* Viewing the Opera house from all angles
* Harbor bridge climb
* Market shopping at Paddy's
* Manly beach
* Bondi beach
* Shopping on Pitt St., George St., etc.
* Spending time on the water (ferries to and from all over)
* Trekking to and all over the Blue Mountains including seeing the Three Sisters
* Walking all over CBD and North Sydney
* Enjoying the great staff and facilities at the Sheraton/Westin Sydney
* Relaxing in the Sydney Botanic Gardens
* Taking in my first "footy" match - and watching a South Sydney upset!
* Traveling over to the Taronga Zoo
* Experiencing the Maritime Museum
* Eating fresh mussels and great dining on the wharfs and harbor fronts
* Meeting great people at the client and Guidewire Australia

I think that is it :) This has been a great three weeks and I look forward to my AU return.

Henry blows whistle on local ref

"CANBERRA coach Neil Henry last night claimed Raiders fans would be concerned about local referee Ben Cummins being appointed to crucial end-of-season games involving the Green Machine."

Keep reading for the full story...

"Manly skipper Matt Orford labelled today's 40-32 loss to South Sydney as the worst defeat in his time at the club as the Sea Eagles handed top spot and minor premiership favouritism over to defending NRL champions Melbourne.

Orford was dumfounded by his side's inept display in which the Sea Eagles conceded 40 points for the first time in almost three years, especially as it came just a week after they pushed the Storm all the way in a brutal contest at Brookvale Oval."

(More of the story below)

The mountains themselves are not what is special -- it is the deep valley's between that make the hills look like mountains. "The range rivals the Rockies in length, but nowhere near in height." Spectacular views can be obtained while hiking all over the hills. (See the photo set below!) NSW park system is very similar to USA based parks/forest services. All the trails and stairs were well constructed.

"Katoomba: Katoomba is the largest town in the Blue Mountains though it was unknown until the Katoomba Coal Mine opened in 1879. Named after the Aboriginal tribe which inhabited the area, it is home to the most famous site in the mountains - the Three Sisters. Legend has it they were three beautiful young women who had fallen in love with three men from the Nepean tribe from the foothills."

I took the train/bus combo to Katoomba then walked the 1-2kms to the Three Sisters/Echo point. My trek started with several lookouts, Prince Henry cliff walk, then onward down the Furber Steps. Saw the Katoomba falls, walked along Federal pass and Dardanelles Pass. That lead to the Giant Stairway - 900 stairs that take you from the valley base to the top of the mountain. At the top is the three sisters rock formation.

There is a Ruined Castle nearby (you can see it from the hilltops). That bushwalk is a full-day. Wish I had known about that earlier because I would have gone earlier, taken a lunch, and completed that hike.

Walked back into town, ate, and went back to Sydney. The legs were tired -- the steam room and sauna and jacuzzi felt so good! See inside the extended entry for several Blue Mountain links.

This past weekend (9 Aug) I got out to Manly beach, Bondi beach, shopped on Pitt St and in the markets, walked all around the Botanical Gardens and around town (north to south and east to west). The main event was the Harbor Bridge climb. See photo's and below.

Cheers!

Top 10 lists of things to do in Sydney...
List 1 | List 2 | WikiTravel for Sydney

Seems like climbing the harbor bridge is tops on many lists. That'll be on my list for this weekend.

UPDATED: Bridge climb. Check. Take a look at the photos! See the bridge climb website.

A record crowd of 110,000 gathered down by the bay to witness 35 teams launch their human-powered flying machines at Red Bull Flugtag Tampa Bay. It was the first craft of the day, local team Tampa Baywatch, that took home top prize with their hotter-than-"The Hoff" skit and a flight distance of 109 feet. "We knew we were going to fly, but we weren't sure how far. We were all freaking out a little bit being the first team off with over 100,000 people watching you. It's just amazing -- once in a lifetime," said Tampa Baywatch pilot, Keith Humphrey, who was joined on the flight deck by his twin, Kevin Humphrey, and teammates Chris Elmore, David West and Kevin Riley.

Check out the Red Bull pro PR photos.

(News article below)

Download the presentation

Miss Milwaukee II
948 Roosevelt Blvd.
Tarpon Springs, Florida 34689
(727) 937-5678

I just was in Rome, Italy not too long ago and found this article interesting. The full article is included herein or you can view the article at Newsweek.

Five winners have been chosen from more than 7,000 entries, and the signs are due to be in Embassy Suites nationwide by next week.

"Shh! I'm hatching a plan to bust some little soaps out of here" won Marty Mintman of St. Louis a trip to Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk in Honolulu.

"Pillow Fight In Progress" earned Susan Suarez of University City, Mo., a stay at any Embassy Suites in the USA.

Other winning slogans and authors: "There are days when I wish I could wear this around my neck" from Sandra Parcher, Milpitas, Calif.; "I've built a pillow fort and I am not opening the door for anybody!" from Amy Forgette, Streamwood, Ill.; "Aww, Mom. Just five more minutes. Please?" from Brian White, Chicago.