It can't be Sydney -- it's not raining!

Friday was a very unusual day; I woke up, and it wasn't raining. It wasn't bright and sunny, but at least it wasn't raining! So I wandered down the road for breakfast at the G'day Cafe ("where the locals eat"), then down to Circular Quay ("where the tourists visit").

After that, Ian Miller picked me up and took me out to IBM's Cumberland Forest location, out in the bush (which looked an awful lot like an Eastern US wooded area to me), where I gave my talk for the third and last time for this trip. Then a quick bite at the IBM cafeteria (it's not worth the trip from California), and back to the hotel via the scenic route (the freeway was blocked), though I didn't get any pictures.

The weather was still good, so I decided to get some different views of the Opera House (including one of the front) and took the ferry to Manly Beach. Manly is noted for its surf -- in fact, there is a professional surfing contest there this weekend, and there were dozens of surfers enjoying the waves. It was still too cold for anyone to be out sunning on the beach itself, though, but it was pleasant enough for me to walk along the path along the length of the beach. Then I had dinner and dessert on the Corso (Manly's tourist boulevard) -- barramundi and chips, followed by ice cream, and then took the JetCat back (no pictures -- it was already dark).

Tomorrow should be a very long day, since I travel home, crossing the International Date Line and landing at SFO 4 hours before I leave Sydney.

Tomorrow: The Longest Day

The trip, day-by-day:

 Getting There is Much Less than Half the Fun  Saturday/Monday, April 11/13 Airplanes and Airports
 Brisbane, as seen through a haze of jetlag  Monday, April 13 Brisbane
 The Conference Begins  Tuesday, April 14 Brisbane
 An Opening Ceremony  Wednesday, April 15 Brisbane
 A Brief Escape  Thursday, April 16 Brisbane
 The Conference Ends  Friday, April 17 Brisbane
 Koalas and Kangaroos and Wallabies, Oh My!  Saturday, April 18 Brisbane
 To Melbourne  Sunday, April 19 Brisbane/Melbourne
 A Day of Meetings  Monday, April 20 Melbourne
 DOM, Day 2  Tuesday, April 21 Melbourne/Sydney
 A Rainy Day in Old Sydney  Wednesday, April 22 Sydney
 Another Rainy Day in Old Sydney  Thursday, April 23 Sydney
 It can't be Sydney -- it's not raining!  Friday, April 24 Sydney
 The Longest Day  Saturday, April 25 Sydney/Los Gatos