Yesterday - Sunday - was a perfect day! It rained during the night, so the roads were wet in the AM. We postponed our bike ride until noon, and just went to the park. It was packed with people having family picnics, riding bikes and jogging. A really festive atmosphere. Tom listened to The DaVinci Code on his Ipod while he rode, so it took away some of the boredom of staying in the park for him. He continues to cannibalize my bike for parts - I lost my bike computer right out of the case, since he broke off his sensor while putting together his bike. The next to go was my tire lever, as Tom had lost his on the road somewhere after helping a guy change a flat. When I complained, Tom said I could just call him if I had trouble - like I could change a flat tire anyway! It seems to me that another option would be to sit on the side of the road crying until a buff, 30 year old Australian took pity on me.....there are certainly lots of those to choose from!

After a nice long cycle ride, we went into the city, where Sydney was celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a big festival in Hyde Park - the park right downtown. There were bands, vendors and lots of typical carnival-like games for the kids, and the park was packed with people. Down by the waterfront at Circular Quay is an interesting display - 160 bears made from some kind of acrylic. They stand about 6 feet high, and each one represents a different country in the United Nations. The exhibit began in 2003 and has been moving around the world. The purpose is to promote understanding among cultures. In the middle of the exhibit is a "golden rule" bear, with the words "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The words have been translated into many languages and written somewhere on that bear. The artwork on these bears is incredible, with some really inventive and creative murals. We took several photos, and once we figure out how we can upload photos at this internet site, we'll try to share some of them. We capped off the day with a sunset cruise on one of Sydney's many ferries. It was about an hour of cruising on the harbour in 85 degree weather, bright sunshine and a whisp of a breeze. Sheer heaven!! Last night, we visited our stomping grounds from last year, Randwick, where we sat outside and had delicious Thai food. Tom is really keen on the custom here of BYO - where you go to a bottle shop, buy your own beer or wine, then have it with your meal. Most restaurants here have a BYO policy, which is certainly a good deal.

Sydney is kind of cloudy and wet today, so for the first day, we didn't ride our bikes. We kind of feel like slackers, but at least have gotten some exercise walking (and Tom worked out at the gym in our building). The weather is supposed to be cloudy and cooler this week, with intermittent showers - but don't feel sorry for us - it's still in the mid-70s and shorts and t-shirts are adequate, even in the evenings. Fall is nice here, in that there are definitely fewer tourists in the city, and the crowds are noticably smaller.