Travel Journal - 6 Apr - touring Sydney and the museums

Our hotel, Mantra 2 Bond Street, was a good news/bad news story. The location couldn’t have been better, but there were a few things that can best be described as “quirky.” The photos will give some insight as to what we mean. On the night we arrived, we noticed our driver took a roundabout way to get to the hotel, but we were so tired (and it was dark), so we didn’t realize what was going on. As you can see, they are installing a light rail system immediately in front of the hotel. While eventually very convenient, the potential for increased noise (already a problem at the hotel) could be significant.

Last chance to explore

We had a very good day with plenty of sunshine and a high of 80 degrees. Spent most of the day exploring 2 museums, walking through and having lunch in “The Rocks”. On our way back to the hotel we took Ariel to see the Sydney Customs House. It’s suppose to be a museum, but is really a public library on 2 of the upper floors. Ariel felt right at home. I think she is missing her library in Carlsbad.

We walked from the hotel to the Sydney Observatory, which is located on the highest hill in South Sydney. The views were spectacular. From that point it was (geographically speaking) all downhill. The Discovery Museum at The Rocks is amazing. And the Customs House, which now houses a library and a restaurant, was interesting for one simple reason—they have a relief map of Sydney under glass. The cool thing is that you walk over the city on the glass and can see where everything is located! Fun!