Day 69 (14 August): The Eastern Suburbs

After sleeping in a bit this morning, I went with my aunt and uncle to see Sydney's 'Eastern Suburbs' which are south of the Sydney Harbor and obviously to the East. They also tend to be upper- and middle-class suburbs like the 'Northern Suburbs'; however, they are slightly older as the Harbor Bridge which connects the North to the rest of Sydney wasn't building until the 1920s. Just like in the North many of the Eastern Suburbs are built up on hills with houses that feature superb views out over the harbor.

At the Head of Sydney Harbor where it connects to the ocean we stopped for lunch at an apparently world-famous seafood restaurant called Doyle's now known among Sydneysiders for its substandard food while retaining its amazing views. I had an Entree (which is an appetizer in the US) of Balmain Bug and a Main (which is what we call in the US) of Baramundi fish--since these were both seafood items only available in Australia. The bug is a prehistoric looking shellfish that tastes somewhat like a cross between a prawn and a lobster only chewier than both. From there we checked out 'The Gap' park which is apparently a well known suicide site in Sydney and looks out to the Pacific Ocean. We then went down to Sydney's famous surfing beach, Bondi, and then back through some more of the Eastern Suburbs.

Upon returning to their house, I jumped in a car with James and met a friend of his at a pub before coming home to yet another enourmus meal. This time it was a full-on Australian meal, featuring Australian lamb and for desert Pavlova (which is a uniquely Australian thing.) Once again, Bill opened up his wine cellar which I now got to enter and see his massive collection.

Observations:
1) Bondi Beach seems a lot like Pacific Beach in San Diego. In Sydney it epitimozes the sterotypical Australian Beach scene, just like Pacific Beach does the same for Southern California. They attract similar crowds, etc.
2) Reputation. Bill and Ellen still took me to Doyles despite a terrible review recently in an Australian paper. This just shows the power of reputation and location as the place can serve out decent (but overpriced food) and still be packed based on other factors. I honestly couldn't complain much about the food.
3) Queensland license plates say the 'Sunshine State' on them like Florida license plates in the US. Apparently, in a similar tradition parts of Queensland are also called the 'Deep North' in parallel to the 'Deep South' which makes sense since its closer to the equator.
4) Bars/pubs and hotels. This tends to be a common mix in one building in Australia or at least was the case for both places I've been to. Apparently, it is a common phenomenon in the 'Bush' where there may only be one building for people traveling through to stay and 'entertain' themselves.
5) Speed cameras. All around Sydney, there are cameras that automatically send a ticket and fine to your home if your are speeding. Scary thought in the US, since everyone speeds.