Oops, this is getting posted almost two days late this week, and I'm afraid I have no justifiable excuse. Tonight1 we were out late for a very nice, very expensive, "let's celebrate our ten months in Australia" dinner at Rockpool, one of the top two restaurants in Sydney and, according to some critics, one of the top five restaurants in the world. Yum, it was good. Especially the tea-smoked duck breast with mango that D ordered. The atmosphere and the service were quite lovely-- just the thing we needed this week as we've been rushing and stressing to get our affairs in order before we leave Sydney: a relaxing evening of good food in good company.
We've been acutely aware this week that when we've gone to places in Sydney that we know well, the next time we go there they will be quite different. Time will change them, and time will change us-- and then, too, it will likely be quite a while before we return to Sydney together. D is likely to return to cooperate and collaborate with the department here, but then she will be visiting. And even though, visiting will be quite different after living here, it still won't be the same.
As the days count down and we slowly adjust to upside-down seasons, we're realizing how much of Sydney we don't know and haven't seen. On Thursday we took a bus out to Bronte beach, where we stayed at our friend Pat's house the first few nights we were in Sydney back last February. We walked a section of the shoreline trail, north from Bronte to Coogee, and for the first time this year, we actually went swimming at a Sydney beach.2 Saturday we finally visited the outlying suburb of Cabramatta, which Chad has been wanting to explore for many months now. An influx of Asian immigrants has built the area into a Chinese- or Taiwanese-style market district, with crowded streets lined with food shops and bubble tea vendors and Chinese herbalists.
But even though there are many places in Sydney that we have yet to explore, we've still seen more of it than many Sydneysiders. This afternoon3 D took her Australian friend Ariana to Featherdale Wildlife Park to "pat" and learn about Australian native animals. This was D's third visit this year, her fourth ever, and of course she's seen many animals in the wild this year. But many Australians know very little about this native wildlife.
Tassie4 should have lots and lots of wildlife-- if we're lucky we'll even get to spot a platypus or an echidna! We're looking forward to this trip-- everything we've heard about the island state suggests that it will be a real treat. We have a good deal left to do in the next two days before we leave-- packing, cleaning, sorting. Fortunately for us, the next tenant of our apartment has agreed to buy all of our furniture in one lump sum... so that's one less thing we have to worry about. Now, on to all the things we do have to worry about...
;)
- D
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NOTES
1I'm pretending it's Tuesday and writing as though I were posting this on time. I've done this more often than you probably realize this year!
2I'm not sure I recommend trying this in November. Yes, it is warm here now, and it was quite hot that day, but the water was utterly frigid, and there was a period of about five minutes when we couldn't feel our toes anymore. Then hypothermia set in and we didn't mind so much. (I'm kidding.)
3Tuesday afternoon-- that's me pretending again.
4See how well-integrated we are, calling Tasmania "Tassie"?
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