The Rocks

SYDNEY- - I woke up this morning in the middle of a dream about work! Yuck!! I'm still on vacation, I'm not supposed to think about my job!! And then I realized why.

It's my first morning in Sydney and as I was slowly awakening, my subconscious heard the sounds of a city coming alive. People going to work, traffic on the roadways, ferry horns signaling departures - - sounds I certainly didn't hear last week in Port Douglas. Hell! in PD, a traffic jam is when more than 3 cars are on Macrossan Street at the same time!

But, as a self-proclaimed "city girl" I am adjusting and my new hotel certainly helps. I booked it a while ago and forgot the details. I've got a studio apartment with a kitchen, sofa, desk and a balcony!! I've got coupons for brekky plus there's a small health club and a pool. Not too shabby, but I still miss the heat of PD!

I took the elevator to the second floor and walked down the hall to my room, stopping to look out the window at a man walking by. No, he wasn't a window-washer on scaffolding, but a man walking down the street on his way (presumably) home.

I'm staying in The Rocks, an area of Sydney that is VERY hilly! So much so that I wasn't surprised to find myself at "ground" level in the lobby, again at "ground" level on the second floor elevator lobby. Once inside my apartment, I walked outside to my balcony, which overlooks several rooftops in The Rocks. It's weird, but it's one of the things that makes The Rocks such a fascinating neighborhood.

There is one place I plan to go while here (okay, several places). It's the 30th floor bar at the Shangri-La Hotel (formerly the ANA Hotel). The bar is surrounded by windows and gives amazing views of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. Oh, and to get there from my hotel, I have to climb a flight of stairs built out of rock in the middle of a wall near my hotel. Like I said, fascinating place.