Manly Beach

Day 2:

After crashing hard at 6pm my 1st night, I was up early on Sunday and met my colleague at her place in Manly Beach, which is a 30 minute ferry ride across Sydney Harbor from the city (upper right in map below):

It is not summer yet here, more like spring right now, but it was sunny and 70, making for a great day to lie on the beach. Can't say the same for the 1st time surfers taking their introductory class while there were HUGE waves tossing them around all afternoon. The best part was the snarky lifeguard who kept singling out the surfers over the loud speakers when they drifted into the swimming area (try to read in Australian accent): "Guys, c'mon...you need to stay behind the orange markers. You with the red fiberglass board...yes, you. No, not your friends, stop looking at them, you know who you are. Yes, you! Stay out of the swimming area!"

So Mere and I are planning to live on/near a beach while over here, and the decision will likely be Manly vs Bondi beach. The amazing views from the beach (1st picture below) and the 30 minute ferry "commute" to work (2nd picture below) do work in Manly's favor. Also, I was able to get my hop-fix in Manly as we went to Murray's at Manly for lunch and beers, where they serve beer from Murray's Craft Brewing Co. out of Port Jackson.

Manly:

Does this commute top that of the super crowded Green Line trying to get home during a Red Sox game smushed together with everyone while a drunk homeless guy yells at me because I am blocking his view of the girls behind me? Barely.

I started work on Monday, and won't bore you with the details. The best part was catching the 1st half of the Pats game...at 730 am before work. Don't know what I'll do for their 1pm kickoffs. My office is in a great location across from Sydney Harbor in Circular Quay. Below is a picture from the kitchen, where you can see the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. (I promise this is the last picture I will post of the Opera House)

Tune in next time when I will try to take pictures of the silly food they have here, and reveal the answer to Kevin's inquiry about which ways the toilet's flush, clockwise or counter-clockwise. ***Spoiler Alert*** - Niether

Cheers!
-Mark

PS: As requested, the "Days til Mote's gets here countdown": 27 and counting!