Sydney, Australia, 2019 Day 4

What a great day we had today. Last night we were in bed early after our fish dinner. The body aches were soothed by extra strength ibuprofen. We woke up early and surprisingly, in tip top condition. After a short walk around Kings Cross and Potts Point where I took a few more pics of Manar, we took the train from Kings Cross to Bondi Junction to catch the bus to Coogee where we started the coastal walk to Bondi. The weather was perfect. Sunny and not too hot. From Coogee to Gordon’s Bay to Clovelly Beach to Waverley Cemetery (with a view to die for) to Bronte Beach to Tamarama Beach then finally, Bondi. The cliff at Waverley Cemetery collapsed several years ago and the repair with sandstone blocks, as you will see from my pics, is outstanding. With many photo op stops, it took us 2 1/2 hours to walk the 6 km. I would say that the number one dog breed in the Eastern Suburbs is the pit bull, with poodle crosses coming in second. Quite a few pit bulls were off leash, walking with their owners. All the dogs we encountered were extremely well behaved, some even carrying their own leashes in their mouths while walking alongside their owners. A beautiful sight.

Sydney also has a few free bike share programs. I took a picture of several bikes that are also power assisted for one dollar. If you see a bike, you can just hop on and leave it wherever. They even come with helmets. Awesome.

Our plan once we got to Bondi was to revisit an old favourite restaurant called Mongers (now called Fishmongers). Their location had moved from central Bondi to North Bondi as we discovered when we went to the bottle shop which was doors from their previous location. We bought a bottle of cheap and cheerful McWilliams Chardonnay for $7 to go with our lunch. The price was up $2 from the last time we were in Oz 9 years ago. We eventually found their new location which was busy even though it was 1:30. We both ordered grilled fish with tempura veg. I asked if we could drink wine outside and the answer was a big yes. I asked for two cups or glasses and with a smile she said she would bring them out. Not only did we get wine glasses but an ice pack cosy for our bottle at no extra charge. The fish was a huge Hoki fillet over tempura sweet potato, cauliflower, mushroom, corn, broccoli, red pepper, and zucchini. We both looked at each other and said, “What did we say when we ate here last? we should split one order.” But we soldered on and finished every last bit, it was delish.

A Dad and his daughter were next to us on the tables outside. Their meals came out, fish on salad and grilled calamari on salad. I was surprised to see the calamari plate put in front of the young girl who looked about 7 or 8. She dug right in and the Dad said, “you have a lot on your fork” and she said, “that’s a good thing right Dad?” She truly loved her meal as I looked over to see how she was doing every once and a while.

I have several observations to share. On the walk to Bondi, there were lots of joggers and I mean lots. Also lots stopping to do crunches and all types of extra exercises. Most people who were talking with their friend or partner were speaking in languages I did not recognize. A very cosmopolitan city and all very polite and respectful. With a 5 million population, double from when I left, it was so good to see the blending of cultures was continuing.

The bus stop was across the road from Fishmongers. Then we took the train from Bondi Junction, the train and bus hub, to Kings Cross. Tonight we are going to O’Malleys in Kings Cross for the open mic, 9 to 2am with $5 pints. Looking forward to sharing my songs.