The sun will come out tomorrow...
Or at least that's what the weatherman is saying. Today was another grey, dampish day, though the temperature was quite pleasant. Still, it'd be nice to get a sunny day with less wind so that I can go on one of the harbour cruises to see the sights around Sydney Harbour.
Though I still have brief periods of eyelid-opening-failure, the only real effects of jet lag seem to be a new propensity for waking up early in the morning. Becoming more of an early bird would be a bonus for my thesis work, so let's hope that it's not reversed by the jet lag on the way back to Scotland.
This morning, as on Monday, I took the bus in to the Central Business District (CBD) with Elisabeth & Brandon. From the Circular Quay I zig-zagged - intentionally and not - across to the Victoria Building to check out the shopping possibilities. Nothing demanded to be bought, though had I lived in town I'd have done serious damage in the massive kitchenwares bargain basement. After picking up some postcards, I zig zagged some more over to the Martime Museum which is located on the far side of Darling Harbour. The museum is free, a relatively rarity in Sydney, but would be well worth a visit even if there were an admissions fee.
The exhibits cover a huge range to topics. The lower gallery, funded via a centennial year gift from the US to Australia, explores maritime connections between the US and Australia. Other galleries examine the relationship between Australians & the water, give a fascinating glimpse into the history of the Australian Navy and provide a history of immigrants who have come to Australia via ship. In addition a navy helicopter and a range of historic boats are suspended from the soaring ceilings and/or tacked up onto the walls. Currently there is also an exhibit on pirates, so the space echoed with the footsteps of the classes of 'junior pirates' being marched around by their pirate-educators.
After my maritime education, I walked over to the Chinese Garden of Friendship, a pretty Chinese style gardens built during Australia's 100th year in collaboration with designers from Guangzhou, China as a symbol of the frienship between the two countries. The garden is an oasis of peace in the middle of a bustling city, though I could have done without the initials carved into the bamboo. Why do people find it so necessary to deface every public surface?
Crossing back across Darling Harbour, I detoured through the main drag in Sydney's Chinatown on the way to Hyde Park & the Australian Museum. Upon entering Hyde Park, I lunched at an open air cafe just across from the ANZAC War Memorial. Not quite the same people watching potential as NYC, but delicious tomato basil soup and a chance to rest my sore feet.
The final cultural/tourist stop of the day was at the Australian Museum which houses natural history displays. My impression was that much of the space is not being utilized, but what was there was done well. The highlight is the fascinating, if a bit discomifiting exhibit on the native peoples (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) of Australia, looking at their culture and the not so pleasant history of their treatment by the colonizing Europeans. The first floor is home to a great display of gems & minerals, and the 2nd floor birds & insects. The other current exhibit was literally a work in progress - the Museum is collaborating with a museum in Alberta, Canada on the excavations of dinosaur fossils in Alberta, and the exhibit is centered around scientists who are right there and then working on the fossils brought over (encased in plaster). So you can read the journals of the workers, look at other fossilized skeletons and then actually see the excavated fossils being worked on. There's even a big drawing of the current skeleton, with the bones shaded in as they're uncovered and chipped out of their rocky prison.
From the museum, it was a short trip by bus to the funky neighborhood of Paddington. Built around the backbone of Oxford Street, it's an area filled with little boutiques and cozy streets of brightly colored row houses with eleborate wrought iron railings and fences. It seems almost like a place out of the Carribean - bright colors, wooden buildings and sense of whimsy. Yet the place had almost unexpected rough edges - for every well kept house with a tiny, tidy front garden, there was one with a porch full of junk and straggly weeds. The impression was more of a lack of care than a lack of money to do the caring with. A shame. But the neigborhood still is charming. One thing that really struck me - in stark contrast with Scotland - is the plethora of flowers. The suburbs are splashed with bright colors and heavenly perfumes of all sorts.
Since the Sydney Bus Authority seems to be allergic to maps of any sort, it required a mobile conversation with my friend to determine the correct bus route home.
Upon arriving back in the flat, I took a deep breath and plunged yet again into the world of lost luggage. The news is good - my poster arrives in Sydney tonight - and bad - I have to hang around tomorrow until it's delivered. Judging from the notes the Qantas rep read out, it took three requests to get the poster sent from London. What exactly was so fascinating about my poster that they didn't want to part with it in London? Does someone in Heathrow have a food poisoning fetish? In anycase, if you're going to lose luggage, I reccomend doing it on the way to Australia. The Qantas reps in Australia have been the most relaxed, helpful and personable people I've ever encountered in the airline customer service world.
Elisabeth and I had dinner at the Clovelly Hotel, the local "pub" in the very loose, Australian use of the word. Good food, and they even had two kinds of Strongbow cider. Which is one more than I've ever seen in the UK!
So it's off to bed with wishes of sunny days and delivered posters!
Or at least that's what the weatherman is saying. Today was another grey, dampish day, though the temperature was quite pleasant. Still, it'd be nice to get a sunny day with less wind so that I can go on one of the harbour cruises to see the sights around Sydney Harbour.
Though I still have brief periods of eyelid-opening-failure, the only real effects of jet lag seem to be a new propensity for waking up early in the morning. Becoming more of an early bird would be a bonus for my thesis work, so let's hope that it's not reversed by the jet lag on the way back to Scotland.
This morning, as on Monday, I took the bus in to the Central Business District (CBD) with Elisabeth & Brandon. From the Circular Quay I zig-zagged - intentionally and not - across to the Victoria Building to check out the shopping possibilities. Nothing demanded to be bought, though had I lived in town I'd have done serious damage in the massive kitchenwares bargain basement. After picking up some postcards, I zig zagged some more over to the Martime Museum which is located on the far side of Darling Harbour. The museum is free, a relatively rarity in Sydney, but would be well worth a visit even if there were an admissions fee.
The exhibits cover a huge range to topics. The lower gallery, funded via a centennial year gift from the US to Australia, explores maritime connections between the US and Australia. Other galleries examine the relationship between Australians & the water, give a fascinating glimpse into the history of the Australian Navy and provide a history of immigrants who have come to Australia via ship. In addition a navy helicopter and a range of historic boats are suspended from the soaring ceilings and/or tacked up onto the walls. Currently there is also an exhibit on pirates, so the space echoed with the footsteps of the classes of 'junior pirates' being marched around by their pirate-educators.
After my maritime education, I walked over to the Chinese Garden of Friendship, a pretty Chinese style gardens built during Australia's 100th year in collaboration with designers from Guangzhou, China as a symbol of the frienship between the two countries. The garden is an oasis of peace in the middle of a bustling city, though I could have done without the initials carved into the bamboo. Why do people find it so necessary to deface every public surface?
Crossing back across Darling Harbour, I detoured through the main drag in Sydney's Chinatown on the way to Hyde Park & the Australian Museum. Upon entering Hyde Park, I lunched at an open air cafe just across from the ANZAC War Memorial. Not quite the same people watching potential as NYC, but delicious tomato basil soup and a chance to rest my sore feet.
The final cultural/tourist stop of the day was at the Australian Museum which houses natural history displays. My impression was that much of the space is not being utilized, but what was there was done well. The highlight is the fascinating, if a bit discomifiting exhibit on the native peoples (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) of Australia, looking at their culture and the not so pleasant history of their treatment by the colonizing Europeans. The first floor is home to a great display of gems & minerals, and the 2nd floor birds & insects. The other current exhibit was literally a work in progress - the Museum is collaborating with a museum in Alberta, Canada on the excavations of dinosaur fossils in Alberta, and the exhibit is centered around scientists who are right there and then working on the fossils brought over (encased in plaster). So you can read the journals of the workers, look at other fossilized skeletons and then actually see the excavated fossils being worked on. There's even a big drawing of the current skeleton, with the bones shaded in as they're uncovered and chipped out of their rocky prison.
From the museum, it was a short trip by bus to the funky neighborhood of Paddington. Built around the backbone of Oxford Street, it's an area filled with little boutiques and cozy streets of brightly colored row houses with eleborate wrought iron railings and fences. It seems almost like a place out of the Carribean - bright colors, wooden buildings and sense of whimsy. Yet the place had almost unexpected rough edges - for every well kept house with a tiny, tidy front garden, there was one with a porch full of junk and straggly weeds. The impression was more of a lack of care than a lack of money to do the caring with. A shame. But the neigborhood still is charming. One thing that really struck me - in stark contrast with Scotland - is the plethora of flowers. The suburbs are splashed with bright colors and heavenly perfumes of all sorts.
Since the Sydney Bus Authority seems to be allergic to maps of any sort, it required a mobile conversation with my friend to determine the correct bus route home.
Upon arriving back in the flat, I took a deep breath and plunged yet again into the world of lost luggage. The news is good - my poster arrives in Sydney tonight - and bad - I have to hang around tomorrow until it's delivered. Judging from the notes the Qantas rep read out, it took three requests to get the poster sent from London. What exactly was so fascinating about my poster that they didn't want to part with it in London? Does someone in Heathrow have a food poisoning fetish? In anycase, if you're going to lose luggage, I reccomend doing it on the way to Australia. The Qantas reps in Australia have been the most relaxed, helpful and personable people I've ever encountered in the airline customer service world.
Elisabeth and I had dinner at the Clovelly Hotel, the local "pub" in the very loose, Australian use of the word. Good food, and they even had two kinds of Strongbow cider. Which is one more than I've ever seen in the UK!
So it's off to bed with wishes of sunny days and delivered posters!
posted by Scottish Missy at 2:41 AM
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