Tim and I decided to take the ferry boat from Sydney Harbour out to Manly early Sunday afternoon, but before we did that, we did some grocery shopping.  Going to grocery stores in foreign countries is always an interesting experience: what they have, what they don’t have, what they do completely differently, and the varying cost of things.  Everything in Australia has appeared to be outrageously expensive compared to prices for similar things in the United States so far, groceries were still more expensive but the difference wasn’t quite as stark.  For some reason, Australians don’t refrigerate their eggs.  Instead, they just put them on a shelf.  The band KISS is apparently still popular in Australia.  Check out these popsicles.

After browsing the kangaroo burgers and kiwifruits, we dropped off the groceries and headed once again to the Circular Quay to board our boat.  Tour companies offer expensive boat tours of Sydney Harbour, but you can really catch some amazing views from the ferry to Manly, which is relatively inexpensive.  We rode the fast ferry out there and the slow one back.  The price isn’t that different, but because the fast ferry is — well — fast, it is a little harder to take photos with the sea spray and wind.  An upside of the fast ferry is that it is less crowded and comes with a bar.

Heading into Manly, we could see the sheer cliffs of the North Head and the South Head.

Manly is a pleasant, laid back, boat and beach town.  People were out enjoying the water on a Sunday afternoon and having lunch and drinks by the marina.  We stopped for lunch at the Manly Wharf and then walked to the other side of the peninsula along the promenade of the beach.  Aussies like to drink … a lot.  We noticed a few passed out face down in the sand.

After wandering through Manly and checking out a surf shop, we boarded a slow ferry which took us back to Circular Quay.

Later that afternoon, we went to the Beresford Hotel (bars are generally called “hotels” in Sydney probably because of some liquor licensing loophole).  It’s a great venue with a large courtyard.  The beers were cheap ($5) and it was packed with a good looking crowd.

We finished our Sunday fun with chicken schnitzel at Una’s.  Not the healthiest dish in the world, but a tasty way to end a Sunday of fun in Sydney.