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*Wow, bad photo! 4th of July picnic in Yarra Bend ParkYesterday, July 5, we went to an Americans Abroad 4th of July picnic. Technically, it was a Democrats Abroad party and doubled a little bit as a political rally. Many were even going home specifically for the November elections. I would have preferred a straight Americans abroad, but truthfully, was happy to hang around anyone who thinks peanut butter and jelly is good and normal (as opposed to vegemite and butter) and who thinks it is appropriate that pie have fruit in it (as opposed to meat).
Though this picnic is not something I would attend in the States (i.e. a party based on the fact that we are Americans, where I don't know anyone), it was comforting to know that there are others here having a similar experience to John and me. Everyone was really outgoing and full of useful tips. For instance, I now know where to get Oreos... not that I've been wanting Oreos, but it's good to know where I could get them if I did want them.
I made an apple pie and we got decked out in our red, white and blue. I hate to honk my own horn, but the other apple pie in attendance couldn't hold a candle. We got to the party, and as you can see from the photos, were pretty much the only ones in patriotic colors!
*Betty Crocker in the kitchenSomeone brought a proper football and we listened to Mariah Carey; after all, nothing says USA more than MC, right? We ate cheeseburgers and a few people had even brought the King of Beers, which is not sold in any pub, corner store or grocery. There were even some jokers in the crowd (from New York, of course) that asked it they needed to speak to us more slowly as we were from the South!
Also, we got word of a good Mexican restaurant in the area. This is great news. The availability of Mexican food is very low and what has been found has not been good. It's funny, but if you meet another American here, they don't want to discuss immigration, illegal hiring or the pros/cons of border control, but where to find a good enchilada. I am not joking, this comes up every time.
*John wowing the crowd with his red cap!Overall, it was a really easy going afternoon. The weather was, for once, pleasant and the company was familiar. We've been loving our time here, but it was nice to feel included.
We were lucky enough to get to spend most of the last week in Sydney. John took another short course and I (again) tagged along. We stayed in the notorious Kings Cross area of town and even had the pleasure of stealing glimpses of the Harbor Bridge and Opera House from the rooftop terrace at our hotel-- it was a budget hotel so try to gaze past the construction at the forefront.
*No-No-Notorious
*Glimpses at the rear
What a great place to be-- the weather could not have been better and there was so much to do and see. If there was a tour, by God, we were on it. Observatories, walking, the Opera House, harbors, beaches, walking, towers, mass transit-- whew, what an adventure.
My favorite part was the Royal Botanical Gardens. What a stroke of genius to set this land aside! There are numerous walking trails, trees aplenty and unbeatable views of the harbor and Opera House.
*Mrs. Macquerie's Chair
*Royal Botanical Gardens
*Royal Botanical Gardens
We really packed a lot into a few short days. Luckily, public transport was fairly extensive and ran everywhere we wanted or needed to go (unlike Melbourne, they have double-decker trains...brilliant!). Mostly though, we let our feet do the walking. And what a lot of walking we did...
I had a day free while John was still in class. I hit the streets and visited the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The admission was free and I got to view some excellent Australian photography from the 1950's.
*Art Gallery of New South Wales
After my visit to the gallery, I went to the Sydney Tower, the southern hemisphere's tallest observation deck. Before I got there I ran across this giant chess board. As you can see there is quite a crowd, so I rested my dogs a moment and watched the match play out.
*Checkmate!
Right now you may be thinking, "hang on, haven't they already been to the southern hemisphere's tallest observation deck". If you are, your memory is very good. The Skydeck 88 (found in "Melbourne Tourists Unite") is the southern hemispheres tallest residential observation deck.
*From Sydney Tower (notice St. Mary's in the bottom right corner)
*Archibald Fountain and St. Mary's Cathedral
Another highlight was the tour of the Opera House. The architect, Jorn Utzon, has never even seen the completed building. There are some who say the Opera House is nothing to get excited about. I beg to differ, it's an engineering marvel! I've posted several photos for those of you who also may never get to see it. For your information, it's a working building with 5 performance halls. I'd have like to gone to see a show, but we just didn't have time to fit everything in. Next time, Opera House. Next. Time.
*JP in between the two main performance halls
*The outer shell...completely self-cleaning
*The ribs of the the shell
*Interior of the Opera House, outside one of the main performance halls
*Opera House and the harbor
*In between the Opera House and Central Quay (pronounced key)
We also took a harbor cruise, some may call it a ferry but I prefer cruise. What a beautiful harbor.
*Harbor Bridge and Luna Park (notice the two towers, also known as pylons)We also hit another Australian beach, the famous Bondi Beach, though I have to admit I'd never heard of Bondi until we moved. Even though it was pretty chilly, many people were out riding the waves.
*Surf breaking at Bondi Beach
*Bondi BeachOne of the tours that we did not get to go on-- and believe me this was a cost issue-- was the Bridge Climb. You actually get to walk up the arch! Even John Black and Marlena Evans Black have been on the bridge climb-- they are on the celebrity climb wall...John took me into the reception room of the BridgeClimb office to torture me.
Instead we walked across the Harbor Bridge and went up into one of the four pylons, or towers that help anchor the bridge. In the second picture, you will notice small figures in the upper left hand corner. These are humans on the BridgeClimb tour. Next time, Harbor Bridge. Next. Time.
*At the base of the pylon
*Atop one of the 4 bridge pylonsI'm so glad that we got to experience Sydney on such a great week and don't think that just because we've been once we won't go again!
