I’m in Australia with Tim, where it’s now tomorrow. My internal clock has been off since we arrived, sometime last week, although I’m not exactly sure when because somewhere in there we lost a full day, which we should recover on our return journey. Tim was invited to lecture by an association of Australian-Asian physicians, and lucky me, I get to tag along.
We spent the first few days in the North, in the seaside town of Port Douglas, near Cairns, and because we’re in the Southern Hemisphere, north means the tropics. Think palm trees hot, and this is their winter. The highlight of that experience was snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef: an entire universe under water, thousands of colorful fish, and coral reefs as tall and broad as a high rise. I didn’t even try to take pictures because I knew I just couldn’t capture it.
Now we’re in Sydney, not Australia’s capital, by the way (that’s Canberra), and not nearly as hot as Port Douglas, but also beautiful, with wide boulevards, architecturally distinguished buildings, and many open green spaces and public parks. Today while Tim attended meetings, I took a backstage tour of the Sydney Opera House, saw a Jeff Wall exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, heard an organ recital at St. Mary’s Cathedral, and walked through the Royal Botanic Gardens. Yesterday we looked at the collections of Australian and aboriginal art at the Gallery of New South Wales and explored sections of town named The Rocks and The Circular Quay. Next on my list is a ferry ride to Manly, for optimal Opera House viewing.
Now it’s time to get myself ready for our evening activity, a lovely gathering with Tim’s colleagues.
But before I sign off, I want to express my gratitude to my sisters, Deanna and Patrice, who are taking great care of our kids, the only reason this trip is possible. Thank you, thank you. xoxo
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