Manly day trip

We did hmmm and har about going to Manly - I was so desperate to go there, but had to be back at the airport by 4.30pm and to me it always takes longer to get around Sydney than you anticipate! Especially on a Sunday when it seems like half the city issuing the ferries and trains .
But we winged it, deciding to catch a taxi to the airport (really not that much more than the train but what is this adding on a surcharge for using your visa card? That seems to be so common every where in Australia plus not eft- posting under $10. Heck I eftpos $2 here if I do not have any real money on me.) But I digress.
A much warmer day on Sunday - we started off with a big brekkie at the corner cafe - very good food - , a walk along the shore at Rushcutters Bay before catching the train down to Mrtins Place and fox trotting it down to Circular Quay for the ferry. All very well timed.
It is a half hour ferry ride and some ferry ride too! A huge ferry. A huge, bigger than normal swell going through the heads that day too. And woah and yikes! Up, down, leaning one way, leaning the other way! Not good for a gal who gets sea sick.... Pretty amazing experience and that was on a sunny day - I would or like to repeat that exercise in a howling storm!
Part of Many is on a tiny strip of land , so you jump off the ferry into a very bustling wharf with gorgeous shops and cares - a pumping busy place! Follow the throngs of people (just like coming out of a rock concert really!), walk up through a pedestrianised mall with shops (ooh the greatest newsagent ever!), pubs, cafes and a market. Then you have walked from the harbour side over to the sea surf side!
What surf! What gorgeous coloured sand! I have never in my life seen so many surfers in one spot. A long long beach with surf lifesavers . The thing that is quite different to me is kids in NZ do swim at a surf beach between the flags it there seemed to be so few kids swimming here. A few were over at the harbour side beach swimming in between the shark nets ( that was interesting to see!!) but I couldnot see any over on the surf beach .
It was beautiful - a long line of Norfolk pines along the beach.
We picked up Swedish clogs at Nordic Fusion and went to the Belgian Bier pub on the wharf for a drink before catching the ferry back to the city, train back to hotel and jumping into that fast taxi off to the airport in perfect timing!

A fab, fab weekend with a dear friend! We have decided to make this an annual thing, and tossed around Queenstown as our next visit! I would quite happily flick backwards and forwards between Oz and NZ every year!