Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
When we have told people how long we were going to stay in Australia we were often met with looks of incredulity followed by a long monologue of places that we must visit. And having been here for the 3.5 days we allotted for this great country I am feeling that all thoise people where very right. Australia will be a long holiday by itself some time in the not too distant future as it has made a huge impression on me. We arrived on the 22nd and after finding some accomodation (which was unusually damp) we went out for a walk along the harbour front. I got my first glimpse of the Sydney Opera House just as it was getting dark. It was lit beautifully and immediatley it became my favourite building in the world. I was lucky enough to get close yesterday and wander around and used up mucho memo card space on taking pictures of curves and textures. I also saw a great horizon when I took the Manly Ferry to Manly (of course) and looked back to see the magnificent bridge (which despite my expectations is far more impressive than the Tyne Bridge upon which it is based), the Opera house then the sky scrapers of the city. Sydney is a beautiful city.
The first part of our stop off we visited Corine, Scott, Sophie and Finn in Newcastle. The last time I met them was for dinner in the back garden of Lauras Stoke Newington flat 3 years ago. They were just about to move back to Austarlia (Scott is Ozzy) and Sophie was a bundle of gooey pink flesh. Now Scott has a fantastic medittaranean style cafe called Ana Capri on Newcastle High Street, Sophie is a bonnie and energy filled little girl who has a new little brother called Finn. Corine took us to the local park where I saw my first ever kangaroos and koalas as well as seeing enclosures of very bright Australian birds. I was agog and thoroughly enjoyed it. After a wonderful dinner party that evening where I was served my favourite roast lamb we got taken to the beach the next day where we had a great time playing with the kids and plodging about in the cool water. Then it was a very tasty lunch at Scotts cafe before getting back in our horrendously underpowered hire car for the drive back to Sydney.
Its been a great few days topped yesterday by our first ever surfing lesson on Bondi Beach. It was a lot of fun and very hard work but both of us have vowed to do more whenever we get the chance. Laura managed to stand up very briefly but I am still to get there. If the aim of surfing was to be pitched head first over the nose of your board and suck up half a litre of water up your nose, I would be a world champion.
Next stop Beijing - China.
Chris
- comments