Heading South

After two weeks in the country, I have been to Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley. Of course, the Opera House is impressive because it is so big. I didn't know the whole white surface was made out of tiles. That must have been a lot of work. The beach was nice, but the water was as cold as Northern California. I'll be glad to leave Sydney because it's too crowded, noisy, and always smells of car exhaust. I guess I'm just not a big city person.
The Blue Mountains were great. There was plenty of fresh air, amazing scenery, and fun hikes along the cliff tops and down into the rain forest.
The Hunter Valley has a great relaxed wine country feel. It is a major destination for people from Sydney, as it is about two and a half hours away. The white wines were pretty good, but most of the reds were lighter than what I'm used to. Even some of the ones that had deep color and flavor tasted more earthy than fruity. But I still had a good time wine, beer, cheese, and chocolate tasting.
In Sydney I bought a car, and I will start driving South tomorrow. I would like to drive along some of the coast and visit some National Parks for some good hiking. I also want to buy camping gear to undertake some multi-day hikes.