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Our car trip to LAX on Wednesday, February 19 was uneventful and we arrived in plenty of time, which was probably just as well since the TSA lines were very long. We were unable to talk the Qantas people into an upgrade, but were able to talk our way into the One World Lounge which made the wait somewhat more pleasant. It seems the majority of flights to Asia and Australia leave late at night so even the lounge was packed. We headed for the gate with our 2 carry-ons and then found that Qantas has a 15lb weight limit – I got through, but Rob was snagged and had to remove valuables from his bag and have it checked. There was not an empty seat on the flight. We were way towards the back where they have several window rows with only two seats, which is somewhat better. They fed us dinner about 12:30am and then everyone settled into airplane sleep mode. The flight was close to 15 hours long and some seemed to sleep most of that time. There was more than enough food, with a snack bar at the back of the plane offering sandwiches and sodas all through the flight and a full breakfast towards the end.

Sydney airport customs was easy and then we had a sniffer dog check us out. Intercruises met all of the Oceania arrivals and transported us to the two hotels we were booked into. The driver gave us an informal tour of the city as we drove through. We were at the Sheraton on the Park, across the street from Hyde Park. We checked in and talked with Mike, the concierge, about dinner options for the two nights. After doing a small unpacking of clothes from out carry-ons we had a light lunch and went out to explore. We walked through Hyde Park and along by the New South Wales Art Museum and around the Royal Botanical Gardens, all in what they call The Domain, a large green space in the middle of the city and overlooking some of the many bays in Sydney. The long flight was beginning to take its toll, so we headed back to the hotel for a shower and to change for our dinner at Wolfie's. This restaurant is on Circular Quay, one of the cruise ship docking points. This night the Diamond Princess from Princess Cruise Lines was in port. Wolfie's is all "al fresco" dining under a canopy overlooking the harbor and with a view of the iconic Sydney Opera House. Rob decided to have a purely Australian meal, so had fillet of kangaroo with crocodile tail medallions. Daryl was going to try the specialty of crayfish, until the waiter said that market price meant about $200 for one crayfish, so she chose an alternative, John Dory fillet, instead. While waiting for our various courses, we had a fantastic view of the Sydney Bridge and all the climbers. You can pay about $300 and they hook you into a harness and you can climb up the iron structure to the highest point of the bridge (not for Daryl with a nervousness about heights!) While we were eating, the Diamond Princess pulled out with all lights ablaze, giving the crowd wandering Circular Quay something to ooh and aah over. After our meal, we headed back to the Sheraton for a solid night's sleep.

Our overall opinion of Sydney so far was that it is a lively and busy city. Many people both live and work in the downtown area and The Rocks, which is a popular area over where we ate has a very noisy and lively night life. We also think it is a very expensive city, even with an exchange rate very close to one-to-one with the US dollar.