The first port of a call for my brother and I on our adventures around Australia was Sydney, Australia's largest and most visited city. We met up in the international arrivals terminal of Sydney's Kingsford-Smith International Airport around 09:30 on the 12th of January. I had caught an express Greyhound bus from Canberra and was dropped off at the airport. We then proceeded to the airport's train station and travelled to the suburb of Dulwich Hill, where we would be staying.
For the next few days we stayed at the Jewsons, people I had met my first time in Australia. Alex and I had belonged to the same club at Macquarie University and I had stayed at his place in my last days in Australia in 2005. The 3 brothers, Alex, Roderic (Eric) and Harrison (Harry) are all avid gamers so my brother got along swimmingly with them. They often talked about the latest computer games and systems on the market. The Jewsons are really nice people, kindly accepting tired travellers into their home and I was pleased my brother got along with them. Actually, they all spent a lot of time playing Mirror's Edge, a new game where the object is to leap from tall buildings in as few bounds as possible. The graphics are excellent and the story intriguing.
Anyway, my brother and I didn't do too much on our first day together, contenting ourselves with exploring our immediate environs. The next day, however, we travelled to the beating heart of Sydney --- Circular Quay. Circular Quay is the oldest part of Sydney and it was where the First Fleet landed, founding a new country. Originally, it was called Semi-Circular Quay because of its shape, but that was too long for Australians, who like shortening things anyway, so over time, it received its present name.
The first place I took my brother was the Sydney Opera House, the most recognizable of Sydney's landmarks. We wandered around, admiring the architecture and an outdoor art exhibit featuring trumpets. We then proceeded along the waterfront to Mrs. Macquarie's Point, named after the wife of an early governor, and I though to myself that I had stood in almost this same spot nearly 4 years previous, on my first trip into Sydney. Just as that day had been, this was a warm, sunny day.
We then walked through the nearby Royal Botanical Gardens and I was slightly startled to see how many bats were sleeping in the trees. Australians call these particular bats, flying foxes because their heads bear a resemblance to that animal. My friend Alex is an amateur bat expert and had told me to watch out for these critters and I was glad to finally see them in the wild, or as near as a city can get to the wild.
After the Royal Botanical Gardens, I managed to drag my brother to the Parliament of New South Wales. Since, prior to federation, each of the Australian states were semi-independent colonies, their legislatures retain the name of "Parliament". Also, each state's parliament is bicameral, except for one, and they each have the same name for their lower houses (Legislative Assembly) and their upper houses (Legislative Council). Both houses are elected with the lower houses representing individual constituencies and the upper houses' seats being allocated proportionally to a party's votes gained percentage.
We entered the Parliament and it was quite empty with everyone away for the summer holidays. There didn't seem to be any tours on offer so my brother and I decided to wander around for a bit. We couldn't see the Legislative Assembly chamber because it was closed for some reason, but we did manage to see the Legislative Council chamber. It was decorated in red, based on the House of Lords I imagine. We also happened upon a quite large library room whose entrance was hidden down a hallway. I wish I could say more but without a tour, I can relate neither the history nor any interesting facts about the New South Wales Parliament.
My brother decided to go back to Dulwich Hill but I stayed on in Circular Quay to meet up with another acquaintance of mine; another Alex as it happens. I met her through another friend of mine, Andre, when he was studying medicine at McGill. Alex was on an exchange and we happened to meet. I met up with her the last time I was in Australia but the last time was a chance encounter after a Sydney Swans-Essendon Bombers game at Telstra, now ANZ, Stadium in Homebush. This time around, Alex and I walked to her neighbour's engagement party which has happening under the Sydney Opera House. I met some very interesting people there as well. When I finally got back to Dulwich Hill, I was feeling a little tired but I knew that what I had planned for the next day would be quite exciting.
For the next few days we stayed at the Jewsons, people I had met my first time in Australia. Alex and I had belonged to the same club at Macquarie University and I had stayed at his place in my last days in Australia in 2005. The 3 brothers, Alex, Roderic (Eric) and Harrison (Harry) are all avid gamers so my brother got along swimmingly with them. They often talked about the latest computer games and systems on the market. The Jewsons are really nice people, kindly accepting tired travellers into their home and I was pleased my brother got along with them. Actually, they all spent a lot of time playing Mirror's Edge, a new game where the object is to leap from tall buildings in as few bounds as possible. The graphics are excellent and the story intriguing.
Anyway, my brother and I didn't do too much on our first day together, contenting ourselves with exploring our immediate environs. The next day, however, we travelled to the beating heart of Sydney --- Circular Quay. Circular Quay is the oldest part of Sydney and it was where the First Fleet landed, founding a new country. Originally, it was called Semi-Circular Quay because of its shape, but that was too long for Australians, who like shortening things anyway, so over time, it received its present name.
The first place I took my brother was the Sydney Opera House, the most recognizable of Sydney's landmarks. We wandered around, admiring the architecture and an outdoor art exhibit featuring trumpets. We then proceeded along the waterfront to Mrs. Macquarie's Point, named after the wife of an early governor, and I though to myself that I had stood in almost this same spot nearly 4 years previous, on my first trip into Sydney. Just as that day had been, this was a warm, sunny day.
We then walked through the nearby Royal Botanical Gardens and I was slightly startled to see how many bats were sleeping in the trees. Australians call these particular bats, flying foxes because their heads bear a resemblance to that animal. My friend Alex is an amateur bat expert and had told me to watch out for these critters and I was glad to finally see them in the wild, or as near as a city can get to the wild.
After the Royal Botanical Gardens, I managed to drag my brother to the Parliament of New South Wales. Since, prior to federation, each of the Australian states were semi-independent colonies, their legislatures retain the name of "Parliament". Also, each state's parliament is bicameral, except for one, and they each have the same name for their lower houses (Legislative Assembly) and their upper houses (Legislative Council). Both houses are elected with the lower houses representing individual constituencies and the upper houses' seats being allocated proportionally to a party's votes gained percentage.
We entered the Parliament and it was quite empty with everyone away for the summer holidays. There didn't seem to be any tours on offer so my brother and I decided to wander around for a bit. We couldn't see the Legislative Assembly chamber because it was closed for some reason, but we did manage to see the Legislative Council chamber. It was decorated in red, based on the House of Lords I imagine. We also happened upon a quite large library room whose entrance was hidden down a hallway. I wish I could say more but without a tour, I can relate neither the history nor any interesting facts about the New South Wales Parliament.
My brother decided to go back to Dulwich Hill but I stayed on in Circular Quay to meet up with another acquaintance of mine; another Alex as it happens. I met her through another friend of mine, Andre, when he was studying medicine at McGill. Alex was on an exchange and we happened to meet. I met up with her the last time I was in Australia but the last time was a chance encounter after a Sydney Swans-Essendon Bombers game at Telstra, now ANZ, Stadium in Homebush. This time around, Alex and I walked to her neighbour's engagement party which has happening under the Sydney Opera House. I met some very interesting people there as well. When I finally got back to Dulwich Hill, I was feeling a little tired but I knew that what I had planned for the next day would be quite exciting.
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