Post Twenty One: Almost there, but one more adventure before break.

Not much to report this week. I have been trying my best to finish all of my homework so that when I go on break I can actually be on break. I am currently trying to finish a huge research paper. It is not due for a little while even after the break, but seeing as during the month of May I will have a total of three of these monsters to accomplish (in addition to all other papers and tests). Granted, the workload here is not as pressuring as the one at LU, but I have one more class than back home and only a couple of extra weeks (since we have this giant break) of actual school. So, anyway, this will be a short post.

Yesterday I went with some friends beck to the Blue Mountains. The weather report was "mostly sunny"...however the sun did not get "mostly" until around 3pm...typical. I am finding it a trend that whenever I make plans to go places the sky tends to be either raining, or cloudy and cold.

However, it was actually pretty sweet to have this weather as you will see in a minute. After a long trainride we arrived in Katoomba and walked down to Echo point. We learned why people usually take tourbuses, because it is a fair walk (not undoable for sure, but it is a bit of a walk) to get anywhere.

where are the mountains?

Anyway, once we arrived at the 'scenic lookout' Echo Point. But, wait, where were the mountains? we couldn't really see anything due to massive cloud-cover. it was hauntingly interesting, every now and then a mountain would emerge and then disappear again into the clouds.


We then walked down to the three sisters, again it was so cloudy that it was hard to see anything. but it did clear now and then, enough that we were able to glimpse some of the vistas.

Lunch!

After this, was lunch on the side of the path (we received some looks from the passersby, perhaps because we were all sitting on the ground in front of a bench...instead of on the bench...)

can you find us?

sunlight turns it into a tropical woodland!

Then we walked along a path trying to get to the Leura Cascades. The walk was really fun, sometimes it was like walking through a misty valley in a horror movie or a rainforest. and then the sun would come out and it was like a tropical island walk! the walk was supposedly only 3 km... however, it took us 2 1/2/ hours before we reached a sign that said Leura Cascades 750m ahead. GREAT! but then, about 100m farther we saw another sign that said Leura Cascades 1.1 km...hmmmmm not good. we decided to sadly forgo trying to find the falls and instead headed up away from the mountains and onto the road to Leura town. after walking up and down and up and down hills we reached Leura and enjoyed windowshopping (it was a beautiful day at this point) for a bit before heading back on the train.

Since we had all purchased tickets that let us travel on all transportation free for that day, we decided to continue all the way back to Sydney City. We went to the Rocks Pancake House for dinner, I ordered one of their 'famous chocolate pancakes' and shared. It was our consensus that "they forgot the pan in that pancake!" Still, it was pretty good, even by my snobbish chocolate standards.

On the ferry, behind me is Circular Quay

Blue, and the Opera house. how can it get better!

We finished the night by riding the ferry to a litup Luna Park before returning tired but happy and satisfied, to the Uni.

There was my one day adventure! a bit short and to the point, I apologize. but homework calls.....

Post Fifteen: Things Accomplished/Recap

Australian Experiences to Check off the list:

1.) See wild kangaroo
2.) See/visit (deep breath) Sydney Opera House, Darling Harbor, wildlife world, aquarium, the Rocks history museum, Bondi beach, Harbor bridge, Paddys markets
3.) Eat aussie meat pie
4.) Blue Mountains
5.) ANZAC cookie (called a biscuit here)
6.) Meet some Aboriginal people and see boomerang throw as well as Dijeredoo played

Macquarie Uni:

1.) Finished first official assignment! A presentation on the Enlightenment period in history and the Macquarie Era in Australia and how the two were related and reflected
2.) learned to walk on the left of the sidewalk (still takes conscious effort to remember this though)
3.) right left right NOT left right left!
4.) Train station genius

Still to do in Australia:

1.) Manly (day trip for sure)
-Oceanworld
-Manly beach
-kangaroo steak
-coastal walk to see aboriginal rock carvings and art
2.) See a show at the Opera House (I have ordered tickets for Mahler's 7th Symphony coupled with a Mendelson Violin Solo) note: back row is perfectly acceptable its the OPERAHOUSE for cryin' out loud
3.) OUTBACK!!!!!!!! I don't know when but I cannot say I have been to Australia and NOT go here
4.) Re-visit Bondi to walk from Bondi to Bronti to Cooge
5.) Great Barrier Reef

Still to do at MQ:

too many things here to list...so much homework!

Possibilities?

1.) Inside tour of Opera House?
2.) Melbourne?
3.) Broome?

reason # 5,248 why I have decided that I must live here....NO MOSQUITO BITES! THATS RIGHT PEOPLE! I went to the RAINFOREST and STILL no mosquito bites, and they are definitely here because I have seen them and seen them bite people! However Aussie mosquitos just don't like my blood. AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

however, on the downside I found a cockroach as big as my thumb...in my room...and another squished in the hallway...hmm

Post Fourteen: Blues, Babies, Battlestar Galactica

A quick stop at Parc Olympique first

Today was off to the BLUE MOUNTAINS!

View from Flatrock

 When one thinks of Australia one really doesn't think of 'rainforest'. However, just west of Sydney is a large rainforest national reserve called the Blue Mountains. Today I awoke super early (yes dear people, early) to sneak in a quick workout before heading to catch a tourbus out to these amazing hills.The trip took awhile, Sydney is very large, but once we were on the ridge of the mountains it was really mountains as far as the eye could see. Apparently the reserve is larger than the area of northern Ireland! The pictures really don't do them justice.

Our bus included: Jim, our wonderful and knowledgeable guide, four people from Canada and their (rather fussy and loud) baby girl. She was screaming half the time, and of course, no apology from mommy and daddy...oh well, as well as a couple of neat people from America, an Aussie, and two sisters from Sweden.

Jim was great. We learned all about some of the history of the mountains (e.g. the road was built in 8 months by convicts, where as now they are trying to expand it and it is planned to take 25 years...chew on that!), the flora, and the secrets of mountain rains.

Our bus stopped at a few amazing lookout views, including flatrock, the three sisters, and Katoomba falls. We did a little light hiking in these areas before breaking for the Aussie on-the-go lunch of meatpie (and maaaaaybe an Anzac cookie). After this, we walked down the 1,000 stairs to the bottom of the valley. During this walk it poured rain (fitting for the rainforest) for about 10 minutes, making the waterfalls (usually mere trickles) cascades of gushing water, just for us. Nature really put on a show for us, there was sunshine, then a huge thunderstorm, then waterfalls (including some that only occurred when it rained hard), and clouds on the mountains. We even got to see some fog that was almost good enough that our view became invisible, almost, not quite.

Not even Katoomba falls, this is apparently usually "just a polite trickle"

The rest of the tour group then took the steep railway back up to the top whilst I commenced my climb back up the 1,000 stairs. It was quite the trek, but I enjoyed the physical nature of the hike. I cannot wait to go back, or go to the outback and just hike and hike and hike!

Couldn't resist

Sydney is a great city to be sure, but I love love nature and I much enjoy walking through it an enjoying absorbing it as much as possible. Especially when it is as interesting and different as the Blue Mountains (which are incidentally blue to to the haze from evaporating eucalyptus oil). It was very refreshing to experience some real and different nature. Now I want more more more!!!