I am staying with a lovely 85 year old woman who is friends with my high school
Latin teacher. (A tenuous relationship, it might seem, but I take my contacts however I can, and this one has turned out to be a gem!) She reminds me of my grandmother, my aunt, and all the other little old ladies whom I have loved and respected. It is a treat to have dinner with her and chat at the end of each day (when I'm not sampling Sydney's culture)... Yet again proving that I am really a 60 year old trapped in a 36 year old's body. (Make that a 28 year old's body.)
While here I have hit the standard highlights... a walk around the Sydney Opera House (it really is cool), a trip to the aquarium (also blessedly cool, as it has been about 95 degrees for a few days), and various museum. Today I went to the zoo. It had a nice view, I can say that for it, but it cost $39AUD!!!! (That's about $26 US.) Luckily my cousin in Melbourne had given me her membership card, so with some wheedling (they require additional ID to prove that you aren't some American tourist trying to wander in on your relative's card-- go figure!), I got in for free. As I said, the view was good (on a hill, overlooking the harbor towards the opera and downtown), but I have to say that going to a zoo after seeing the animals in situ in Kenya just didn't really cut it for me. I fear that zoos will forever be changed in my mind. (Oh well, I didn't go there that often anyway. Only to pick up unsuspecting zookeepers.)I had a good wander around the Botanical Gardens one day (not nearly as nice as ours at home), clearly at lunchtime, for the place was packed, and I mean PACKED, with people exercising. Whole hordes of joggers would go by, group after group. Other groups would be doing push-ups or sit-ups. Some would be boxing, others running up and down the stairs. I felt sorry for all of these office-workers, so cooped up all day that they feel they need to go out in the sweltering mid-day sun to get a bit of exercise. (Outside time was scheduled into my job, three times a week... unless it dropped below 20F, which was a point of some contention...)
My visit here happens to coincide with the Sydney Festival, so there are lots of cultural events going on around town. I gave myself a nice treat, and last night I went to see the new(ish) dance company Morphoses. (Sure, they are based in NY, but I haven't seen them there, so I might as well see them here.) It was lovely, of course. (The director came out beforehand to tell us various notes about the program, including that the cosutmes for the first dance were designed by the woman who designed Michelle Obama's gown for the Inaugural balls. That got a cheer.) The night before my hostess's son, who is a theater critic, took me to see a play called The Yalta Game. (He had been reading Homer, apparently, as one is wont to do, and it said that there is nothing better than being kind to strangers, so I reaped the benefits of that!) Normally I am not a huge fan of theater (I keep waiting for them to break into song or do a dance or SOMETHING), but this was actually great. It could have been because it was only 60 minutes long. Or it could have been the glass of red wine I had right before (upon entering the theater, I wanted nothing more than to say a series of "WEEEEEEEEEEEEE"s and "WOOOOOOOOO"s as my head spun around. Maybe wine on an empty stomach wasn't such a good idea). Whatever it was, I enjoyed the play, and may get to go to another one tomorrow night.Where I am staying is on the north (referred to as "Nth" here. They LOVE their abbreviations, and it takes a while to figure them out. Still don't really know what 'arvo' means), so I have been taking the bus or ferry into town each day. I have never thought of Australians as particularly polite (I think the adjective that would have leapt to mind for Aussies would have been "tan", but as I've mentioned before, the anti-skin cancer campaign has really done a good job here, so that descriptor would be wrong), but I have to say that I have never heard so many people thank bus drivers. I would say probably a third of the passengers, when disembarking (even from the back of the bus), thank the driver. (Maybe that was in the same add campaign as the sunscreen. "Thank your driver while you slap on the sun goo.") Mind you, it is quite possible that people at home are just as courteous to the drivers, because, honestly, I can't think of a time I have been on a bus. (Oh wait, in Boston in the mid 90's I took a bus once or twice. I am sure I thanked those drivers. If not, thank you now.)
As I have mentioned before, and will likely mention again for it is unlikely to
change, I am not particularly fashion savvy, but sometimes I just don't understand what makes people put on certain outfits. People here seem to be dressed for the beach at all times of the day or night. At least I hope some of those dresses are beach cover-ups. If not, then, EGADS, have some decency! (The dresses here seem to leave little to the imagination in terms of decolettage. Sometimes I wonder how the important bits actually stay in!) And then there are the shoes. Women seem to have only three sorts of shoes: flip-flops (called 'thongs', which was a little disturbing at first when I would see signs saying "no thongs in pool"), spike heels, and what I would have to call slave sandals (as in Egyptian slaves from 2000 years ago). I'm still waiting for the spike-heel slave sandal to appear. (I do have to tell you, though, despite looking like all my clothes have been shoved in a backpack for four months, and perpetually being ready to go on a hike if someone asked me to, I was approached by a woman today who wanted to know where I got my Chaco sandals. Of course, she was around 50, and probably suffering from foot pain after years of heels, but I'm taking it as a compliment!)Some women might take offense-- but I just find it comical-- that men of all ages, occupations, and levels of intoxication (ranging from, hopefully, NONE in regards to the bus driver, to HIGH in regards to the 20 year old on the bus) have referred to me as "dearie" and "love". And me not even having batted my eyelashes!
Just a couple more (hot) days in Australia, and then I am off to New Zealand, where I hear that their accent is even odder, and it might just be snowing. (Yes, it is summer there.)
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