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Sydney

The neighbour grass might not be greener, but…

This is going to be a mammoth post so, make a coffee, get your favourite blanket if you’re reading from down under or Scotland, or switch on the air conditioning if you’re reading from Italy.

I got into Sydney a week ago and this has been a really full week. I’m all packed up and ready to start the long reentry trip tomorrow but, as it’s raining outside, this is a good time to try and put down all the events of the week before they leave that frail brain of mine.

Thursday

I guess a little bit of anticlimax was involved but I did not sleep that well the first night. Perhaps it’s just I have to recondition to a real bed. Got up bright and early and read a bit while waiting for the rest of the room to wake up and depart. The Wake-Up Hostel in Sydney is quite a good fun pace to be, I am in a four bed dorm and, over the stay, I would share the room with a variety of people, mostly, but not only, male, mostly, but not only, young.

As part of the packing it was goodbye time for some old friends: The intercontinental boots that are falling apart, the aluminium bottle that does not seal anymore, the crap lock that weights 2 kg and the failing helmet soon to be replaced by the new saltire coloured one that I will buy as soon as I get back.

As part of the packing it was goodbye time for some old friends: The intercontinental boots that are falling apart, the aluminium bottle that does not seal anymore, the crap lock that weights 2 kg and the failing helmet soon to be replaced by the new saltire coloured one that I will buy as soon as I get back.

I needed all to get going before I could get my wares into action in the bike packing up, noise was going to be involved.

All that done and dusted it was time to go for a little exploration of the place and to the first destination that I had thought I wanted to hit in Sydney.

After a little wonder in the CBD I ended up at destination number one, the National Maritime Museum.

I was not prepared for the fact that there would have been real life hardware to be seen, how intriguing.

I was not prepared for the fact that there would have been real life hardware to be seen, how intriguing.

Torpedo launch bay in the sub.

Torpedo launch bay in the sub.

Cosy kitchen, a little small for 68 people.

Cosy kitchen, a little small for 68 people.

This is a place where it pays to pack efficiently.

This is a place where it pays to pack efficiently.

The engine room.

The engine room.

And the driving seat.

And the driving seat.

CBD view from the deck of the sub.

CBD view from the deck of the sub.

And then onto the warship

And then onto the warship

with very big guns

with very big guns

and a deck to match

and a deck to match

The visit to the two boats was unexpected but rather interesting, I would recommend it. In the main ship I got taken around by a volunteer that had served on it when it was used to patrol the water dividing Australia from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea to the north.

These boat have not been out of commission for long and visiting them gave me yet another angle on the “living at sea” world that I will, in the not too distant future, start inhabiting.

The rest of the museum was more traditional and gave an overview of both the Australian sporting achievement as well as the role that the the sea and seafaring had in the evolution of the Australian nation.

I think this was the first solo lady around the world.

I think this was the first solo lady around the world.

Nothing says Australia more than a sailing boat made out of beer cans.

Nothing says Australia more than a sailing boat made out of beer cans.

Of course Australia was a penal colony

Of course Australia was a penal colony

With a direct line to Genoa

With a direct line to Genoa

The rest of the day was just relaxation and recuperation.

Friday

Much better sleeping and slower exit from the room provided me with an unexpected opportunity. I was talking to the people at reception when they told me that in a few minutes the free walking tour of Sydney would be on the way. Free, cannot be missed.

It turned out to be a rather good fun affair. Almost 20 of us, with some joining and leaving on route, w walked for the best part of five hours including an hour break at lunch.

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The group listening to the guide telling us about the war memorial in Hyde Park.

Starting from the hostel, which is at the bottom of the CBD we went to Hyde Park, the Botanical Gardens, Circular Quay, Darling Harbour, China town and back to the hostel.

The group was made up of mostly backpackers that are either finishing their time in Sydney or just arrived and ready to start travelling or working, armed as they are with their working holiday visas. If I was to be born again I am pretty sure that I would take time off after school and do a year like these kids do. Aside from the fact that it is a great deal of fun, it gives you knowledge that no school will ever give you.

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In the Botanical Garden on route to the Sydney Opera House

Another benefit  of the tour was the large amount of side knowledge of things to do that I picked up on it. Things like where to get the bus for Bondi or how to get a discounted ticket to the iMAX cinema, silly things, I know, but time and money savers for the budget conscious tourists like me.

Saturday

I was not really sure what to do when I got up, the weather was good and I started walking towards the CBD and I, almost by accident, found myself at the bottom of Hyde Park where the Bondi Beach bus leaves from.

I got a coffee and I decided that the weather was right for a stroll down to the beach.

Bondi Beach is a tourist trap, apparently there are other beaches that are much better, that said I thought the atmosphere was great and had much more style that say Venice Beach in LA where it’s just a poser’s paradise.

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I did not take pictures of all the wall painting in Bondi as there are many, but I thought this was a must.

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I’m not sure you can see them but there are a whole bunch of surfers in the sea.

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And here they are in winter outfits

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Some good, some so so, all having fun

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The whole of the beach

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Team meeting

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People are shockingly fit, I felt like running for a veggie shake.

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I’d like to say “with your body and my brain mate …” but sadly my brain is starting to go the same way as the body.

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I wonder if you can get a surfing licence, or if you get fines and points? I guess if you sit out there without surfing too long you might get a parking ticket.

Having completed a beachfront walk and taken in all that could be taken in from it I followed David’s advice and headed for the cliff walk to Tamarama. Being a Saturday with a glorious sun out made sure I was not lonely on the walk.

This stretch of coast, while not long is very scenic and the path has some changes of incline preventing the, let say, less physically inclined to take part. The result was that the level of fitness of the people that I encountered on the walk was amazing. Some were running up and down the stairs, some just jogging, but all making my leisurely pace feel a little out of place.

when I got to Tamarama I decided that the day was too young to dive into alcohol and I had a green full on shake with all possible goodness inside.

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Bondi to Tamarama coastline

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Sydney Harbour National Park, AKA the north side of the entrance to Sydney Harbour

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the city skyline from the Watson Bay to Manly ferry

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I guess one only places in Sydney where you can see a decent sunset.

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Up close and colourful

After the Tamarama book and juice break I walked back to Bondi where I caught a bus to Watsons Bay, the top of the coastline promontory and the bottom part of the entrance to Sydney Harbour. Up there I had a little walk around to see the rather impressive cliff faces that presented themselves to Captain Phillip and the First Fleet when they decided that Botany Bay was not quite the paradise that Captain Cook had described and they sailed on to find better fortune up the coast.

The reason for venturing up there was that I could get the last ferry to Manly where I had arranged to meet Donald, one of Margaret’s nephews for dinner. The ferry ride was short but coincided with the sunset so it was quite entertaining and Manly is quite a lively place. Donald met me outside the wharf and his son Ben was with him. We had a nice meal and chatted away, mostly about sport as I discovered that Ben plays in one of the Football Academies that AC Milan has set up around the world to try and harvest talent where they can find it.

After dinner we had a little walk around then they took me into town driving onto the Harbour Bridge and getting me the first crossing experience. Over the following two days I’d cross the bridge also on foot, on a train and on a minivan, I wonder if that makes me sort of a local now.

Sunday

My life is a bit strange, I am a bit out of sync with the people of my age group. As I don’t work it’s ok if I keep company with retired people, not my favourite, or if I spend time with young people, decisively better, but it’s a problem to get to see the people in working age, they have this rather inconvenient thing to do during the week. It is for this reason that Sunday was the day I caught up with Stuart, the ex Head of IT at UoW. I had not seen him for at least seven years but for some reason out Skype account had remained connected and I sent him a message when I got to Melbourne to see if he would be happy to meet. He got back to me very quickly and agreed to touch base again when I had made it to Sydney.

I spend the early morning going around the CBD and taking pictures as well as climbing the stone pylon to the south east of the Harbour Bridge as I was meeting him just on the north side of the bridge itself.

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If people had to pay a penny for each photo they take to the Westfield tower to charity, there would be no poverty in the world.

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There are some bits of Sydney that are oh so very London.

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View of the CBD from the pylon

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I love the sheer strength that is conveyed by the structure of the bridge.

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Centre of the bridge with the two flags on top.

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Equally impressive from below

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And far in the distance lots of Sunday sailors.

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Walking down the small paths of the The Rocks, first settlement in Sydney

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The always impressive Opera House

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How many images of the Opera House are one too many?

Stuart has not changed much and I have to say he has not suffered my catastrophic hair colour decay. He is well versed in taking people around to see bits of Sydney as he has for a long time worked with companies that had bases in all the APac area and therefore he has been, in the past, not short of foreign corporate visitors.

We went around for a while seeing a few of the most amazing vistas of the harbour and in the process he told me some of the fact that were missing in ever expanding knowledge of this nation.

After that we moved to Hunters Bay for a drink and a catch up on the past seven years where we have not seen each other. We then met his wife Lisa and daughter Allira for dinner in a spectacular Malaysian place in Chatswood, one of the North Sydney suburbs. After that we all went to his place and had another couple of glasses before I made my way back down to the hostel using the extremely convenient train service. Another fab thing of the place I’m staying at is that it’s just by the side of Central station.

It was great to see Stuart and I regret that when we were working together I did not make more of an effort in cultivating his company, on the way back to the hostel I though how Tarn and Lisa would probably have it it off greatly. Sometime work subordination becomes a barrier that impedes good things from happening.

Monday

Monday was a really slow day, my new friend Connor told me that there was a place in Darling Harbour where you could buy a healthy burger and a iMAX ticket for $34 which is the price you pay for the iMAX ticket at the cinema door. Too good to miss, eating for free when I had decided that the afternoon was going to be dedicated to the iMAX experiencing of the latest Jurassic movie.

the burger was spectacular and so was the movie. The plot is very Jurassic <fill as appropriate>, I guess there is not much you can do with the subject other than get dinosaurs to eat people and eventually be vanquished. The special effect were however impressive and the 3D iMAX, first time I was in one, was awesome.

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I know another one, I think it’s the last one.

Tuesday

The weather is finally turning to winter, we’re only a few days away to the shortest day, and it was time to inject into the routine some sheltered activities that did not expose me too much to the elements.

The answer for Tuesday was a few hundred miles of driving up through the mountains to get to the famous Hunter Valley and its 100+ wineries for a wine tasting day.

Start at 7:30 was not exactly the best but Ben, the guide/driver, made the time pass well with a not overpowering mix of chit chat and information giving.

We visited three wineries: Iron Gate Estate, Savannah Estate and Capercallie Estate. In the last one I actually bought a bottle of the local medal winner Shiraz that I was planning to share between the cheese evening I was cooking up for that night and the last supper on Wednesday.

The overall experience of the wine tasting is enjoyable. One has to be careful as the risk of getting well sozzled by drinking all they pass you is high. the wine were all quite nice but, to be honest I found only one spectacular one. In saying that you always have to remember that I am in no way an expert.

However one thing bugged me on the way back. We were taught that the aromas of the wine are felt as the chemical composition reawakens in our mind flavours that we know. What if the drinker has never had raspberries or never smelled mushrooms? I suspect I should have asked Lisa, Stuart’s wife, as this is her line of business.

Wednesday

Last day to use for tourist things really, with the flight tomorrow in the early afternoon I will have enough to think about without going places.

I decided to take the last of David’s advice and go to visit Victor Churchill butcher shop. On the way I stumbled upon a place that Stuart had told me about (below) which will require further investigation next time I’m around.

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The Wine Library, my kind of intellectual pursuit.

 

So, let me tell you a few things about Victor Churchill. First it is in a very swish part of town, not too far from the Sotheby’s Art Gallery, and presume salesroom, and surrounded by antique shops and all such likes.

the inside of the shop was all it was billed to be and I spent a few agonising moments trying to decide what I was going to have for dinner. The lack of an oven in the hostel forced my hand and I could not go for the 750 grams ribeye on the bone. I had to settle instead for the 512 grams T-Bone which, the shopkeeper told me, displayed a above average marbling so should be an adequate substitute.

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The front is cute

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but inside it’s like a jewellery for meat.

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rarely I have seen meat treated in such a regal fashion.

After I managed to extract myself from the shop, and it took quite a bit of effort, I decided that I had to Inject a bit of high brow-ness into the day to get the balance right.

I walked through Paddington and Potts Point to get to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. These parts of town look like they are Victorian in nature and they appear not only well preserved but also inhabited by, for lack of a better description, “beautiful people”.

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this must be almost as old as it gets in Sydney.

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Street art, sign of good living.

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Oh no, I did it again, last time now.

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Also in display a degree of restoration work.

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The plaque was just off this postbox.

It took me a good hour of meandering to get to the museum but I got there without suffering too much the effect of the rain that had by now become more constant.

I have not been in a gallery for a while, in fact this is the first time I go since I went to Boston with Tarn, I’m sure I’m going to miss her knowledge as there is a great deal of rust deposited on my history of art knowledge.

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Impressive welcome in the park outside

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Just inside the front door, a lot of oriental art in display showing how the ethnic balance in NSW is changing.

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did not take many pictures but this bronze, “Sic vita” got me, life is truly a mix of comedy and tragedy. here

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Region no 126701 – 127000 just an amazing concept here

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Made out of a whole load of these.

Picture of this installation has only a novelty value, see if you can spot me?

Picture of this installation has only a novelty value, see if you can spot me?

Our Gods however is a throw back at the theme of "Sic vita". Remarkable how the themes are similar even when the artists are separated by ages. The tiles making up each image are depicting the other. here

Our Gods however is a throw back at the theme of “Sic vita”. Remarkable how the themes are similar even when the artists are separated by ages. The tiles making up each image are depicting the other. here

A very large installation of a Ghandi speech. here

A very large installation of a Ghandi speech. here

And the public notice

And the public notice

Finally something that caught my imagination in the contemporary art section.

Finally something that caught my imagination in the contemporary art section.

I enjoyed it and I guess I know why. My former life was lived mostly in the world of people, where social interaction took a large part of my thinking time. Of late I spend a great deal of time in introspection, reflecting on the meaning of things and deserting thought as they take shape and disappear. I suspect this mental state, more opened to the reception and processing of complex messages allows me to see more into works that formerly would have just elicited a passing interest.

After the gallery I headed back to the hostel where, after catching up and exchanging contact with all the kids I have got to know over the past week, I got down to the task of getting the super steak, the fried onion and the rocket salad to a state where they would form a matching partnership with the three quarter of a bottle of Shiraz that was not going to see the European shores. I managed it, despite the rather basic equipment I cocked the steak perfectly and such a meal formed a great book end to a rather good time in Oz.

Over the past four months I have found myself thinking that the world is very much better down here than where I come from. However, talking to Stuart and Donald this week I have come to realise that I might have fallen for the trick of the light that makes the neighbour grass look greener. It is really difficult to escape it, and I’m pretty sure I’ll fall for it all over again in many of the next stages of this endeavour of mine, but, as Ned Kelly allegedly said just before the last drop, “such is life”.

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