DID WHAT THE TOURIST NORMALLY DO

Part 2 - 17/3/2013

From the QVB, we continued our walk to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  It was another sunny day!

Sydney Tower.
Sydney has it fair share of beautiful old buildings

 Dymocks - books and stationary.

 Loved these elaborate designs and architecture of these buildings

The grand Strand Inn.

I am sure anyone been to Sydney would have passed by this little boy standing at the corner of the Commercial Banking Company (CBC) of Sydney Building.

Hidden gem amidst the city buildings

An oasis in the middle of the concrete city

The Nurses plaque at The Rocks.

 This alley is called the  Suez Canal- its the original alleyway.

So called as they resembled the stacks of hay left in the field after harvest. The name actually came from the  painting called "Haystacks" by a French artist Claude Monet. Haven't seen these here so far- maybe I can spark a  new craze of these cupcakes...hmmmm. 

There is the Rock Markets - a sort of bazaar selling artsy and homemade wares. 

If I can recollect, there weren't so many stalls, cafes, bistros around this area during my first visit here.  It is definitely very commercialise now and I kinda of find them ugly and spoilt the unique and quaint surroundings.

The Soldier

The settlers

and the convict- all sandstones

The iconic Sydney Opera house

Jeremy joined us after his errands.

"Sky Mirror" at The Museum of Contemporary Art - a work of art by British artist Anish Kapoor and it has both convex and concave surfaces so that there are constantly changing images.

We were too tired to walk over to the Opera House and decided to go back to Jeremy's apartment for dinner.

Even though, this is their rented premises, it has been decorated lovingly with tiny details that lend a homely and welcoming effect when we stepped into the hall.   Jeremy's winning photograph for Nikon above the TV.

Black and white colour scheme and assortment of chairs

Taking time to read all the congratulatory cards now

Balcony with a refreshing green view - lots of mature trees around the area

Eunice and her mother had prepared a Korean meal for us.

  

Red Bean Rice 

Korean anchovies which her mother brought all the way from Korea.

 Korean noddles with vegetables

Oh... this is piece de resistance, so tasty, so tender and flavourful.

And it is a lot of work too- according to Eunice, you got to soak the beef for hours to remove the blood and to soften and then grind the onions and garlic (and lots of them too!) and then it is braised/simmered for hours- no wonder it taste so..so.. delicious.     

Seaweed soup

Sipping on this Korean wine and we were truly satiated at the end of the meal.

CHOCOLATE AND SPICE

16/3/2013 AM

Today's the day of the wedding. Was I excited at the prospect of become a mother-in-law? Of course, I am excited and happy for the occasion.  But to me it is just another name to call me.  I am still the same person- maybe my "burden" is lighter now that he has someone to take care of him.  As I welcome Eunice to my family, I pray that God be with them always.

We were left to do our own things this morning. We decided to take it easy and go for breakfast while waiting  for the arrival of my nephew Wai Kit and Hye Jung from Melbourne.

 Saw this lovely cafe opposite our hotel.

Chocolate flutes window display.

Elegant interiors and comfy  chairs makes it a relaxing morning breakfast.

 My Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon on waffle- yummy!.

 May's healthy breakfast - granola with  yogurt and berries compote- creamy thick yogurt.

Can only take picture of these delectable cakes- too full after the breakfast for dessert!

 These are at A$3.20 each!

We took a short walk through the Darling Harbour.

Passed the Chinese Garden. The garden was designed on the principle of yin and yang- water and mountains (rocks). Entrance cost A$5.00.

Wai Kit had arrived by then and joined us after refreshing themselves at our hotel as they were unable to check into their hotel at this early hour. 

We went together to the Paddy's Market.

 There are more stalls selling the Australian souvenirs, clothing etc than fresh food. May got some t-shirts for the kiddies back home.

The fresh foods produce can only be found at the back of the market.

I find the fresh foods here are cheaper than back home (without the conversion of course) and they are big and fresh.

 Aromatics spices- this stall seems very popular.

I cannot resist and bought some dukkah, morocan seasoning, mediterranean seasoning and sumac.

After browsing around, it is time for a quick lunch. Decided to go for Jeremy's recommendation for Ramen at Gumshara at the Harbour Plaza.

Traditional Japanese Ramen  

Again, I have forgotten how big the portions are here.

 Springy noodles - but the portion is just too big and we could not finish the whole bowl.

Thick tonkotsu broth made the Japanese way - using fresh pork bones and water.  The richness of the soup comes from the marrow of the bones and it is said to contain a lot of collagen (very good for our skin!). At least we finished the broth. 

After lunch, it is time for Wai Kit  to check into their hotel while both of us went back to our hotel for a siesta -it has been a hot morning! 

Got to look good for  the BIG EVENT tonight!