![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Not quite twenty-five years, but we thought we'd spoil ourselves a bit and have a weekend in Sydney, see the impressionist exhibition at the art gallery, do whatever we want.
Finished early last night, got my head down, and woke with the house. Did a few things, had a nap. and we got on the road about half past eleven.
Stopped for lunch at Berrima, where I had a very decadent ploughman's platter, and then we looked at Harper's Mansion, a house dating from 1834, with splendidly restored interior, and a garden that is maintained by genuine convicts, just like the old days.
Hit Sydney about three, and after a little hunt for parking, we checked in at the Intercontinental, where we were told that our 30th floor harbourview room wasn't quite ready yet. Oh well. We'd wait for a great room, so we headed down to Circular Quay - just two blocks away, full of ferries, buskers, people having fun, coffee shops etc.
Great big cruise liner in, "Rhapsody of the Seas", docked at the cruise terminal, absolutely dominating Circular Quay.
We checked the harbour cruises, and selected a sunset dinner cruise on Captain Cook's "Sydney 2000". Absolutely glorious, though we had a bit too much alcohol for our own good - glass of bubbly, G&T for Kerri, beer for me, half bottle of wine each, and we were very quickly mellow as Sydney Harbour rolled past on the one and a half hour cruise.
I mentioned to the waitress that we were enjoying the dinner, especially as it was our silver anniversary, and they brought out dessert with sparklers alight! What a buzz!
Wobbled off the ship, and I tried to get a photo of the cruise ship with the bridge in the background. Walked halfway round to the Opera House before I realised that the ship had undocked, was turning around. heading out and I wasn't going to get the shot.
Oh well. Back up to the hotel, and was a bit despondent when I noticed that the room number wasn't beginning with 30, indicating the thirtieth (top) floor, but instead began with 24. Oh well. Still good.
"We've actually upgraded you, sir. You've got a corner suite looking out on the harbour and Opera House."
We didn't mind. When we opened the door, Wow! We have a foyer of our own, a huge living area with great big glass windows stretching unbroken from Harbour Bridge past the Opera House over the Botanic Gardens to Kings Cross. Amazing view.
King size bed and a vast ensuite. There's a powder room opening off the foyer, and two big televisions. Awesome.
We declined the complimentary bottle of champagne - it would have been wasted, as we were - and lazed around enjoying the room, watching the sunset bring out the lights and the cruiseliner heading down the harbour and off out to sea.
What a day it's been. Silver anniversary or not, I can thoroughly recommend a night at the Intercontinental. Sydney's a spectacular city, and the harbour cruise and view from this awesome room is the icing on the cake.
Finished early last night, got my head down, and woke with the house. Did a few things, had a nap. and we got on the road about half past eleven.
Stopped for lunch at Berrima, where I had a very decadent ploughman's platter, and then we looked at Harper's Mansion, a house dating from 1834, with splendidly restored interior, and a garden that is maintained by genuine convicts, just like the old days.
Hit Sydney about three, and after a little hunt for parking, we checked in at the Intercontinental, where we were told that our 30th floor harbourview room wasn't quite ready yet. Oh well. We'd wait for a great room, so we headed down to Circular Quay - just two blocks away, full of ferries, buskers, people having fun, coffee shops etc.
Great big cruise liner in, "Rhapsody of the Seas", docked at the cruise terminal, absolutely dominating Circular Quay.
We checked the harbour cruises, and selected a sunset dinner cruise on Captain Cook's "Sydney 2000". Absolutely glorious, though we had a bit too much alcohol for our own good - glass of bubbly, G&T for Kerri, beer for me, half bottle of wine each, and we were very quickly mellow as Sydney Harbour rolled past on the one and a half hour cruise.
I mentioned to the waitress that we were enjoying the dinner, especially as it was our silver anniversary, and they brought out dessert with sparklers alight! What a buzz!
Wobbled off the ship, and I tried to get a photo of the cruise ship with the bridge in the background. Walked halfway round to the Opera House before I realised that the ship had undocked, was turning around. heading out and I wasn't going to get the shot.
Oh well. Back up to the hotel, and was a bit despondent when I noticed that the room number wasn't beginning with 30, indicating the thirtieth (top) floor, but instead began with 24. Oh well. Still good.
"We've actually upgraded you, sir. You've got a corner suite looking out on the harbour and Opera House."
We didn't mind. When we opened the door, Wow! We have a foyer of our own, a huge living area with great big glass windows stretching unbroken from Harbour Bridge past the Opera House over the Botanic Gardens to Kings Cross. Amazing view.
King size bed and a vast ensuite. There's a powder room opening off the foyer, and two big televisions. Awesome.
We declined the complimentary bottle of champagne - it would have been wasted, as we were - and lazed around enjoying the room, watching the sunset bring out the lights and the cruiseliner heading down the harbour and off out to sea.
What a day it's been. Silver anniversary or not, I can thoroughly recommend a night at the Intercontinental. Sydney's a spectacular city, and the harbour cruise and view from this awesome room is the icing on the cake.
