SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—IMPRESSIONS (Part II, 2/24/12)

∙ WHAT WE DID/SAW/EXPERIENCED
          ∙ Time in port: We were scheduled for 30 hours (overnight no. 3 of 9), from 2/25 to 2/26.  But we extended our stay in Sydney to 4 days:  2/23 (midday) thru 2/27 (midday).  I already posted about our first (half) day (2/23).  Today, 2/24/12, was our first full day and night in SYDNEY!   The ship arrives tomorrow, so we got to discover Sydney on our own today.  And that rental car came in handy!
          ∙ Hyde Park
                    ∙ To make the most of the day, we exited the Sheraton at the Park early.  Just across the street is Hyde Park, a beautiful inner-city park.  The route is lined with Elm trees, historical buildings and St. Mary’s Cathedral – one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen, anywhere!  We took a leisurely stroll along the park and spent some time touring the historical Supreme Court building (of particular interest to two visiting attorneys).  We also saw their modern courthouse and the lawyers carting their files in and out of the building.  From the park, the Sky Tower is in plain view.


           ∙ We checked out the city on the way out of town . . . while carefully watching the road, of course (ha – these folks honked at me more than I cared for, and not in the right way!).  There are lots of tunnels and toll roads (thankfully, we have a pass, which covers all tolls)!  The streets are lined with warnings about speed cameras – and Americans complain there are too many!  Next, they’ll plug into our navigation units and send a small electrical “jolt” every time we exceed the speed limit!

          ∙ Blue Mountains
                    ∙ We left the city for a trip to Sydney’s countryside.  We took the long (app. 2 hours), but more beautiful, route through towns like Hawkesbury, to the Blue Mountains.  We stopped along the way at the Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens and a picturesque picnic spot.


                     ∙ What a gorgeous day!  What a relief to escape the hustle and bustle of the city!  It was a fabulous, peaceful and serene day.  In the town of Katoomba, we found a place called “Scenic World”, showing off Sydney’s famous Blue Mountains.  We rode their Skyway, their Cableway and their Railway, the latter of which runs straight up the mountainside – what a ride!  We hiked to see stunning views and waterfalls and saw people from all over the world.  Have I missed sitting on the cruise ship, doing watercolors or playing Wii?  Naah!  I do miss the spa, though!


          ∙ Evening
                     ∙ Bill found “Stamford Hotel” in the suburbs (North Ryde, to be precise).  It’s a cute little place, with a balcony (where I can smoke) overlooking its pools, lagoons and waterfalls, and costing only about $170 instead of over $300.  We checked in and stayed in.  Time for a quiet, relaxing evening – in anticipation of the activity planned over the next five days in Australia!  We go to meet our ship in the morning (and let them know we’re still alive – ha)!
          ∙ Australian to English Translations
                      ∙ We all know Aussies speak with an accent (oh, that’s right – it’s we who do that).  Thus far, I’ve learned these turns of a word or phrase:  Interstate = Motorway (e.g., M-4 instead of I-4); a collision is a “smash” (e.g., a multi-car “smash” on the “motorway”); a vacation is a “holiday” (as opposed to an occasion when businesses close); my sweater was referred to as a “jumper” (not to be confused with someone about to sail off the Sydney Harbor Bridge); and an elevator is a “lift” (or, what we get when someone is nice to us).  Cute!
                    ∙ Yes, it's fun to "notice" these small differences, but the truth is, Americans and Australians have more in common than we may know.  We are, after all, sons and daughters of the same parents:  a little country called Great Britain!  We just grew up and wanted to get our own apartments!  In America, we borrowed our legal system, and much of our ancestry, from England.  So too did Australians.  Our similarities were abundantly clear to me today, as I drove through Sydney's countryside . . . and listened to pop music largely identical to what I'd hear in San Diego!  Amazing, isn't it, that "we" (the "A" countries) were both England's "throw-aways" (places they sent their prisoners and "undesirables")?!  Problem is, they "threw away" some really good DNA (ha)!  These "moments of familiarity" are oddly assuring on a trip like this . . . yeah, I think I like these Aussies!!
          ∙ A note for the men out there:  This place is full of gorgeous blonde women . . . not just a  little pretty, but stunningly beautiful (it takes a former model to know it) - and there are lots of them!  Nicole Kidman wasn't a fluke; it's in the Australian DNA.