Wandering around the CBD

Matthew is still away on the work outing at Port Stephens, so I walked around the CBD (Central Business District) today - through Hyde Park, into the Anzac Memorial, into St. Mary's Cathedral, into David Jones department store, etc.

This is an Australian white ibis, hanging out in a fountain in Hyde Park. Apparently they are common and hang out in urban areas, just like pigeons. Check out that beak!

This is St. Mary's Cathedral, seen from Hyde Park. It's the seat of the Catholic archbishop of Sydney, and the largest Gothic cathedral in the southern hemisphere.

I also did my first grocery shopping in Australia. Check out my first groceries, including Coon brand tasty cheese. "Tasty" is a variety of cheese here, like cheddar or colby.

There were a lot of mystifying foods, and most things are more expensive in the U.S., except for kiwi fruits, which were something like 8 for $2.

Speaking of expensive, earlier in the day I'd gone into the newsagent and bought a small bottle of Diet Coke and a packet of M&Ms and thought I heard wrong when he said the total was $5.30.

Here's a link to my pics from the day.