Back in Sydney after our travels, it was a case of , " what will we do today ". As I've said before the harbour area around Sydney is huge. Not only the part around Circular Quays, which is dominated by the Opera House and the Bridge, but other equally fascinating areas are there to be explored.
So today it was to be Darling Harbour and its associated shops and amenities. Armed with our travel cards, which allowed us to travel on buses and trains at a very reasonable price, we set off for the city centre, some 10 mins ride away.
In my normal life I don't ride on buses, but this integrated system was fine.
The clear blue sky made everything seem so vibrant. The monorail which goes around the harbour area and back up into the city only added to the more modern theme. Our first thoughts of Darling Harbour were positive with the modern glass front office buildings providing an almost futuristic backdrop.
The surrounding area has a multitude of shops, bars and cafes and also hosts a number of museums and attractions. When the weather is not so good the Maritime Museum and the Sealife Centre seem to be good choices. Sitting in the sun sipping a cold beer and people watching appealed to us this fine day.
As in any big city, the diverse cultures of the indigenous population, plus visitors, makes for a treasure trove of taking points and observations. Its fascinating to note that by and large, we deal with our children in the same way when they play up a little and that Japanese people do love to take photos of everything, even when it seems there is no logical purpose.
We had arranged to meet Ben for lunch, he seemed to want to keep tabs on us, it was a little endearing in a nice sort of way and it was a pleasure to see him, even with his customary two fingered salute to his father..charming
Typical Ben gesture of greeting....
We decided to lunch in the Victoria Arcade, a very nice shopping and eating venue, just up into the city from Darling Harbour.
The little snackette complete, we promised Ben to behave and set out to purchase something from the arcade. A host of high class shops with overpriced items drew no dollars from ourselves, but all of a sudden some bronze cast figures by Pete Smit caught our eye.
we decided on the Kangaroo and it now resides in our lounge at home.
The amount of walking and sightseeing we had done had taken its toll of my little toe and sadly I have to report that a huge blister had appeared. Fighting the searing pain was one thing, but the prospect of a 10 kilometre walk tomorrow filled me with dismay. How was I to cope with the ridicule of Ben aided by the supportive cries of " man up " from Anna....., but that evening events took place that added a slight air of friction!
It was Pauline's birthday the next day and Ben and Anna had booked us into an Argentinian restaurant that evening. The meal, as always, was tremendous and the service first class, but an incident was to occur on our walk home. We were quite close to home, walking through a back street, when a small black kitten seemed to take a shine to Anna, maybe because when it sniffed around myself and Pauline, we shooed it away. Safe to say it followed us to the door. Upon opening the front door said kitten ran in and made itself at home. Being practical, I pointed out that the kitten, who had by now, had ran upstairs and looking to stay, was not a viable option and that some small child was probably crying for her kitten, we eventually showed it the door. Anna, I'm sorry, forgive me, but it had to go. The next day we saw posters regarding the kitten confirming someone had taken it in and was appealing to the owners to contact them. Job sorted!!!
It was Pauline's birthday the next day and Ben and Anna had booked us into an Argentinian restaurant that evening. The meal, as always, was tremendous and the service first class, but an incident was to occur on our walk home. We were quite close to home, walking through a back street, when a small black kitten seemed to take a shine to Anna, maybe because when it sniffed around myself and Pauline, we shooed it away. Safe to say it followed us to the door. Upon opening the front door said kitten ran in and made itself at home. Being practical, I pointed out that the kitten, who had by now, had ran upstairs and looking to stay, was not a viable option and that some small child was probably crying for her kitten, we eventually showed it the door. Anna, I'm sorry, forgive me, but it had to go. The next day we saw posters regarding the kitten confirming someone had taken it in and was appealing to the owners to contact them. Job sorted!!!
said kitten.
No comments:
Post a Comment