Sydney
Trip Start
Jun 24, 2008
1
7
22
Trip End
Aug 10, 2008
Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia
Friday, July 11, 2008
The night we arrived, we decided to find a bite to eat, and then stop by the pub for a quick drink before heading to bed. Travel by rail in Australia takes a very long time--we discovered the buses will get you there about the same time the train would. In any event, it turns out we stumbled into the pub on trivia night. Although we tried to tell the organizer that we weren't Australian (thinking, not unreasonably, that the trivia would be geared towards Aussies), he insisted we give it a go. And so, the trivia duo "Ball and Chain" was born--a little pre-wedding humor.
Turns out trivia nights aren't just big in Tasmania, because the bar was soon packed and a lively game of trivia ensued. As the night progressed (and we consumed pitcher-after-pitcher of yummy Aussie beer), our team grew to expand a red-headed Aussie named Tom and an older gentleman whose long white hair, long white beard and hat reminded me quite a bit of Gandalf from Lord of the Rings (which is fresh in my mind, because I am making Paul watch the movies before we head to New Zealand). Wonder of wonders, but our team actually came in second place and we won a $50 bar tab. Ironically, we probably spent more than that on beer while playing the game, but who's counting? We decided to share the tab with our new acquaintances, and had a great time chatting with Tom and Vanessa, who had accompanied Tom to the pub.
Talking to Tom and Vanessa, we learned lots of interesting things about Australia (we also learned during trivia night that there are twice as many kangaroos in Australia as people). For example, we learned that Australians know very little about their own constitution--they actually know more about the American constitution from watching crime shows (I have watched Criminal Minds and Cold Case since I have been here). We learned that it is illegal to hunt kangaroos, although people do anyway (which filled me with horror--they are so cute!!). We also learned that Aussies love a chocolate bar manufactured by Cadbury called "Cherry Ripe" and a chocolate cookie called "Tim-Tams." I am pretty sure we learned a lot more, but there was a lot of beer involved. Anyway, after polishing off our free bar tab, we headed to a convenience store where Vanessa kindly bought a couple of Cherry Ripe candy bars and a package of Tim-Tams for us, and then we parted. I have to say that the Tim-Tams were phenomenal. I really can't think of a similar cookie in the US, but they were amazing. We did not, however, care much for the Cherry Ripes. I don't really care for artificial cherry flavoring, much less combined with coconut. But it was interesting to try it out.
The next morning, we both woke up with headaches and, consequently, had a late start. However, once we were up, we had a marathon day of seeing Sydney's sites, including the opera house (which is spectacular), the Sydney Harbour Bridge (also very impressive), and traipsing around The Rocks (one of the oldest neighborhoods in Sydney). By the end of the day, we were totally exhausted from walking around and found some dinner and called it a night.
On our second full day in Sydney, we headed to Bondi Beach--one of Sydney's most famous beaches. It was beautiful, and a quaint picturesque town. And, while it was a tad bit warmer in Bondi Beach than in Sydney, the water temperature was still freezing and we could not believe how many intrepid surfers were out splashing around in the water. At Bondi Beach, we stopped by Bondi Surf Seafood for fish and chips (an Australian staple), and were not disappointed--the fish was fresh and the french fries were awesome.
From Bondi Beach, we checked out another Sydney neighborhood known as Glebe. Now, those of you who know Paul know that he's not particularly into sweets. And, in fact, as I mentioned in an earlier entry, when I mentioned that sometimes chocolate can be so good it can tingle your spine, he scoffed. That was before we wandered into Chocolateria San Churro in Melbourne, however. He thought differently after trying their thick and creamy hot chocolate and their churros dipped in thick milk chocolate. He felt so differently that he made me look on the Internet to see if there was a San Churro in Sydney so we can go again. Lucky for him there was, and we made the special trip to the store in Glebe to have some more chocolate.
After Glebe, we heading to Darling Harbour and took the ferry back to the main port in Sydney. On the way back to the hotel, Paul and I decided to pick up meat pies for dinner at a place called Pieface, since it was cold and rainy. All over Australia, we had seen advertisements for meat pies. We figured, when in Australia, do as the Australians do. And we were not disappointed. Although they resemble a pot pie, they were sooooooooooooooooooo much better than pot pies. I loved the chicken and mushroom, but found the mince meat pie pretty good, and Paul enjoyed his steak pies. We quickly became a fan, and I have tasked Paul with the job of learning how to make them. We will see how that works out.
That pretty much sums up our trip to Sydney, but I will leave the entry with one observation. Australian's history with the Aborigines (the native people of Australia) rivals America's history in terms of the horrible things done to the people who lived in the lands before the time of colonialism. However, despite that, Australia makes a remarkable effort to inform all visitors and Australia about its history--it confronts and acknowledges its history in a way that is exceptional. Everywhere we went, we saw information signs and exhibits about the native cultures that existed before the arrival of the Australians and an open admission of the wrongs committed and the attempts made towards reconciliation. For example, we learned that "Australia Day"--the day that celebrates Australia's founding--is called the "Day of Mourning" by the Aborigines, and we learned this from an exhibit on the well-traveled pathway from the Sydney Bridge to the Opera House. At the risk of sounding a bit preachy, I think the United States could learn a lot about openly confronting the not-so-pretty parts of its history instead of sweeping them under the rug under a neatly tied red, white and blue ribbon..
King's Cross Coca-Cola Sign
