The first stop in the journey is Sydney. The famous Opera House is celebrating its 40th birthday, October 20, 2013, and looks wonderful this day. This is unusually hot for October, with temperatures reaching 34 degrees C. Mind boggling to those of us from the northern hemisphere, and so difficult to dress for. What a great excuse to eat ice cream and watch the world go by.
The iconic Sydney Opera House
The following picture depicts the bridge crossing from the city centre (CBD), to north Sydney. A popular tourist attraction is to climb the bridge, guided of course. With this hot weather, climbing a hot metal structure might ranks low on my interest in seeing this lovely city from an aerial perspective. Oh yes, and one will pay the bridge operator $75 AU for that honour.
Bridge over Sydney Harbour
Some general translations and observations:
– when asking for a cuppa tea ask for ‘hot tea’ or you get bottled ice tea
– when at a bus stop, wave at the bus driver or they will keep on going
– white painted lines on the road are just guidelines
– pedestrians are moving targets
– butting into the queue is the norm
– a cup of coffee is five bucks, add a muffin or scone and you hand over a ten dollar bill AU
– and my favourite, when the sign says “no swimming-crocs”, no amount of alcohol is going to change a croc’s mind about whether you are on the menu.
G’day everyone, this journey has started.