedtime.” In April they’re planning a trip to Seattle to spend a few days, aiming to get there only a few days after our return home so I’ve volunteered myself to be their tour guide if they want one when the time comes.

It’s been weird that in all the time that Annie’s been here, she’s only talked to two people who are travelling from the States and Riley and I haven’t come across one so far. Most travelers are coming from Europe (England, Ireland, Germany, Scotland, etc), and it’s been hard to find others with our accent. In fact, when Riley ordered a cup of coffee in Sydney the barista commented on how she loved her accent! How strange for an American (from the Northwest) to get that response!