Last two days in Sydney

I hate to think of leaving Australia tomorrow. With my last two days in Sydney, here are some of the things I did:

- Walked the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The next day I climbed the 200 stairs inside one of the pylons that anchor the bridge, and was rewarded with spectacular views from the top. I opted not to pay an additional $288 for bragging rights to walk the very top of the bridge . . . although I did see others doing it.

Sydney Harbour Bridge with pylon on left

View of Sydney from on top of pylon

Birds-eye view of Sydney Opera House

- Found my way through the labyrinth of streets and stairways that make up downtown Sydney. At times I felt I was in the middle of an M.C. Escher lithograph.

- Took the ferry to the Taronga Zoo and saw several animals that I hadn't seen previously: crocodile, platypus, tree kangaroo, and Tasmanian Devil.

- Took a different ferry to Manly Beach, a charming seaside community with shops and restaurants, in addition to a lovely beach.

Kangaroo Kebob (at least the shrimp kebob was good)

- Tasted kangaroo meat in the form of a kebob. I didn't particularly like it, but at least I can say I tried it.

- Toured the Hyde Park Barracks Museum and saw how British convicts lived when they were brought to Australia to work in the early to mid 1800s.

Convict barracks from the 1800s

- Toured the Australian Museum especially for its exhibit of Aboriginal people and an exhibit about dinosaur fossils found in Australia.

Tomorrow I fly back to the U.S.  This has been an excellent trip!