“Life In The So-Called Space Age”
I don’t remember exactly where I bought this little duck pin, but it was in Germany and cost €1. He’s traveled with me ever since, and will once again join me for this 27-hour trip home.
Australia’s been fun, as it always is. And as always I leave exhausted, content and a little sad.
Now I suppose it’s time to plan the next vacation…
That’s the Prince of Randwick himself, preparing his deck at the MTG prerelease tourney we attended yesterday.
It was a fun, low pressure casual event in which everyone won prizes. This was good for me because I badly played a deck I had badly built 🙂
The players themselves here are pretty much the same as in the USA. Except for the funny accents Aussies have 😉
After the tourney we went and checked out the pinballs at the nearby RSL club, which led to a lengthy (and fascinating) discussion with the guy who manages it all and is heavily involved with pinball collecting.
An evening of cricket on the Telly (and more MTG playing!) rounded off a fun day.
Today – my last full day this trip – I walked to Bondi along the cliffs via Coogee Beach. I do this walk (which takes a few hours) every trip and it’s always great.
It wasn’t too hot or too windy, as if the country was apologizing for the weird weather it gave me this trip. Since it was a Sunday, the walk was extremely popular with both locals and tourists alike.
Pleasant weather notwithstanding, I was ruined by the time I got to Bondi Junction mall, and almost wept when I sat down to this:
Which was immediately washed down with this:
Tiredness notwithstanding, today was another great day!
Yesterday was a monster of a day. I caught the very early train, and sitting at Broadmeadow station at 5 am I was already sweating like a dog.
I was in Sydney early, sand after dropping my stuff off at AW’s went out for a bit of shopping.
As if the heat wasn’t bad enough (40 at its peak) the humidity was drenchingly high, and just being outside was extremely uncomfortable. I did my usual rounds (Newtown, Chinatown, Kino etc) and by the time I headed back a cold front was blowing in. This led to a powerful storm, and a massive drop in temperature to the mid teens.
That’s why I’m dressed like a loony! The change brought rains which fell on Sydney most of today, and at times a collapsible umbrella just wasn’t enough.
So I prioritized indoor attractions, such as the main cathedral on Hyde Park, or the NSW Art Gallery, where the previous and following were taken:
While I looked at all the exhibits, I was particularly interested in the 19th century landscapes and they didn’t disappoint. Other works, such as the two modern pieces above, didn’t have the same appeal.
A bracing stroll through the botanical gardens took me to the opera house, where a friend posed for a photo:
Here’s another shot of the bridge from the opposite side. This was taken from the ferry I caught today.
I did other things, but I’m too tired to remember now. Well, except for this opalized dinosaur skeleton:
That’s a good time to end. I’ll try and be more awake next time I post 🙂