A street of outdoor shops

On Wednesday we again spent time wandering around Sydney. Jonathan was curious to see an Australian outdoor shop and a morning internet search lead us to one which was only a few blocks from the hotel. To our surprise, there were not less than 10 outdoor shops on this street. We asked about this oddity and the reply was “convenience”! Apparently “competition” is not an issue. Another surprise was that it appears Jonathan is not the first Heddleston to hit the Australia mainland…the “Rock and Ice” issue in which Chad has a letter to the editor appears on the shelf of a very nice climbing shop in Sydney. After determining that there was nothing we NEEDED to purchase at the outdoor shops, we walked over to Darling Harbor – a tourist area with lots of restaurants, the Sydney Aquarium and lots of fancy boats. After an afternoon of watching rugby, world superbike and napping, we dragged ourselves out of our jet-lag comas and headed to the Opera House to see Verdi’s Aida. Before the show we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and grabbed a bite at the Opera Bar overlooking the harbor and bridge. The performance was amazing – the singing incredible and venue really impressive. (Note to self: don’t go into a 3.5 hour performance in a dark theatre when you have serious jet-lag.)