After we froze going to Bondi Beach the first day, the next day we decided to use the Hop On, Hop Off bus and go around Sydney and get a different view than we normally get using the City Rail.

Here is a beautiful fountain we found just a few blocks from our hotel as we start our Sydney trip.

This is the State Library of New South Wales.

They had an interesting light pole on the side of the building.

Here is St. Mary’s Cathedral. It is the largest Cathedral in Australia. For years the two spires remain uncompleted. It seems that the tax laws held that only finished buildings could be taxed. By leaving the spires unfinished, the cathedral paid no tax for years. Eventually, that law was changed and the spires were completed.

On our trip, we found many interesting buildings. This town has a number of “Heritage” buildings that cannot be changed on the outside or torn down. In the US, we would call these on the historical register.

We went by a building that was a block long that had ornate ornamental iron the whole length of the building. Very impressive.

Sydney also has a Chinese Gardens that is the largest Chinese Gardens outside of China. The garden was presented to the City by China several years ago.

Every so often we would find ourselves in an older section of town where even the light poles are old.

One of the interesting things in Sydney is their street signs. Can you figure out what these are?

No, it is not someone walking on a turtle. Obviously (or not so obviously), they stand for crosswalk and a speed bump. These speed bumps are serious speed bumps, not the little piddly bumps we have in the US. In most parts of town, all cross walks are speed bumps requiring the traffic to slow down for pedestrians whether they want to or not. We have been pleasingly surprised that when you get near a crosswalk, the traffic stops. This occurs even if you haven’t stepped foot into the street. Even in the US drivers are not this good.

I took this picture for my son who would own an old fire truck if it was up to him. His wife has put her foot down (actually both feet), but I still keep telling him it is a good idea. J

I must be off!