Travel and day 1 (10th sept - 12sept)

So after some 15 hours on wonderful Air New Zealand crafts and pacing myself through several movies and endless reruns of the Big Bang Theory, I found myself cruising over Sydney (which was a wonderful alternative to 15 hours of ocean. The pacific ocean is HUGE). As we landed I took note of the increased amount of rugby pitches (whoo) and the British driving style =) (which makes my british side very happy). Soon enough we were on the ground and I whizzed through customs with zero problems using the fancy epassport lane and was set free into the world down under.

The day was dismally grey, reminding me of what London should be and not this Australian wonder, but they are just finishing winter so it is not wholly unreasonable (just a little unexpected!) As I began to ride through the city the further british street names both made me happy but also confused  as many of those names already hold geographical locations in my brain. But the city had a much newer and tropical vibe and other than the names hold no resemblance to the ancient city.

Next I found my hostel where the Stanford group will be staying! I am 2 days early so had the whole day to myself to keep myself awake because it was only noon( If you think normal redeyes are bad try 15 hour ones that where you miss an entire day along the way). I figured if I kept walking I would be forced to stay awake so I grabbed a quick lunch of a chicken sandwich (for my hunger), Ribena (for my childhood), and tim tams (for the aussie and because they are delicious) and sat in Hyde Park which is only a few blocks away. I watched multiple groups of school children as they puttered along enjoying the outdoors and old couples taking a refreshing walk. It seemed to be a major crossing point as many people hummed across in suit and tie, yet also a place for fun as I watched some people play pickup rugby.

To keep up the walking idea, I decided to go on a walking tour of the city. We started near town hall and wandered past building such as the Victoria building (a forum for shops), and through the parks where we learned about the history of sydney (as a penal colony) and the significance of some older building such as the old hospital and barracks.  Most of these are now museums or converted for some other governmental use but still use the same foundations.  It seemed from the tour that Australia's current state depended greatly on timing as it very nearly could have been a french speaking colony! It also occurred to me how new the civilization is as it seemed to coincide roughly with american timelines leaving not a lot of western history there. However, not much was discussed of aboriginal people aside from the fact that they were sadly pushed out of the city boundaries and a very small population remains. We ended up around the rock, which is an area by the harbour with a lovely view of the opera house and the famous bridge which is also known as the coat hanger!

I grabbed a meat pie on the way home and pretty much hopped into bed as I was absolutely exhausted and woke up 12 hours later! Now I get to decide what to do today with the pouring rain outside.

Until next time, Peace!