Iconic view.....

.....our first day has been very busy and loads of fun.

Flying into Sydney at 7.10am Australian time, it was cloudy, bleak and very humid. We dropped our bags off at our hotel in Darling Harbour before exploring.

First up was the Sydney Eye Tower, amazing views from the top but would've been better if the day was brighter. My first extra shows Hyde Park and St Mary's Cathedral. Quite impressed to see outlines of people on the pathways of Hyde Park especially as this was a phone shot.

Next we caught the train into Circular Quay, where this iconic view of the Sydney Harbour bridge and Opera House was taken. Unfortunately the cloud played havoc with my eyes all day.

We wandered into the Botanic gardens where I saw and captured my first shot of the Ibis, a large white bird, a little bigger than a white-faced heron. It's mainly white with a long down-curved bill, they were everywhere. But very hard to photograph with a black head and eye. By this time we needed a sit down in some shade and a bite to eat, the cafe in the gardens was perfect.

Now feeling tired we strolled leisurely, passing the opera house and onto the wharves. We were booked on a harbour cruise but had time to fill in, with little energy we found a quiet spot with a breeze and rested - I even dozed for a while! The two hour harbour cruise was amazing! Champagne, fruit juice, afternoon tea with a selection of cakes and a live commentary of the history of the harbour. We were on the middle deck with access to the outside observation deck, would've been amazing photography but the glare was to much for my eyes, sadly I had to stay inside :( 

By the end of the cruise it was 4.30pm, time to catch the train and wander back to our hotel where we relaxed until dinner. It was awesome my brother came in and met us for dinner. We dined at an Italian restaurant, it was divine! Walking back to our hotel we dropped E off at the State Theatre for a concert, I snuck in to get some shots of the foyer, so elegant and detailed.

And then I slept.....what an amazing first day we've had :)