Seven Days in Sydney [antikvár]

Sydney was born in seventeen eighty eight. Just a baby compared with Romé, Athens, Tokyo, Moscow or any other major city you care to mention. Yet what our city has to offer eclipses any other traditional tourist destination in the world. True, we may not have a Colisseum or a Parthenon, but we do have a fascinating colonial history. This history is not bound up in mystery and legend, but is right there to be examined for the asking; the journals of First Fleet sailors and the despatches of the first Governors can be viewed on micro-film at the Mitchell Library and the State Archives, while houses, stores, churches and public buildings dating from the first decades of the colony still exist in Sydney. Anyway, who needs a Parthenon when we've got the Opera House. Surrounded on three sides by sparkling blue water, its white sails glistening in the sunshine, the Opera House stands on its own as an example of modern architecture. Try to think of another modern building to compare it with and you'll see what I mean. Then there's the Harbour Bridge; still the widest steel arch bridge in the world; it identifies Sydney as surely as the name on an atlas. But the bridge and Opera House would be nothing without Sydney Harbour, Sydney's raison d'étre. 'To see Sydney Harbour' is the reason most tourists give for visiting Sydney. Forget muggings in New York and civil strife elsewhere, Sydney is a safe place to visit. Forget snow in Montreal and drizzle in London, Sydney's climate is pleasant throughout the year. Summers are warm to hot, winters are mild, spring and autumn are perfect, while rainfall comes in short sharp bursts so most days are sunny. Forget Cannes, Malibu, Rio and Waikiki, Sydney's beaches, in particular the 13 beaches on the Pacific Ocean between Manly and Palm Beach, are the best in the world. And forget Paris cuisine. Sydney's restaurants are excellent and cater for every conceivable taste at locations from Rasputin's Russian Restaurant to the Woolloomooloo Woolshed. When it comes down to it you don't go to see a city to lie on the beach or sit in a restaurant, but tosee the sights, which I hope this book will help you to do. Most tourists visit Sydney for a week or less, so I've covered the most interesting places to visit if you only have seven days to spare. All the tours start and finish at Circular Quay, which is served well by ferries, trains, buses and taxis and is within walking distance of most of Sydney's major hotels. The maps at the back of the book cover Darling Harbour and Sydney town centre in detail, and the rest of the metropolitan area as a route map. To follow the tours that go out of the city, the purchase of a Gregory's Street Directory of Sydney is recommended, in particular for the tours of Wednesday and Thursday, which are easier if you have a car. So start each day at the map of Circular Quay on page 142, and enjoy your stay in Sydney! Dávid Messent