Sydney has taken its place on my list of the world's most beautiful cities. Situated on a wide bay with numerous inlets, many of the neighborhoods have spectacular views of the water. The city center includes a picturesque and busy waterfront from which fleets of ferries shuttle passengers to communities situated along the bay. Neo-gothic cathedral spires and yellow sandstone colonial building dating back to the era of Queen Victoria nestle among gleaming modern high rise structures while Hyde Park and the Botanical Garden provide nearby green space. As all of the postcards suggest, the soaring arch of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the sail shaped roofline of the opera house command the attention of camera toting tourists. Cities with similar settings come to mind: Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Istanbul, Hong Kong and Capetown. Accompanied by Dirk and Wolf, my two German dorm mates at the Wake Up Hostel, I explored the beach communities of Bondi and Coogee, known as the best surfing areas in Sydney. The walkway follows the rugged coastline for about 3 kilometers between the beaches and provides spectacular views of the headlands, small hidden coves and pounding waves. Surfers ride the swells waiting for the perfect curl. Graffiti abounds on the cement wall behind the beach, perfect material for my photo project. Another day, another ferry ride, same companions, this time to explore Watson Bay, a part of the sprawling city that was once a sleepy beach community. Small cottages still line some streets, remnants of a past when city dwellers considered this a weekend escape and an historic lighthouse marks the entrance to the harbor. We rarely study Australian history; however, visits to art galleries and historical museums reveal glimpses of 19th century that resemble that of America, a pioneer spirit, westward expansion, rural life and undisturbed nature.
It is all English, but how did we end up with such diverse accents? Accent? What accent? It is all of the others who have the strange pronunciation! Often, Europeans have learned "American English" and have less of an "accent" than people from Ireland, Scotland, England, South Africa and India. Return to the saying on the tee shirt I bought in Bangkok and that is so frequently used in S. E. Asia- SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT! Occasionally I will ask someone to repeat a word or phrase that I have not understood, and they will do the same with me. I find myself speaking more slowly and more distinctly, being careful to enunciate my words to the point that some people ask where I am from and say that I don't sound American. OK, so I will have a strange unidentifiable accent when I return home!
Kangaroos! Determined to see some of these critters in the wild, I took a tour to the Blue Mountains just to the west of Sydney. The low foothills gradually become a small mountain range reaching elevations of 3000-4000 feet, a succession of ridges covered with temperate rain forests composed mainly of eucalyptus trees and "Australian bush." Millions of years of erosion have created sheer cliffs, backdrops for numerous spectacular waterfalls that dot the area. Recent rainfall has encouraged colonies of mushrooms to spring from the mossy ground cover shaded by palm shaped tree ferns. Thousands of steps have been carved into sandstone cliffs, an essential part of the trail leading to viewpoints and waterfalls as one descends to the canyon floor. The easiest way to return to the canyon rim is to take the cable railway that claims to be the steepest in the world, a claim that seems justified as one's gaze becomes nearly vertical when the train passes through a long tunnel carved through the cliff.
But where are the kangaroos? They were not in the forest. We make one last stop before returning to Sydney, an grassy open area in the national park. Nearly leaving without success, the driver takes one last dirt road, and VOILA, a group of four kangaroos busy nibbling grass. They pay little attention to us as we approach slowly with our cameras; however, as if paid to present some kind of show, the two males rise on their back legs and balance on their tails while they put on a wrestling performance. Finally, tired of the attention, they hop off to greener pastures and we return to the city.
More good luck! The driver had connections to people who do street art and graffiti, offered to show me some examples and even to meet the artists. After delivering the other passengers back to their hostels and hotels, he spent several hours introducing me to artists and taking me to see examples of their work.
Another interesting adventure and more photos in my growing collection.
It is all English, but how did we end up with such diverse accents? Accent? What accent? It is all of the others who have the strange pronunciation! Often, Europeans have learned "American English" and have less of an "accent" than people from Ireland, Scotland, England, South Africa and India. Return to the saying on the tee shirt I bought in Bangkok and that is so frequently used in S. E. Asia- SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT! Occasionally I will ask someone to repeat a word or phrase that I have not understood, and they will do the same with me. I find myself speaking more slowly and more distinctly, being careful to enunciate my words to the point that some people ask where I am from and say that I don't sound American. OK, so I will have a strange unidentifiable accent when I return home!
Kangaroos! Determined to see some of these critters in the wild, I took a tour to the Blue Mountains just to the west of Sydney. The low foothills gradually become a small mountain range reaching elevations of 3000-4000 feet, a succession of ridges covered with temperate rain forests composed mainly of eucalyptus trees and "Australian bush." Millions of years of erosion have created sheer cliffs, backdrops for numerous spectacular waterfalls that dot the area. Recent rainfall has encouraged colonies of mushrooms to spring from the mossy ground cover shaded by palm shaped tree ferns. Thousands of steps have been carved into sandstone cliffs, an essential part of the trail leading to viewpoints and waterfalls as one descends to the canyon floor. The easiest way to return to the canyon rim is to take the cable railway that claims to be the steepest in the world, a claim that seems justified as one's gaze becomes nearly vertical when the train passes through a long tunnel carved through the cliff.
But where are the kangaroos? They were not in the forest. We make one last stop before returning to Sydney, an grassy open area in the national park. Nearly leaving without success, the driver takes one last dirt road, and VOILA, a group of four kangaroos busy nibbling grass. They pay little attention to us as we approach slowly with our cameras; however, as if paid to present some kind of show, the two males rise on their back legs and balance on their tails while they put on a wrestling performance. Finally, tired of the attention, they hop off to greener pastures and we return to the city.
More good luck! The driver had connections to people who do street art and graffiti, offered to show me some examples and even to meet the artists. After delivering the other passengers back to their hostels and hotels, he spent several hours introducing me to artists and taking me to see examples of their work.
Another interesting adventure and more photos in my growing collection.
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