And here I am
My first impression of Sydney was basically that it's a really big city. Skyscrapers as far as the eye could see, which, admittedly, wasn't very far because there were lots of skyscrapers in the way. It was a pleasantly warm summer night, the sort that usually comes after an uncomfortably hot summer day. The hostel wasn't hard to find. It was quite nice, but a bit expensive for a place where you have to share a room with three strangers. My roommates were already sleeping when I arrived and they left before I got up the next morning. I had two days before the start of the conference.
The first thing I tried to find on my first morning here was the university, where the lectures were going to be. This was a little harder than it should have been. I was feeling a little disoriented. I'm not sure how I normally find my way through places I have only seen on a map before, but it took me a while to get the hang of this place. Maybe it's because the sun is in the North? I don't know.
After that I went sightseeing. I spent some time wandering through the Royal Botanic Garden,
chasing funny-looking birds with a camera,
until I stumbled upon the Opera House.
I actually think it looks more impressive from a distance, though. From there I headed for the Observatory, which is one of the oldest buildings in the city and pretty cool.
From there I slowly made my way back to the hostel. There was one more thing I wanted to do that day.
I had actually been planning to try some less popular beach, but the girl at the hostel reception insisted on directing me to the Bondi. It’s quite far away from the centre so she advised me to take a bus. But the bus she had suggested didn’t stop where I thought it would. Oh well. There was another bus going in the right direction. The problem was that I had no idea if it went all the way to the beach. Long story short, I ended up getting off the bus a few stops too early and then taking a wrong turn somewhere (That part of the city isn’t on my map for some reason) and having to walk so long that I was lucky it wasn’t dark by the time I got to the beach. On the other hand, it wasn’t crowded any more, so yay. I left the beach when the sun was setting and by the time I was back in the centre it was completely dark. I guess that’s why I missed my stop and ended up nearly an hour’s walk from my hostel. But eventually I made it. I was just about to enter the hostel when someone asked me for directions.*
I spent most of the next day out of town. The train took nearly two hours to get to Katoomba, and then I had to walk nearly an hour through the town, but it was worth it. The Blue Mountains. The name sounds like something out of a fantasy novel and some of the things that live there belong in one as well. And the landscapes are pretty.
The trails near Echo Point are rather more civilized than the mountains I’m used to, with railings, steps and viewing platforms to make hiking as easy as possible, which is, as far as I’m concerned, missing the point. But there was a moment when I nearly ended up turning back.
First I heard the thunder, which is never a good sign when you’re hiking in unknown mountains. When I felt the first drops of rain I began to worry. Should I go back the way I had come? Should I look for a shortcut? Should I head for the nearest road? Should I look for a bus to take me back into the town? But I was close to a place called Scenic World. A tourist attraction I’d rather avoid under different circumstances. But it had a roof and the rain was getting worse. I spent some time looking at the tacky souvenirs at the gift shop and wondering what to do next. Eventually, as the thunder became more distant, I decided to move forward, although I did decide to take the Scenic Railway instead of walking all the way down into the valley.
Most of the tourists headed for the cableway station to return up and tell their friends that wow, they have actually been to the actual wilderness. I didn’t even look at the map before walking in the opposite direction. It had to be the right one. It was. Soon the rain ended and I found myself alone on a proper forest path. It was beautiful. I followed the path all the way to the Giant Stairway before climbing back to Echo Point.
I didn’t see a platypus (Allegedly, there are a few by the river, but I really can’t blame them for not showing themselves), but I did see a whole bunch of interesting birds, a weird lizard, some strange plants and a couple of waterfalls.
On the next day the conference began. I checked out of the hostel and headed for the university. It wasn’t until lunch break that I could move into the expensive hotel the organizers had decided to accommodate me in. I’ve always thought it was weird that people actually stay at places like this. “Luxuries” like having someone come and clean your room every day never appealed to me and I don’t see the point of living on the fifteenth floor if the building across the street also has over fifteen floors. Later I found out that WiFi at the hotel costs extra (I don’t even know how much and I’m afraid to ask) and breakfasts are not included (but they can give them to us at a “discount” price which is only slightly more expensive than a month’s worth of breakfasts at most hotels I’ve stayed at). I won’t be surprised if they suddenly tell me in a few days’ time that I need to pay for all the hot water I’ve used. Seriously, I think I’ve slept in haystacks that treated their guests with more respect.
Anyway, after the lectures I went for another walk around the city, this time with some friends.
It rained nearly all the time, but it was a warm summer rain and hey, it was a new experience.
Over the next couple of days there wasn’t really a lot of time for sightseeing. The lectures start early, the lunch breaks are short and the poster sessions on Monday and Tuesday ended late in the afternoon. At least what I managed to understand of the lectures was pretty interesting. There are a few papers I need to read. My own poster attracted more attention than I had expected. I managed to answer most of the questions I was asked and explain everything well enough. I think I’m making progress.
In the evenings I continue to walk around the city. The impression I’m getting now is that more than anything else Sydney is a mixture. Of everything. There are shiny modern skyscrapers growing out of clusters of nineteenth century architecture and little old buildings hidden in the shadows of new skyscrapers. Bars and restaurants offer cuisines from all over the world (although there is a noticeable Asian trend).** There are signs in many languages and alphabets, many of which I can’t read. There are palm and eucalyptus trees growing all over neighbourhoods that are otherwise more English than London. There are pigeons and cockatoos and seagulls and strange birds whose names I don’t know, and flying foxes and perfectly ordinary rats. All this on a jagged shoreline where land and sea collide in unexpected ways.
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* People here tend to either assume I’m German or ask me for directions. Or ask me for directions in German.
** Does Australia even have its own kind of food?