There are several subtle things here in Sydney that remind me that I am in a former British colony. Instead of take out, they have "take away". The rail system urges you to "mind the gap", and points you to the "way out" instead of the exit. When you get on the escalator, you are advised to stand on the left and walk on the right (the reverse of what one does on the Metro). Apartments are "for let", not for rent. I am constantly looking the wrong way before trying to cross the street. Perhaps by the time I reach New Zealand it will have become second nature.
I forgot to mention the wildlife in Sydney itself. I have seen what I think are cockatoos (Cailin, help me out here), and the royal botanical gardens supports a huge colony of flying foxes in the trees. I walked through there just before dusk yesterday when they were all starting to stir. The rooster alarm clock has been replaced by some other bird, which I fancy to be a kookaburra (it's probably not).
Last night I made the unfortunate discovery that the woman with the bunk below mine snores. loudly. With a pair of earplugs to join my sleep mask, I was undisturbed by the kookaburras and slept until 9:30. oops. I purchased a combination rail and ferry pass and set my destination for Manly Beach. It's a lovely 1/2 hour ride there on a different ferry. This one takes you to the north shore, past the entrance to Sydney harbor. At Manly, you can swim in either the harbor or the south pacific ocean. The overcast weather didn't detour multitudes of swimmers and surfers, or sunbathers for that matter.
I had a proper beach meal of fish and calamari with chips and ate it on some steps overlooking the water. How many cities have a beach of this caliber just 30 minutes from their city center, and accessible by ferry? And it's not the only one; Bondi beach on the south shore is far more well known (have you ever seen photos of Australians celebrating Christmas by wearing Santa hats along with their bikinis?... that's Bondi beach).
Friday I'm headed out... not sure if it'll be to Melbourne or the Blue Mountains, a few hours from Sydney. Tomorrow, since I've already been to the zoo, perhaps I'll take yet another ferry over to Sydney Olympic Park. And then I can visit an additional Olympic stadium in Melbourne. Oh, the possibilities are endless :)
4 comments:
Glad to see you made it to Australia, Deb. souds like my kind of place; lots of runners and a beautiful beach. Don't forget to "mind the gap"!
I rather liked the "way out" signs in the London tube, though my favorite is still a guy describing an animal's personality as "all teeth and no trousers".
Cockatoos are native to Australia. If the birds have crests and are much bigger than Keegan, they are probably 'toos. They come in white, yellowish, salmon, pink/gray ("gallahs" and black with red faces.
Do Aussies walk around with cell phones or ipods plastered to their ears? Have you seen kangaroo on a menu yet? ooh!
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