We left for Australia on March 17, 2003 from Kansas City – Southwest Airlines to Los Angeles via Albuquerque. After a short layover, we got on a Qantas flight to Sydney. Fourteen hours in a plane is far too long, but the in-seat movies (a nice selection) and reading and sleeping got us there in no time. We landed at Kingsford Smith Airport on Botany Bay on Wednesday morning, made it through customs and hopped on a bus to take us to our hotel in downtown Sydney.
Our hotel, the ANA Harbor Grand, is located in the Rocks area, just south of the Harbor Bridge. We arrived and went up to the Executive Lounge (booking on the internet has some real advantages!). Below is a panorama looking out from the lounge. This is the view we had at breakfast every morning, and the view from our room. Also, a picture of our hotel from Circular Quay.
Although quite jet-lagged, we went for a walk around Circular Quay. Below are some pictures. We actually managed to stay awake for dinner at a Japanese restaurant (Unkai) in the hotel – excellent food! Then some much needed rest.