Manhattan Feet

 July 23^rd.

Remember the day we walked from Battery Park, though Greewich Village, through the Financial District and the WTC site, a quick visit to the UN building then split - Matthew and I went to the Witney, Mum, Sarah and Laura to Bloomingdales......do you recall what our feet felt like.. You've got it, it stopped raining - with one day left before flying to Queensland, we had to DO Sydney in a day

So, this morning we went to Bondi Beach, big surf, big surfers, a big boomarang shaped bay with breakers rolling in. We found a great restaurant at the north end of the beach serving italian inspired food - beautifully cooked and presented - the atmosphere was really lively and buzzy playing a nice mix of late 50's beebop - very cool!

Coming to earth with a bump, we caught to bus into the city centre through the eastern suburbs. Sydney is odd. On the one hand it is a recognisably Victorian/Edwardian City - think Manchester or Liverpool. Paddington could be Withington - but the Victorian archetype has been transformed - partly simply being translated to another hemisphere, but mainly by being changed by outdoor culture. Even in mid-winter people are sitting outdoors in cafe's - I've never seen such commitment to cafe culture.

The other transformational factor is affluence. The CBD is packed full of landmark tower blocks - shimmering glass above the shimmering harbour - that's where the Manchester analogy breaks down.

Next, we caught the ferry across to the North Shore, walked back across the Harbour Bridge (built by Australians, forged in Middlesborough!) - the sun came out, yachts and ferries crossing the harbour - an amazing sight.

By the time we walked through Central Quay to the Opera House it was evening, and as we walked the couple of miles back our hotel in Kings Cross the lights of Sydney's skyscrapers lit up the horizon through silhouetted eucalyptus and palm trees. A day to remember.

Up early tomorrow - to fly to Cairns

Hope you are both ok.

We'll stay in touch - but I'm not sure how the internet will work in the next place.

big hugs

Dad

xxx

Remember Rome? Sydney, it's even wetter...

23rd July

Hi,

Yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald.......

"Sydney is set to paddle through the wettest July since 1952 with almost 100mm (5") bucketing down in the last 24 hours"

Since we arrived 3 days ago the rain has just come down in sheets - we've had to change all of our planned trips around the harbour, walks along the coast and so on for more indoor things - The Sydney Aquarium (sharks, turtles, clown fish - the cast of Finding Nemo really), 

The Wildlife Centre, - marsupials of all shapes and sizes, seriously dangerous spiders and snakes, an enooormous crocodile, and whole families of cute koalas munching euculyptus leaves..

The NSW Art Gallery...well I enjoyed it, you kind of get a antipodean take on the development of European Art 1860 - 1960 - Academic painting in the High Victorian style lasted well into the 20th Century, and all the major movements of the 20th Century happened 15 years later in a derivative form - from Australian Salvador Dali through to Australian Cubism.....Around 1960 though, they took to Abstraction in a really cool way - and their take on Abstract Expressionism I really liked.

The way landscape painting developed is really interesting too - they kind of leapt from Claudian derived compositional devices to flatter, more Seurat type pictorial approaches without the inconvenience of having to go through Impressionism in between - all fascinating stuff...if you happen to be fascinated by such things.

Anyway - it's Saturday morning here - a little less rainy with fleeting sunshine - we're off to look at the dangerous surf at Bondi Beach - 15 metre swell according to the TV.

Over to Mum.....

Hi Both,

We've been wet and very wet......now we have great hopes of Queensland - I'm hoping for some warm sun.

I think that Sydney is a really nice city - I would like to come here in the Sping or Summer. Our area has a nice feel of neighbourhoodness but it was a bit noisy last night. There were no bodies anywhere this morning when we went to the German Bakery for our breakfast coffee and food. Surprise.

We have to go now for the train/bus.

Love Mum, Dad and Laura