Walk about

It was a day of all walking, all day. From city center and Hyde Park I walked to my tour of the Sydney Opera House. Now mostdays you get the standard tour of this architectural masterpiece. But my tour group lucked out; the Sydney symphony orchestra was in rehearsal for their Show Tunes concert. As we walked in the theater, trumpeter James Morrison was featured as the FULL orchestra played the 007 Bond James Bond favorite Goldfinger.

Anyone who knows me know I'm a James Bond die hard. This music in this space with this trumpet virtuoso was nothing short of spectacular. I had do do the James Bond pose with the finger gun. Tour guide: not impressed. Really a fantastic story of how this opera house was built.

So I walked up 48 steps to a nearby park, put on some sun screen(yes the sun was out and it is HOT here) and just sat on a grassy knoll and watched the boats go through the harbour for an hour. Grabbed a quick lunch at circular quay, then
wandered through The Rocks, nurses walk ( where convicts walked from their prison to the local hospital), then on to Darling Harbor and back through downtown to city center. It's amazing how quickly you can move from one neighborhood to the next so quickly and seamlessly. People seem noticably healthier than
many places I've seen. I suspect all the walking keeps Sydney siders as they're called at healthier weights. Good on ya.

It's an expensive city. I don't think I've paid less that 3.50 for any beverage I've purchased since I arrived.

So back at the hotel and a dip in the pool on the top floor (22). What a view!

On to and afternoon glass of Xanadu shiraz and people watching. My last day in Sydney is tomorrow and still have plenty to do. I'm playing Australian rules football.

Sights and sounds of Sydney

Today was a full day of guided touring of Sydney. Starting with a 3 hour bus ride all over this city of over 4 million. Over 90 percent of the Aussie population lives within 100 km of a beach, which says a lot about who lives in the vast expanse of the Outback. We toured Darling harbor and the Rocks, one of the oldest parts of the city, where the first setlers from England set up shop. Trouble was that most of that part of land is set on sandstone which -- when it decomposes--- created the most infertile of soils... Bad news for settlers. We moved on to circle cay and Sydney's most famous beach... Bondi ( aborigines for "where water makes a sound"). I stuck my feet in the cool Ocean water and blinded the other tourists as I took my shirt off and the sunlight reflected off my back. "Don't worry folks; it'll all be over soon. Nothin' happenning here."

After Bondi (pronounced Bon- die), we went back to Darling Harbor and I dashed aboard captain crook's harbor tour cruise. Big boat with an all- you- can- eat buffet. I limited myself to four half chickens and some fruit compote that I couldn't quite recognize. It was me and 3,500 Japanese tourists, but my height was a definitie advantage in seeking the dessert bar first.

I also saw Mrs Macquarie's chair, a stone chair carved by convicts for one of the founding governor's wife. It was set outside on an end point of a jetty. She loved looking from this chair across the water... Longing for letter from home. I have the Internet.

I have tons of pictures and videos but can't find a way to post them yet. Stay tuned.

Top of Australia

After 20 hours of flying, I arrived in Sydney this morning and completely passed over Valentine's Day, courtesy of the International dateline. Faddy, the driver who picked me up, is a native of Sydney and graciously took my iPhone and said g'day to Angie and the kids upon my request. Quick workout and a stop at Starbucks for iced chai (note; a Venti here is like a grande in U.S, so I have recalculate pumps)
and off to wander Sydney.

So I cruised through Hyde Park in the center of Sydney, cruised through St Mary's cathedral the most magnificent I've ever seen), a tour of the Sydney Tower ( the tallest structure in all of australia at over 300 meters). Getting used to meters, kilos and watching for drivers on the left side of the road. The clouds and rain a
have moved away, leaving a gorgeous 38c degrees and sunny skies. I know I'm jet lagged and the crash is coming but WOW what a city and I'm ready to venture out again. Is it possible to fall in love with another country?

Still on the look out for funnel spiders and box jellyfish. So far so good for the wandering Yank.

What a difference a few weeks make

When my Dec 26th scheduled departure crossed paths with a wicked Nor-easter, I had no idea it was only the first of about dozen snow storms to batter the northeast. Coming home from the ill-fated attempt to 3 feet of snow on the 27th, followed by 8 more inches, then 12 more, then 13 more (well you get the picture), ended up making January the snowiest month in NY in weather history. So it makes the anticipation of going to a place where summer is in full swing all the better. Add to that the craziness of work (and the fact that I'll soon be leaving my employer of 16 years), and it makes this trip absolutely/perfectly timed. So I'll make another go of it on Sunday, only this time I will not be denied.

I wander, as I wander

So I wandered as far as JFK. After 4 hours on a plane, de-icing and getting as far as the end of the runway, it was over -- for now. An hour for reclaiming luggage, an hour for the Airlink Train (which stopped operating in the blizzard -- the 5th biggest in NYC history), another hour and half waiting for shuttles that never came; bartering with a limo driver waiting to pick someone else up; a harrowing 1.2 mile ride that took another 1.5 hours to get the the Howard Johnson's by the airport. There... that's 12 hours summed up in a few sentences. Then another 18 hours waiting for a ride back to Connecticut.  It simply wasn't meant to be now. So I'll wander again in a few weeks, or months.  Stay tuned.

Prepping for "dan Unda"

When I was a mere boy of 12, my sister Sallie and  I applied for pen pals through a teen magazine to which she subcribed. Sallie influenced me in some great ways, and some not-so-great ways -- like telling me  to grow my hair out to look cool, when all it really did was make me like Dorothy Hamill  in drag (but I digress). I got a penpal from Ireland, she got one from Sydney. My correspondence lasted maybe a year. Her friendship with her Aussie penpal has lasted a lifetime.

So the long and short of it is that I always wanted the penpal from Australia and never got one. As I grew older, I did book reports on Australia, class projects on the Outback, and wrote to the Australian Embassy for insights on koalas and kangaroos. I wanted more than a penpal from Oz. I wanted the experience.

So to celebrate my 50th birthday (which I just did on 12/19), my wife gave me the perfect gift -- 10 days in the land Down Under. Sydney, Cairns and Melbourne. It really is a dream of a lifetime. So I thought I'd share my travels on this blog.  If I'm not eaten by a great white shark while snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, or knocked unconscious by a kangaroo and put in a coma for a few years, I may just be able to put future travels on here as the Wandering Yank.

It's two days before departure and I haven't packed yet. Little thing called Christmas first. Stay tuned.