SYDNEY - DAY 3

After the wedding reception, we returned to our hotel apartment just in time to watch the fireworks in Darling Harbour that started at 8,30 in the evening. As it was raining again, we decided to watch them indoors, as we had a great view from our lounge window.

Darling Harbour

Roads into the city centre

Sydney Tower in the distance

We stayed indoors for the rest of the evening as it was far too miserable outside, and watched a movie on TV.

Sunday - it was time to get up early, go downstairs to the cafe for another bacon and eggs breakfast, pack our bags and check out of the hotel by 10am.

One of the advantages of this hotel, was the parking lot where we paid $25 for a 24h period, which meant we could leave our luggage in the car and just wander around until it was time to go to the airport.

Walking over the bridge in Darling Harbour

So we left the car, and walked around Darling Harbour with some friends, had coffee, walked some more and by 2pm decided to go and get the car for a drive around the city.

By this time the rain was back, which was a pity as we couldn't visit the Botanic Gardens which I had visited on another occasion, but would like to visit again, so we drove past the Opera House just for a quick snapshot.

The famous Sydney Opera House

It was still early to go to the airport, but with so much rain, there wasn't much we could do, so we decided to go to the city centre and visit some shopping centres.

The first one was "The Strand Arcade", between Pitt Street Mall and George Street,  one of Sydney's first shopping centres, built in 1891. 

Inside, the glass roof, cedar wood shopfronts, tiled floor, stained glass windows, ironwork on the verandas, are "old world" but so charming. 

It now houses some exclusive boutiques, and we couldn't go past the famous Haigh's chocolates without buying a few to nibble on. Famous for being the best chocolates in Australia, they are expensive, and I'm glad we don't have one in Perth, or it would be my ruin...

Shoe shine anyone? This just fits so well in this shopping.

Some yarn bombing brings extra colour to a tree trunk

Taken from the 3rd floor bathrooms

Some of the stained glass windows

Across the road is the Westfield Sydney, on the corner of George, Pitt and Market Streets, right next to the Sydney Tower. The revolving restaurant in the tower is accessed through a lift on the 4th level of this shopping.

So it was more of a window shopping experience with a visit to Zara's (Spanish clothing retailer), which we also don't have in Perth, but I was in no need for new clothes, so it was really just a curiosity visit.

It was finally time to retrieve our car and drive to the airport for our return to Perth.

It was a wonderful weekend, to attend to our son's wedding and to revisit some of my favourite haunts in Sydney.

Old and modern stand side by side

The Harbour Bridge, seen from Market street