Thanks to my still not fully adjusted body I woke up early and could spend most of the day downtown.... until my feet no longer felt like walking....Yesterday after I had gotten back from my trip along the coast I had planned what else I wanted to do. It's a long list, but I still got 12more weekend days to get through....
This morning (after I reserved a room for March at a different place - most of them were already gone....) I took the bus to Circular Quai. The streets were still really empty, it was already warm and there was a nice breath.... Really great! Once again I did have some trouble with being on the "right" side of the road! I knew which direction my bus was supposed to go, fortunately I realized before it got there that I was waiting at the wrong bus stop... This whole driving on the left side it really not easy! I am constantly looking in the wrong direction, always afraid that I might get hit sometime. I know I have to look the other way, but since I have been doing it one way all my life it is sort of natural and I am not always sure how I usually do it and therefore not quite sure how I have to do it here. I realy confused me, but on most side walks they got little arrows pointing the right way.... The public transportation system is really good, except that strangers to the town have a hard time finding the right bus stop to get off at, because they are not announced.....
Anyway I made it all the way downtown and after I had wandered along circular quai (where all the ferries leave) I got to the opera house. 
It is really impressive. And once again it just did not feel as if all of that was really happening.... Seeing this building in reality - really cool! To make sure that I did not miss anything while being there, I also took a tour to get a look at the inside... It is really very different from other opera/theater houses and I am still debating whether or not I should get a ticket and go to a concert/opera (it would be a great experience... and they are playing puccini.....and the cheap tickets are cheaper than whicked....)
After the tour I wandered throught the botanic garden, visited the gouvener's house (home of the first govenour), the rose garden and saw three real Aras (white ones) and bats!!!!!!
The view of the opera house and the bridge was really great from whereever I got to see it and I could not get enough of it.... I walked by a majestic chair (forgot which lady it belonged to, some govenor's wife...) and then towards the domain, where people play cricket, on Sunday mornings they are supposed to have the debates just like at speakers corner in London and every other Saturday they got free concerts (now I only have to figure which one every other saturday is...). After that I visited the New South Wales public library. That is a really nice building, very bright and with an impressive room for older books.... They also had a few expositions, but by then I was already on my feet too long to spend a lot of time looking at the different things. Maybe I got back some other time.... 
Then my tour took my past the government building, the Sydney hospital with a famous pig in front of it.... The pig was sponsored by an Italian Couple, who has worked their as doctors. Rubbing its nose is supposed to bring good luck... I did rub it's nose, let's see what that does.... The hospital is still running and it is one of the most beautiful hospitals I have seen so far. It is really old and you would have never guessed that it is a hospital. On my way to Hyde Park I passed two churches (St. Mary's Church and St. James Church) 
and both truely showed british influence. It is almost like a culture shock leaving those churches, because I never expect to get out into the bright australian Sun and be surrounded by those massive green (I do believe they got a different green here) trees and colorful flowers..... My walking tour ended at Hyde park, which is another incredibly beautiful park. The trees are huge, and their leaves are so green and thick and they look so fresh.... I just would not expect that considering that is is so hot all the time. The gras is really dry, but all the trees just seem to do great with the heat and the humidity.... If my feet hadn't been so tired from walking on paved sidewalks all day I would have spend some more time just enjoying the breath in the park... but I was glad when I got back to my room and could take my shoes off.....
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