it’s my last night in Sydney, tomorrow i’m off to Hawaii, Oahu to be exact. before i leave i wanted to capture a few misc. items of interest.

on my first night we went to see the Black Keys play at a local venue. so much smaller and cooler than seeing them at the Oracle Arena.

we made our way to the Hunter Valley wine country one day for a little lunch and wine tasting. wine tasting is free here, how nice is that?!

Sculpture by the Sea is a great exhibit that runs along the coast from Bronte Beach to Bondi Beach. i lucked out getting to see it, as it finishes on Nov. 4.

thanks Sydney, it’s been fun!

funny, typing in the title of the blog, it kept wanting to change it to zoo gastric, which really makes no sense at all. not that zootastic is even a word, but still…….

yesterday (and part of today) was spent at the Taronga Zoo. the zoo opened in 1916, and it sits on 75 acres of land. the zoo opened before the bridge was built so it was actually affordable; now it’s one of the most expensive places in Sydney.
we arrived at 6:15 PM and went to our tents to settle in. then we had a happy hour and met some creatures including a python, tree frog, little turtle, and a bearded dragon. we then made our way to the food market where dinner was being served. after dinner we went on a night zoo walk and saw lions, sun bears, tigers, and dholes (wild dog). we made our way back to camp for a little tea and dessert.

nature is not quiet, therefore sleep wasn’t great, but waking up to the roar of lions was pretty cool.

breakfast was served at 6:15 AM and shortly after we started the “behind the scenes” tours. we fed giraffes, snuggled with koalas, and got to pet a seal.

our tour ended at 9:15 AM and we had 15 minutes in the zoo before it opened to the public. we stayed for about 2 more hours and saw other animals like the wallaby, kangaroo, and a fishing cat. sadly no penguins on this trip, but the wombat is pretty cute.

now it’s time for a nap. although spending the night in a tent at the zoo is pretty awesome, there is something to be said for the quiet comforts of home.

i arrived in Sydney on Tuesday morning and it’s been go go go ever since. i had hoped to get a post or two in before this, but it just didn’t happen, sorry.

that’s one of the biggest differences between traveling solo and with friends. when i travel by myself i often have evening time to write a post and go through pictures; but when i’m with friends we’re usually out and about.

it’s been great weather since i’ve arrived, so there’s been lots of walking around. i’ve enjoyed a ferry trip to Watson’s Bay for fish n’ chips at Doyle’s, a tour of the Sydney Opera House, a walk across the Harbor Bridge and some super tasty gelato at Messina’s.

yesterday ended with dinner at Hurricane’s, bowling at Kingpin, and the Zumbo dessert train. the dessert bar was fun, it worked like one of those sushi bars where the items go past on a little conveyor belt and you choose the ones you want. the concept was better than the actual dessert, but it was still fun.

today starts with breakfast at Bill’s, getting some shopping in for a party on Sunday, and then some time spent at the pool. it’s going to be hot today, so being poolside will be a good thing. this evening we head over to the Taronga Zoo for the Roar and Snore Overnight Experience. yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like, we’re spending the night at the zoo! stay tuned for more on that adventure.

Zumbo photo courtesy of weekend notes.com

i was going through my Cologne photos and realized i forgot to include a post about the padlocks on the Hohenzollern Bridge.

the bridge crosses over the Rhine River, and i walked across one afternoon.  the entire bridge is covered in padlocks.  the locks are a symbol of true love.  you are supposed to walk across a bridge with your sweetheart, attach a lock scrawled with your names to the structure, and then throw the key into the river below.

i think three days of game show is enough, especially when you’re not working a booth. so goodbye GamesCom and hello sights.

there were a few things on the list to see and i saw a fair amount today. my Mom would be proud, i even made it to a museum. museums are never on the top of my list, but the Ludwig Museum was on the list of sights and it was conveniently located next to the cathedral.

the special exhibit was pop art from the 60’s, which was cool, as i don’t think i’ve seen a real Warhol before. the other pieces didn’t seem to be from one era, but more of a sampling of artists. that is actually what i like best, a little of this and a little of that. this a Robert Rauchenberg piece entitled Tree Frog. huh.

cathedral, check. Ludwig, check. next? how about a boat trip down the River Rhine? boat trip, check. these “crane” buildings are crazy. who would want to live there, is Germany immune to earthquakes?!

with the boat ticket came a city tour, so i hopped on the bus and toodled around Cologne for an hour. originally i had wanted the boat and brewery tour, but alas there was a misunderstanding and i ended up with a city tour instead. turns out that wasn’t a bad thing as all of the brewery tours are in German, and my German is non-existent so, i opted to sit at the brewery and have a beer instead. drinking the beer is the really fun part of a brewery tour anyhow isn’t it?

i ended the day with a trip to see the local cemetery, Melatenfriedhof. i love a good cemetery, and this one was also on the list of sights to see. it wasn’t the best i’ve been to, but it was really pretty and very peaceful. i kept thinking it would be a great place for a picnic. it’s probably not on the top ten most romantic picnic spots, but it is beautiful.

from there i hopped back on the train and headed back to my Best Western Premiere home.