Saturday was a perfect day.  Blue skies without a single cloud and a nice temperature neither too hot nor too cold.  Just right for a day at the zoo with friends!

The Taroonga Zoo on Sydney Harbor

The Taroonga Zoo is blessed with a location like no other zoo that I have been to:  it sits sort of on a slope on the north shore of the Sydney harbor looking towards the city center, the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House.  It has a magnificent view that, by itself, is worth the visit to the zoo (the giraffe exhibit seemed to have the best view).  Of course, the zoo has great displays of all sorts of animals including the native ones (koala, kangaroo, etc.) which are worth seeing.

Amazing view for these zoo residents! Rough life!

I went with friends whom I had not seen in years and their 4 kids aged 12 to 2.5.  The little ones (twins), of course, made the visit even more fun as I got to live the excitement of seeing the animals through their eyes.  Oh, and the excitement at taking the sky lift!  The zoo goes to show that any destination can have something for everyone if one is willing to look for them!

Balmoral Beach

After the zoo we visited a small beach called Balmoral close to where they live.  It seemed a very local place which was nice after days of having been doing the “tourist thing”.  We had ice cream and sat at the pier enjoying a gorgeous day with no other care (except making sure the twins didn’t jump in the water!).  This is exactly the type of place us tourists need to get out and see:  where real life is happening, areas of town different that the more central ones.  A charming place, Balmoral Beach!

Balmoral scene

At the pier in Balmoral Beach

The End to a Great Day with Friends

That evening we got together with another friend and headed into the city for dinner.  It must have been night out for many as it took several attempts to find a place that would take a reservation.  As with the night before, the meal, the wine and the company did not disappoint!

It was neat to get to see my friends (who are American) and hear about their experience living in Australia.  One has been here about 5 yrs and the other about half that time.  It made me a little jealous they had gotten to live in such a magnificent place but I was glad they got such an opportunity!

So, a perfect day ended in Sydney.  Let’s see what the next one brings!