Back to Reality
My guests are somewhere over the Atlantic and I had lecture this morning followed by work this afternoon. Life is now back to normal for the last week and a half of the semester. We had a great two weeks traveling and exploring Sydney - it was nice to be able to show people around the city I have been in for the last three months! To catch you up to speed, here is how the last three days went:
Sunday:
When we were deciding what to do on the different days once we got back from Cairns, we had settled on Sunday as being the big day of definitively Sydney experiences. We arose early and caught the bus to Circular Quay to tour the Opera House on the first tour of the morning. Our guide was wonderful (witty, informative, and a bit of a rule-bender on the 'no photos in the theatres' policy) and the tour was a fantastic way to see the building. It lasted about an hour, and we got to go into both main theatres and the studio theatre, and Jason and Rebecca learned a lot about the history of the construction and the architect. I was impressed by the interior exposed sections of the ribbed roof, the concrete spanning members that made up the stairwells, and the interior of the concert hall.
When we left the Opera House Jason and I combined our resources (my phone with skype and his skype credits) to make a phone call back to the US. With the exception of a bit of skyping with mom and dad and a few friends, I haven't really "called" the US in three months. We timed it to catch the family all together at dinner. The best part was the surprise in mom's voice when she was told who was calling to interrupt dinner! It was a nice treat for all parties involved, and a bit of a surreal experience from my end; I never really envisioned myself standing in Circular Quay between the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge chatting on the phone to a table full of the family.
After we hung up, we headed around the Quay toward the Harbour Bridge where we split ways. Jason went off to meet up with Jimmy while Rebecca and I headed up toward the Bridge to meet Tiffany to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At 11:00 we checked in at Bridgeclimb. Over the next hour we were fitted for climbing gear, given our radio headsets and safety briefing, and went through a climb simulator for the steeply angled stairs we would encounter along the way. The wind suits you are given to wear allow all components to be clipped in, and you are strictly prohibited from bringing anything (you have to pass through a metal detector) onto the Bridge. As the guide explained, the reason they are allowed to operate on the Bridge (which is property of the state, New South Wales) is because they assure that all things that go up will be attached to the climbers which will in turn be attached to the Bridge - at which point the state guarantees that the Bridge will be attached the the ground (har har har).
Once we had our harnesses on we queued at a door leading out to the catwalks which run out to the actual span of the Bridge. We attached our harnesses to a line that runs along the entire climb, and proceeded in a line on our two hour adventure. The first 400m or so, on catwalks that are sometimes less than 18" wide, were a bit daunting for some in the group. The view is straight down, sometimes over traffic, and you have to negotiate over, under, and through trusses which support the Bridge. While we walked (with a bit of bobbing and weaving) our guide talked about the Bridge, starting with the history of the area long before the crossing existed.
Finally, we reached the base of the arch and, one by one (the ladders are too steep to allow two people on at a time without risking people getting kicked in the face) began climbing the four ladders from underneath the road deck, through the deck between lanes 7 and 8 on the Bridge, and up to the start of the top arch. As I came to the top of the first ladder and began to round the platform to start up the second to come through the roadway, I thought I heard someone yell my name. The thought ran through my head that I was in the middle of climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, isolated from the outside world and anyone who I know, but then I heard it again, and again. I turned to the right as I passed above the road deck to see Jason standing on the sidewalk across the last lane of the Bridge. He snapped some pictures as I came through, followed by Rebecca, and continued to get more pictures as we went higher.
It took a while for the whole group to again assemble at the base of the top arch. Jason managed to do a run up the south pylon of the Bridge, which has an observation tower (conveniently the one closest to us), and continue to get pictures of us as we began to make our way up the arch. The walk up the arch was a cinch compared to the first parts of the climb. The arch is 3 meters wide (almost 10 feet) and very shallow, allowing for an easy, 20 minute walk to the summit of the Bridge. We stopped for photos along the way (taken by the guide and available for purchase after the climb), but the two hours flew by. There were great views along the walk, and it was a generally engaging time. Over the course of the entire two hours, the narrative of the Bridge continued from inception to construction to completion and finally to the modern day. It was a great way to do the tour.
When we finally got down from the Bridge, it was past 2:00, and we were hungry. Tiffany, Rebecca, and I walked down to Circular Quay and had some fast food before turning around and treking up to the Bridge to climb the south pylon. Since we couldn't have our cameras on the Bridgeclimb, we took the chance on the pylon observation deck to get the views of the Harbour on our cameras. After we snapped away until our hearts were content, we walked back down and treked across the Bridge to Milsons Point on the northern side of the Harbour. As the sun began to set we walked through Luna Park (where Max met up with us). Around 5:15 we began the walk back across the Bridge to the rocks, where we intended to meet up with Jason around 5:45 at the Argyle.
The Argyle was a lot more crowded than the night we came for Tiffany's birthday, but we found a few black velvet wing back chairs and cozied up to a table with a jug of Cobbled Collins. Around 6:15 Jason rolled in, and after polishing off the jug we headed out to wander around the Harbour.
Friday night marked the kickoff of a massive festival called Vivid. The Rocks and Harbour are illuminated with fantastic displays, some interactive. We stood dumbfounded as projects on the Opera House appeared to allow the roof to peel away. All in all, there are six or seven buildings that are covered in projections of various sorts, as well as three dozen or so smaller exhibitions scattered around the area. It was a very cool way to spend the evening, and I urge you to check it out as I did a very poor job at explaining it: http://www.vividsydney.com/
Finally, around 8:00 we split ways with Tiffany and Max, and Jason, Rebecca, and I headed off to a restaurant a block from the Harbour called Phillip's Foote. As unappetizing as that sounds, it was one of the best meals I have had in Sydney. The premise of the restaurant, housed in a heritage listed sailors pub from the early days of Sydney, is that you select a piece of meat when you walk in, and are given it raw. From there you head off to one of the grills positioned around the courtyard where you are master of your steak (or chicken). While you wait for the meat to cook, you have free run at the large salad and fruit bar as well as potatoes and bread. With the exception of the meat (which was a hefty portion anyway) the food is unlimited. Jason and I definitely got our monies worth. Fat and happy, we headed back to my place via the bus.
Monday:
Monday we had designated our catch up day to hit any last sites they had missed on their trip. We slept in a bit (sleep had been missing from the itinerary, no doubt) and made pancakes for breakfast.
After leisurely getting ready, we headed out toward Hyde Park, taking a detour to walk through Central Station on the way. Once in the Park, we walked through the ANZAC Memorial before heading across the street to walk through St. Marys Cathedral. By this time it was already 1:00, and we ventured over to the Westfield Tower (the tallest building in Sydney - looks like a golden bucket shoved into a spike with a spider web around the base) to find some lunch. There is a disgustingly upscale mall on the bottom six floors of the building (home to Louboutin (we'll see if Hilary is reading the blog), Gucci, Prada, etc.), with a massive food court of fairly upscale fast food places. After wandering around, perusing our options, we decided on the Snag Stand, a fancy hot dog and sausage place. We were not disappointed with the decision.
From lunch, we headed down to Circular Quay to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where we spent over an hour looking through the collections. We finished in time to catch the last free shuttle of the day back to Central; we then walked back to my place to get a bit of packing done.
We had tickets to a rugby match to start at 7:00 in Moore Park, so around 5:15 we headed out through Redfern on a walk to the stadium (covering seemingly the last bit of Sydney they had yet to see). Along the way we stopped for dinner at Wood and Stone where we had two delicious pizzas. The game, between the Sydney Roosters and the Canterbury Bulldogs, was pretty empty (the massive stadium was desolate with the 11,000 fans there). Rugby is interesting, and we knew a tiny bit about it before going in (thanks to watching the game last Wednesday on tv). There was no pregame hooplah, no national anthem, and the first half flew by as they don't stop the clock. After a very short halftime, the second half also flew by, and within ninety minutes or so of starting, the Bulldogs had decisively beaten the Roosters 30-12. The game was interesting to watch, though I think I will stick with American football.
As we got up to leave, the skies opened up, and it proceeded to rain buckets. We quickly abandoned our plans of walking home, and took a bus to Central before catching another bus to head back to my place. The rest of the night was filled with packing and preparations for the pending departure.
Tuesday:
Today we headed out to breakfast in Newtown at a bookstore which also has a Ramen Bar and Cafe. Berkelouw Books, a ten minute walk from my house, provided an excellent last meal in Sydney for the guests (both got French toast, I got corn fritters with salmon).
From breakfast we made our way back to my place where we said our goodbyes and I headed off to class while they packed and then caught a taxi to the airport.
When I stopped by my place to pick up my badge and lunch for the walk to work, I checked the mail to find a postcard from friends in New Orleans (well, by way of MI) - a nice surprise, no doubt. Today at work there was nothing special going on, and I wrapped things up around 4:00. On the way home I swung by Woolworths where Tim Tams (and all Arnott's biscuits) were on sale for A$1.79. I stocked up, and also decided to pick up some of the other things they make to try them.
So there you go, all caught up. Tomorrow will be a day for work before studio on Thursday.
Also, I realized that my blog tends to only include pictures of food... Guess you know what is important to me ;)
Sunday:
When we were deciding what to do on the different days once we got back from Cairns, we had settled on Sunday as being the big day of definitively Sydney experiences. We arose early and caught the bus to Circular Quay to tour the Opera House on the first tour of the morning. Our guide was wonderful (witty, informative, and a bit of a rule-bender on the 'no photos in the theatres' policy) and the tour was a fantastic way to see the building. It lasted about an hour, and we got to go into both main theatres and the studio theatre, and Jason and Rebecca learned a lot about the history of the construction and the architect. I was impressed by the interior exposed sections of the ribbed roof, the concrete spanning members that made up the stairwells, and the interior of the concert hall.
When we left the Opera House Jason and I combined our resources (my phone with skype and his skype credits) to make a phone call back to the US. With the exception of a bit of skyping with mom and dad and a few friends, I haven't really "called" the US in three months. We timed it to catch the family all together at dinner. The best part was the surprise in mom's voice when she was told who was calling to interrupt dinner! It was a nice treat for all parties involved, and a bit of a surreal experience from my end; I never really envisioned myself standing in Circular Quay between the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge chatting on the phone to a table full of the family.
After we hung up, we headed around the Quay toward the Harbour Bridge where we split ways. Jason went off to meet up with Jimmy while Rebecca and I headed up toward the Bridge to meet Tiffany to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At 11:00 we checked in at Bridgeclimb. Over the next hour we were fitted for climbing gear, given our radio headsets and safety briefing, and went through a climb simulator for the steeply angled stairs we would encounter along the way. The wind suits you are given to wear allow all components to be clipped in, and you are strictly prohibited from bringing anything (you have to pass through a metal detector) onto the Bridge. As the guide explained, the reason they are allowed to operate on the Bridge (which is property of the state, New South Wales) is because they assure that all things that go up will be attached to the climbers which will in turn be attached to the Bridge - at which point the state guarantees that the Bridge will be attached the the ground (har har har).
Once we had our harnesses on we queued at a door leading out to the catwalks which run out to the actual span of the Bridge. We attached our harnesses to a line that runs along the entire climb, and proceeded in a line on our two hour adventure. The first 400m or so, on catwalks that are sometimes less than 18" wide, were a bit daunting for some in the group. The view is straight down, sometimes over traffic, and you have to negotiate over, under, and through trusses which support the Bridge. While we walked (with a bit of bobbing and weaving) our guide talked about the Bridge, starting with the history of the area long before the crossing existed.
Finally, we reached the base of the arch and, one by one (the ladders are too steep to allow two people on at a time without risking people getting kicked in the face) began climbing the four ladders from underneath the road deck, through the deck between lanes 7 and 8 on the Bridge, and up to the start of the top arch. As I came to the top of the first ladder and began to round the platform to start up the second to come through the roadway, I thought I heard someone yell my name. The thought ran through my head that I was in the middle of climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, isolated from the outside world and anyone who I know, but then I heard it again, and again. I turned to the right as I passed above the road deck to see Jason standing on the sidewalk across the last lane of the Bridge. He snapped some pictures as I came through, followed by Rebecca, and continued to get more pictures as we went higher.
It took a while for the whole group to again assemble at the base of the top arch. Jason managed to do a run up the south pylon of the Bridge, which has an observation tower (conveniently the one closest to us), and continue to get pictures of us as we began to make our way up the arch. The walk up the arch was a cinch compared to the first parts of the climb. The arch is 3 meters wide (almost 10 feet) and very shallow, allowing for an easy, 20 minute walk to the summit of the Bridge. We stopped for photos along the way (taken by the guide and available for purchase after the climb), but the two hours flew by. There were great views along the walk, and it was a generally engaging time. Over the course of the entire two hours, the narrative of the Bridge continued from inception to construction to completion and finally to the modern day. It was a great way to do the tour.
When we finally got down from the Bridge, it was past 2:00, and we were hungry. Tiffany, Rebecca, and I walked down to Circular Quay and had some fast food before turning around and treking up to the Bridge to climb the south pylon. Since we couldn't have our cameras on the Bridgeclimb, we took the chance on the pylon observation deck to get the views of the Harbour on our cameras. After we snapped away until our hearts were content, we walked back down and treked across the Bridge to Milsons Point on the northern side of the Harbour. As the sun began to set we walked through Luna Park (where Max met up with us). Around 5:15 we began the walk back across the Bridge to the rocks, where we intended to meet up with Jason around 5:45 at the Argyle.
The Argyle was a lot more crowded than the night we came for Tiffany's birthday, but we found a few black velvet wing back chairs and cozied up to a table with a jug of Cobbled Collins. Around 6:15 Jason rolled in, and after polishing off the jug we headed out to wander around the Harbour.
Friday night marked the kickoff of a massive festival called Vivid. The Rocks and Harbour are illuminated with fantastic displays, some interactive. We stood dumbfounded as projects on the Opera House appeared to allow the roof to peel away. All in all, there are six or seven buildings that are covered in projections of various sorts, as well as three dozen or so smaller exhibitions scattered around the area. It was a very cool way to spend the evening, and I urge you to check it out as I did a very poor job at explaining it: http://www.vividsydney.com/
Finally, around 8:00 we split ways with Tiffany and Max, and Jason, Rebecca, and I headed off to a restaurant a block from the Harbour called Phillip's Foote. As unappetizing as that sounds, it was one of the best meals I have had in Sydney. The premise of the restaurant, housed in a heritage listed sailors pub from the early days of Sydney, is that you select a piece of meat when you walk in, and are given it raw. From there you head off to one of the grills positioned around the courtyard where you are master of your steak (or chicken). While you wait for the meat to cook, you have free run at the large salad and fruit bar as well as potatoes and bread. With the exception of the meat (which was a hefty portion anyway) the food is unlimited. Jason and I definitely got our monies worth. Fat and happy, we headed back to my place via the bus.
Monday:
Monday we had designated our catch up day to hit any last sites they had missed on their trip. We slept in a bit (sleep had been missing from the itinerary, no doubt) and made pancakes for breakfast.
After leisurely getting ready, we headed out toward Hyde Park, taking a detour to walk through Central Station on the way. Once in the Park, we walked through the ANZAC Memorial before heading across the street to walk through St. Marys Cathedral. By this time it was already 1:00, and we ventured over to the Westfield Tower (the tallest building in Sydney - looks like a golden bucket shoved into a spike with a spider web around the base) to find some lunch. There is a disgustingly upscale mall on the bottom six floors of the building (home to Louboutin (we'll see if Hilary is reading the blog), Gucci, Prada, etc.), with a massive food court of fairly upscale fast food places. After wandering around, perusing our options, we decided on the Snag Stand, a fancy hot dog and sausage place. We were not disappointed with the decision.
 |
| Pork and fennel Italian sausage with sauteed capsicum, onions, balsamic glaze, and shaved Parmesan. |
From lunch, we headed down to Circular Quay to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where we spent over an hour looking through the collections. We finished in time to catch the last free shuttle of the day back to Central; we then walked back to my place to get a bit of packing done.
We had tickets to a rugby match to start at 7:00 in Moore Park, so around 5:15 we headed out through Redfern on a walk to the stadium (covering seemingly the last bit of Sydney they had yet to see). Along the way we stopped for dinner at Wood and Stone where we had two delicious pizzas. The game, between the Sydney Roosters and the Canterbury Bulldogs, was pretty empty (the massive stadium was desolate with the 11,000 fans there). Rugby is interesting, and we knew a tiny bit about it before going in (thanks to watching the game last Wednesday on tv). There was no pregame hooplah, no national anthem, and the first half flew by as they don't stop the clock. After a very short halftime, the second half also flew by, and within ninety minutes or so of starting, the Bulldogs had decisively beaten the Roosters 30-12. The game was interesting to watch, though I think I will stick with American football.
As we got up to leave, the skies opened up, and it proceeded to rain buckets. We quickly abandoned our plans of walking home, and took a bus to Central before catching another bus to head back to my place. The rest of the night was filled with packing and preparations for the pending departure.
Tuesday:
Today we headed out to breakfast in Newtown at a bookstore which also has a Ramen Bar and Cafe. Berkelouw Books, a ten minute walk from my house, provided an excellent last meal in Sydney for the guests (both got French toast, I got corn fritters with salmon).
 |
| Corn fritters with salmon, rocket, and avocado mash. |
When I stopped by my place to pick up my badge and lunch for the walk to work, I checked the mail to find a postcard from friends in New Orleans (well, by way of MI) - a nice surprise, no doubt. Today at work there was nothing special going on, and I wrapped things up around 4:00. On the way home I swung by Woolworths where Tim Tams (and all Arnott's biscuits) were on sale for A$1.79. I stocked up, and also decided to pick up some of the other things they make to try them.
 |
| Some other Arnott's products - I tried the mint slices and they are excellent. |
So far, I have not been disappointed. I also picked up some crumpets and tried one this evening - they are quite good.
So there you go, all caught up. Tomorrow will be a day for work before studio on Thursday.
Also, I realized that my blog tends to only include pictures of food... Guess you know what is important to me ;)
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