First day of explorations

After breakfast amd shopping we explored a bit of the city.

Up to the Observatory first to get an overview and meet some new birds - I've not identified these ones yet. There were a lot of exercise classes going on in the surrounding grounds: lots of boxing practice; a group of older Japanese ladies doing gentle stretches under the shade of a tree; and an exhausting looking circuits class climbing trees and thrashing battle ropes around in the full midday sun.

Walked down through The Rocks - an arty, historic district that was saved from redevelopment in the 1970s by an alliance of the Builders' Union and a heritage group. Finished by walking up to Circular Quay then back down alongside the Botanic gardens.

After all that walking we wanted a substantial dinner, and found an excellent Indian restaurant in an unlikely location - one side is inside a shopping centre, the other overlooks the tourist trap restaurant strip in Darling harbour. Fabulous food, beautifully presented. Starter pictured (fragment of poppadom, photographer's own).Read more