Here I am in front of the busy Circular Quay area of Sydney Harbour on my first day in Australia.
We arrived in Sydney one year ago today. It was a warm, lush, humid spring day – a contrast to the fall weather we left behind in the USA.
I am not able to sleep on airlines, so it is an understatement to say I was tired. We settled into our hotel room and rested for a while before venturing out to see the city on foot.
Sydney immediately became part of my short list of favorite urban areas. It has fascinating architecture – a juxtaposition of modern and historic – public art, blooming gardens, and peeks of sprawling Sydney Harbour, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, beyond the buildings. We walked to the busy waterfront to see our first glimpse of the Sydney Opera House.
Back in our hotel we booked a tour of the nearby Blue Mountains National Park for the next day. Check back here tomorrow for more.
Realize Your Dreams 
Your statement about not sleeping on planes worries me a little bit. I’ve always been able to sleep in any moving vehicle – plane, train, car, etc… but my mom is terrified of flying and probably won’t sleep on a flight. I’m trying to plan a redeye to Europe but now I’m worried she’ll be exhausted when we get there!
I can relax by reading and closing my eyes to try to sleep, but real sleep on an airplane is elusive. But it wouldn’t stop me from traveling — I just know I will be tired at my destination and plan accordingly. For a far-away destination my husband and I generally check into our hotel and nap for a couple of hours the first day. Then we get up late in the day to eat and do some low-key sightseeing before going back to bed. We get up in the morning and get right on our new time schedule. It works for us!
You might be interested to know that the weather today in Sydney is much less cloudy than in your photograph. Glad you enjoyed visiting my home city.
I wish I was visiting Sydney today! We have had a string of beautiful warm fall days here in Minnesota, USA, but today it is turning cool and windy — with a possibility of a little snow up north tonight! Thank you for sending a hello from Sydney in springtime!
You’re welcome.