Category Archives: Uncategorized

Bondi to Coogee

In keeping with the previous day’s theme of Sydney suburbs, I headed out to the famed Bondi Beach. Beautiful sand, glorious breakers, and a several mile coastal walk along the cliffs. (I’ve since been told that Bondi is overrated and too commercial, which I could see as being the case during the summer, but in late fall it was lovely.)

The coastal walk is absolutely gorgeous. Sydney and its environs are built on sandstone, which I assume accounts for the unusual shapes of the cliff face. I had been worried about my fear of heights being a problem during parts of the walk, but it was fine. More at issue was my being fit enough to climb all those stairs!

The shorter walk, with more of the dramatic scenery, is from Bondi to Bronte Beach. I decided to go the full route to Coogee, however, and even did part of it twice as I had dropped my fleece and had to go back to find it!

It was a lovely outing, wound up by some fish and chips that I almost got mobbed by seagulls for.

Paramatta

On Sunday I ventured into Sydney’s suburbia, to the town of Paramatta. There is an Australian mystery series called Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries that takes place in 1920s Melbourne. The costuming for the show is quite incredible, and there is a costume exhibit making the rounds of several Australian cities. Currently it is on display in the Old Government House in, you guessed it, Paramatta.

I lucked out, as Paramatta is located on the Paramatta River, and is therefore accessible by the ferries that are part of Sydney’s Public transit network. And on Sunday, the maximum amount an Opal Card holder can pay for the day is $2.50.

Despite the cold, I sat outside in the ferry for the hour plus ride, getting a magnificent view of Sydney Harbour.

From the website and map I’d picked up at the Visitors Centre, I’d expected a quaint old town. Not so much. It’s very much a modern suburb, and rather quiet on a Sunday morning. However, once I got to Paramatta Park and saw the beautiful Old Government House, I was happy.

20160528212356

The exhibit was great, letting you touch swatches of the fabric used for some of the dresses. Other outfits were vintage 1920s, including a constable uniform that the character Constable Collins wears. There’s a quote from the actor about how uncomfortable it is, which is funny when put in context with certain scenes from the show. There were even not one but two dress up rooms:

20160528221756

After the exhibit, I walked around Paramatta Park to the old Dairy Cottage, enjoying the greenery and families playing. Somewhere in that park is the presumed site of the first European farming in Australia.

Since I was all the way out in Paramatta, I decided to visit another house museum that had looked entertaining from the brochure, Elizabeth Farm. It was supposed to be an interactive museum in one of the oldest remaining European structure in Australia. Unfortunately it wasn’t as interesting as I’d hoped, perhaps because it was a quiet Sunday afternoon and I was getting tired. It looked like it would have great tours for school children, however.

Since the ferry only goes every hour on Sunday, I hastened back to the wharf and on to Sydney. Coming back into the Harbor, we saw magnificent views.

A rainy Saturday

Saturday morning was rainy and chilly, so I decided to use my Sydney Living Museum pass and check out two other museums located near Circular Quai. The closest, which is only open on the weekends, was the Justice and Police Museum.

I figured it would be a quick walk through but ended up taking a guided tour, which gave life to the old building and cases that were discussed. My favorite room was the old front room of the police station, redone as it might have been in Victorian Sydney. I half expected to see Constable Collins from the Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries step into the room!

20160527215012

As it was still raining a bit, I visited the Museum of Sydney that was just up the road. Compared to the other two living museums, this museum just felt a bit slight. There wasn’t much there. Historically, the site is important, but the other museums do a better job of bringing the past to life.

The rain having stopped, I headed over to the Rocks, as I needed to stop by the Visitors Center and also needed some lunch. Lunch actually became tea as I stumbled across the Tea Cosy, which stated that it had the best scones in Sydney. I don’t know if they’re the best – I haven’t completed the experiment yet! – but they were piping hot and tasty.

After completing my errands, I figured I might as well visit the last museum that was part of the Sydney Living Museums pass, the Susannah Place Museum. This museum, similar to the Tenement Museum in New York, showcases rooms furnished in a historic manner in the setting of an old building that has not been restored, but rather left to show the changes and layers of time. It’s an archeological site of social history, if you will. For example, one kitchen floor was peeling so that you could see the layers of newspaper under lino that had been placed there as insulation.

Susannah Place is very special, in that these buildings are 170 years old (built in 1844) and pretty much at least one if not all of the residences were occupied until it became a museum. For a young country like Australia, that is a large portion of its European (as opposed to indigenous) history. (It’s been interesting and a little odd being in a nation younger than my own – I am so used to traveling places that have a long and storied history of nationhood.)

20160528015731

I took another free walking tour, this one of the Rocks, and then wandered about admiring the displays for Vivid. Vivid is a several week long festival part of which centers around light displays around various parts of the Harbor and CBD. The Opera House had about a 20 minute loop where the sails transformed into one magical landscape after another, a bright end to a grey day.

A Quick Stop in Bangkok

Georgina and I stopped in Bangkok for a day before I continued on alone to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We intended to go on a foodie walking tour Peter (from Luang Prabang) had recommended, but a typhoon was coming through the east of the region and we got rained out. So we went to the Dusit Thani Hotel and consoled ourselves with some tea.

image

What’s next?

Well, my three weeks of silence (oops!) were due to my being back in the States, getting ready for my third, and last, two month adventure. I’m heading off to Southeast Asia next week, so will be pretty silent until I have safely arrived…and perhaps at least somewhat recovered from jet lag. Stay tuned for some fantastic times in Thailand!

Technical Difficiltes

Sorry all, the app decided to publish the last two drafts without my knowledge.

The post “Back in BA” has been updated with pictures and published. If you get email notifications of new posts, you may have missed the pics, so feel free to revisit it!

My post on Spanish classes has been taken down so I can finish writing it. Oops! Check back in a day or two and it should be up.

Embarrassing, but in my defense, I’m doing the whole South American part of the blog on a phone!

A Moment of Silence, Please

It can be hard when traveling to keep up to date with the news. And it feels heartless to keep touring today without doing something, even though there is nothing of substance I can do. I woke up this morning to news of the Boston Marathon explosions. And also to the reports of people running towards the chaos to help; Bostonians offering drinks, bathrooms, places to stay; first responders and hospital staff doing their jobs of saving lives.

And I offer the little I can offer, in asking those of you who read this for a moment of silence for those killed and injured, good wishes or prayers for recovery, and acknowledgement of the kind things that people are doing in Boston in response.