Sydney Day 3 - Neighborhoods and weekend hustle and bustle

 On a neighborhood stroll on Saturday morning. First, that's the house we are staying at, a former Bed & Breakfast, now an AirBnB with 8 rooms, surrounded by greenery and very convenient in regard to public transport and infrastructure. Glebe is a so-called "inner-western suburb" of Sydney, only about 3 km away from downtown. 'The Glebe' was a land grant given by Governor Arthur Philip to Reverend Johnson in 1790. 

It's a cozy neighborhood with a main axle along which little mom&pop stores, cafés, bakeries and shops row up. It's said that it has a big students' population thanks to the nearby Sydney University. It became hot today, pure sun till late afternoon, around 30 deg C.

Open public little library and main (Anglikan) church in Glebe (below)

Glebe Markets, a mix of artisanal, vintage and flea market (above) and a mural in Glebe (there are not so many to be found in Sydney! - below)

The old Tram Depot (now a mall)

Darling Harbour (below) - for us the more impressive harbour because of its skyline. Also, there is the Australian National Maritime Museum (white building on the left), not only a museum with exhibitions, but, also a couple of boats, a submarine, a lighthouse etc. to climb on and explore. Had arranged tickets and fully enjoyed it.
 

Most interesting to us was the replica of James Cook's HMB Endeavour (below). On this vessel, James Cook and his crew took their epic 1768-71 world voyage. Famous botanist Joseph Banks was part of the team and he was the one collecting and scientifically analyzing what flora and fauna they found. 

After our effort failed to get on one of the busses to Bondi Beach (they were packed to the limit), we came up with a Plan B, and went to the Museum of Sydney to learn more about history. Proudly we can say, that we've visited all major museums of Sydney! On to the Central Business District, equally packed with people, especially Pitt Street Mall, a modern pedestrian mall with many (upscale/popular) brand stores and some nice historic malls like the Arcades below.

 

Crowds became too much for us soon, and, we took the train out to Wentworth Park and the Fish Market. Stomach was empty and they had concerts going on. So, we got our fill of seafood and fish (below: a mixed platter and Barramundi - sea bass), were sitting on the stands around the open-air stage and it was a great end of the day with some sort of sunset under the clouds.

Sydney Days 1&2

Thursday afternoon sightseeing ,,, with public transport (train, light rail, metro and ferries) no problem at all, and, not too expensive neither. Sydney is the most populous city in Australia with almost 5.6 mio. people, called "Sydneysiders". It's located on Australia's East Coast. During his first voyage in 1770, James Cook landed in Botany Bay (the Harbour of Sydney). 18 years later, the first fleet of convicts arrived from Great Britain and made Sydney the first European settlement in Australia. 

Though it may not be true, our impression is that nowadays there is a hu ge percentage of Asians living in the city.We went for a long walk, some clouds made the temps very pleasant. Above, the famous Opera House, which looks more "beige" and has a massive brown concrete base. Not as bright and glitzy as shown on many photos.

Above, the promenade from the Opera House to Circular Quai where ferries and sightseeing boats depart (left photo). This is a tourist hub, very crowded, also, because of the cruise ship harbour here, which spills out enormous amounts of people who run to the Opera House, get photos, buy some souvenirs and sit in the cafés and restaurants.

 

The famous Sydney Harbour Bridge from 1932 (above, right), the Customs House (below, left) and some of the other historic buildings in town.

The famous Queen Victoria Building with its fancy shops (below), feels like in "Good Old London"!

The Hay Market Building with "Paddington Market" (above, right), a mix of a food court, farmers' and souvenir market. To end a long Thursday, we had a beer at one of the many craft breweries in town (left pic).

Friday morning, after breakfast with delicious baking goods from the bakery across the street where we are staying (in Glebe), we took the streetcar over to the brand new Fish Market at Blackwattle Bay. The abundance of fish and seafood of all kinds was just incredible:

Some culture on Friday. Our first museum: the Contemporary Arts Museum (left/below), followed by three more: The Art Gallery of NSW, the Australian Museum and the History Museum. All of them very interesting, and, mostly free!
Inbetween we visited the Royal Botanic Garden, where we saw our first cockatoo:

... and admired Government House, the official residence of the Governor of New South Wales:

Ibis are to be seen not just in the Botanical Garden, but all over the city, so-to-say, some sort of "garbage removal" (right photo)

 

The Art Gallery of New South Wales (above, right) is located nearby the Botanic Garden and Hyde Park. It's famous for its world-renowned artwork - see photo below taken in the Aborigines'section:

Next: The Australian Museum, founded in 1827, a bit old-fashioned, but with a certain flair:

Some public artwork (photo above), on our way through The Rocks towards Observation Point. Our "highlight" for museums was the History Museum in the Hyde Park Barracks. It's free, and, it's highly instructive with audio installation and original artifacts. Visitors walk in the footsteps of the thousands of convicts, migrants and institutionalised women who once lived and survived here. Also, the ongoing impact of colonisation on First Nations peoples is explained in this UNESCO World Heritage site.

Trivia: another favourite drink in Australia - beside the great beers: Bundaberg non-alcoholic drinks.   

Along the Inner West Ale Trail in the Merrickville neighborhood around a dozen of craftbreweries row up in walking distance. We had a couple of beers - great ales! - and a pizza. Strolling through vivid Newtown (see photo further below) afterwards - crazy busy and packed with young people - we called it a day afterwards. 16 km walked today!