Long LONG Trip to Australia. No... I'm not necessarily referring to the 13.5-hour flight from SFO to SYD (photo from plane at right), although that was a long flight! But what I'm referring to is the fact that, yet again, like in Tokyo, I've been stuck here in Sydney. At SFO, I had Australian visa problems because according to Australian government records, I never left here when I was here in November. So the Australian government was confused as to why I was trying to board a flight to Sydney when I was already here! Fortunately my passport has a "departed" stamp from November 18, 2007, so we got it all straightened out and I was able to board the flight, but I thought it was pretty funny. Stuck in Tokyo for six weeks (as previously posted), and now stuck in Australia for more than three months! Apparently there's been three of me running around (frightening!!!). :-)
Sydney Tower. Feeling somewhat jetlagged (having landed at 7:30am after spending all of "leap day" in the air), our first day was pretty low key. Walked around downtown Sydney, and went to the top of Sydney Tower. Here you see a picture of Michelle from the tower, with the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House far below us, in the background. The Sydney Tower is as tall as the Eiffel Tower - I hadn't realized it was that tall. The views of the city were gorgeous, and it was a beautiful, sunny day (very windy which sometimes made it cold, but temps in the high 60s - quite cool for an Australian "summer").
St. Mary's Cathedral. Here you see a picture of a Catholic cathedral that I took from the Sydney Tower. What a beautiful structure! It reminded Michelle of all the beautiful cathedrals she saw while living in France, so after the tower we strolled down there and were able to go inside. If you take a look at the several photos I've posted online, you'll see a few pictures of both inside and outside the cathedral. Note the beautiful stained glass windows! Pretty stuff. This cathedral is also right in the midst of Hyde Park, sort of a "Central Park" of Sydney.
Diversity on Display. So... I didn't know this when we planned this trip, but yesterday happened to be Marti Gras here in Sydney. And it so happened that it was sponsored by gay and lesbian groups. The streets of downtown Sydney were absolutely PACKED, especially during the parade in the evening (Michelle and I saw the floats lining up to start, but we were too tired to stay). There was quite a diverse group of people on hand for the event, both participants and observers. Just as a bit of flavor for what the crowds were like, these two "nurses" pictured here are indeed men.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Greetings from Down Under
Day One from Australia: Hello from Sydney. Michelle and I have arrived safely, and we're having a great time. Have been in country a little less than 24 hours now, and here a few highlights.
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