It’s hard to believe yesterday was just our 6th day in Australia. It seems much longer but that’s probably just because we’ve done so many things in that time. Yesterday was our first Saturday in Australia and the beginning of our first weekend.
The weather was glorious as it has been since we arrived. It’s the middle of winter here (think December 22 equivalent in the states) and it’s been sunny and 70F every day. The sun makes it feel even warmer — you couldn’t ask for better weather. The close proximity to the ocean coupled with an expansive open harbour means the air is constantly churning through so pollution is minimal at worst, non-existent at best. That’s not to say Sydney is a clean city — far from it. There is plenty of litter about and the whole city looks as though it could use a good power-washing. The residential buildings are mostly made of brick or Australian sandstone typical of an oceanside town where other materials couldn’t tolerate the conditions. There are parts that remind me of Tokyo and parts that remind me of Europe. There is nothing about the city that reminds me of America unless you count McDonalds or Starbucks or something similar. Even with that, there is very little to be found — in fact, I’ve never even seen a McDonalds.
Exploring the area is fun, exciting and different. It’s also a big workout — especially if your knees are not up to snuff (see me). Sydney is a town built on the edges of the worlds largest harbour. Because of that, and especially if you are travelling by ferry, striking out in any suburb/neighbourhood/community means you are walking up hill as soon as your step off the boat. (I’ll be interested to see how my FitBit registers all these incline steps once it arrives with my freighter shipment.) It’s good exercise and not boring - novel concept.
Our morning was spent locally at the Saturday market where we stocked up on some fruit, vegetables and a bit of meat. Typical market though quite large — maybe 100 tents, all selling food or flowers. It’s well attended and a pretty good bargain compared with grocery stores. We enjoyed some really good noodles cooked up by “Jackie M” — yum! Bus there, bus back, all good. Side note: Australians don’t “sleep in” on the weekends — they are up and about in force early on the weekends.
Our real Saturday journey took us to the lovely area known as Kirribilli. Our lease expires where we are now at the end of January so we are exploring our options and Kirribilli is definitely one of the alternatives. It is located directly across the harbour from the Opera House and adjacent to North Sydney and Milsons Point. Compared to where we live now, Kirribilli is moderately more modern with taller buildings and slightly wider streets. We walked for over an hour and while we enjoyed the peace and quiet (and stunning views) we were concerned there were no businesses to be found. Life without a car might be a challenge and the steep streets were a real test.
We took the ferry from Balmain East (where we live) across the harbour to Milsons Point and then continued on foot along the edge of the harbour to Kirribilli. Milsons Point is where the iconic amusement part is located waterfront — in fact, you get off the ferry next to that creepy giant face that is the entrance to the park. While walking I snapped a few shots of the Opera House including one of Julie along the harbour railing. Once in Kirribilli we walked along the stunning harbour front and then eventually headed inland up Up UP the hills. Thank god for google maps or we might end up trudging up the hills to find ourselves dead-ended somewhere. We came upon a small ensemble theatre where Julie had watched a play with a couple of her peeps during her initial five-week stint before I joined her. Quaint is the best word to describe the venue. From there we were ready for a break and we took ourselves upward until we came upon a street immediately adjacent to the train station that takes people across the harbour bridge to CBD.
We settled in and enjoyed a beverage while watching Australian Rules Football. I could write a whole blog on Footie —- very different than what our beloved Ducks play. Still, it’s entertaining and we watched with interest all the while reading the WIKI on how the game is played, etc. (Aussie sports losers). After a while, we caught the train into CBD travelling for the first time (for me) across the harbour bridge. The train let us out right by Julie’s office and to her credit she didn’t go in to knock out some tasks ( work nerd). The central station is enormous, seriously, really big. It’s underground and feels like it takes up 10 or more city blocks of space. We caught the light rail from there and headed to The Star casino 6 stops away in Pyrmont.
The Star is the only casino in Sydney and it’s enormous and beautiful. In fact, I think I like it better than any casino in Vegas. We’re light-weight slot machine players and the selection of games is nothing like Vegas, however, it’s smoke-free, clean, and full of people who dress for the casino. It’s a stark contrast to watching some lady from Kansas, named Gretel, chain-smoking cigarettes in a velour track suit with a cup full of nickels in her lap. Here, the casino is a destination where people go to gather and party…it’s quite refreshing by comparison. Party dresses for the girls and nice slacks and shirts for the men… We gambled for a few hours, donated less than $200 and caught the ferry home for bed. It was a good day — I am really enjoying spending time with my best friend.
Enjoy your day friends. Miss you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment