Our second day in Sydney, we didn’t know what to do, so we fired up TripAdvisor to look up some of the recommended attractions. Our first stop was a Thai restaurant in Woolloomooloo for lunch. Afterward, we took a long stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens and adjacent parks toward Circular Quay. We were surprised to find many small exercise groups working out in the park. (I’ve seen groups of people exercising in parks in America, but never in quite such a high concentration.)

Eventually, we headed back to the hotel from which my uncle Glenn kindly offered to pick us up and drive us to his home. (Technically, I think Glenn is my first cousin, once removed, but I’m not an expert on such things.) He took us on a scenic drive through the city and across the Harbour Bridge. I didn’t realize how long the drive to the suburbs would take in traffic and, in retrospect, Valerie and I probably should have taken a train out of the city to avoid adding so many hours onto Glenn’s drive home from work. For the next few days, we will be staying with Glenn and his wife Fiona. Tomorrow, they will be hosting a grand get-together of the New South Wales based family members.

For dinner, we met Bluebell and Callum at a local Italian restaurant since they will be unable to make tomorrow’s gathering. It was great to see them and to share stories.