A Touch of Home

All over Sydney and Melbourne, not surprisingly, are the logos of American businesses: Starbucks, KFC, Coach, Nike, McDonalds...

A twist is provided by this "BurgerKing" look-alike. Apparently in the 1950s an Australian fellow wanted to open a Burger King franchise but BK didn't do franchises. The guy asked if he could use the burger logo without the name and BK said sure, just don't use the name. The Hungry Jack chain became wildly successful in Australia.

At the time of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Burger King decided it did not want Hungry Jack to be using the logo but lost the court case, and Hungry Jack continues to thrive as is. So there.

Brian thinks Pie Face, the brainchild of an Australian, will be the next international sensation. Haven't tried the tiny pies yet (sweet and savory choices, that could easily be a fast lunch) but plan to. Keep your eyes open in the USA!

Back to School

Today marks the beginning of the school year, so all good parents gave children a hearty breakfast (these eggs, sunny side up, were my breakfast, along with rockmelon -- Australian for cantaloupe).

The next vacation is Easter, and then early July is winter break, spring in late September, exams in October/November and in mid-December is the beginning of summer break. Southern hemisphere, remember?

School is compulsory through 12th grade. 70% of Australian kids attend public school and 30% private. How might this compare to the USA? States dictate curriculum in public schools but there is a move to firm up a more common curriculum nationally. I'd love to learn more but... On to other vistas!

Zoo Buddy

Today (Tuesday): the opal discovery center and the Taronga Zoo, across the harbour on the north side of the city. We saw potoroos, quolls, wombats, wallabies, kangaroos (they were sleepy, no hopping), and platypuses -- or is it platypi? Perhaps we'll add more pictures later, but can't resist sharing this with you.

• Did you know koalas exist on eucalyptus leaves and sleep 20 hours a day?
• Did you know a group of kangaroos is a "mob"?
• Did you know wombats' pouches are upside down so that when they dig (they are VERY short chubby animals that waddle along the ground) their babies don't get dirt in their faces?
• Did you know that an adult kangaroo can jump 9 meters in one hop (as they run)?

The QVB

The QVB, aka Queen Victoria Building, was renovated and restored to its former glory about 10 years ago and now houses many elite shops and restaurants. The stunning architecture and appointments (paint colors, floor tiles, stain glass windows and two amazing clocks) create a spectacular period building enjoyed by hundreds of people daily. We loved it!

Singing In the Rain

Wendy turned on the national weather report before breakfast. Cyclones north of here in Queensland caused unfortunate flooding. Up in Brisbane, seafoam blew inland, looking like snow -- or popcorn! The storm's spinoff has given Sydney (south along the east coast in New South Wales) lots and lots of rain the past two days. Lots and lots.

Our spirits are not dampened, even if our shoes and clothes are. The temperature outside is a mild 23 degrees Centigrade (being summer) so we aren't cold at all. Here is a view of the spectacular Sydney Opera House through the window of our harbor cruise boat this morning. We are definitely singing in the rain!

FACT The Queen of Australia

Who is the Queen of Australia? Elizabeth II, who is also Queen of England! Australia and fifteen other sovereign (independent) nations, as former British colonies, honor her as their queen. Australia is a "constitutional monarchy," with the government guided by a written constitution. Australia minted a special coin on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Australia Day Fireworks

On the evening of January 26th, packed in amongst thousands of celebrating Australians lining Darling Harbour, we watched a parade of boats, which included both vessels currently working in the harbour and three majestic tall ships. This was followed by one of the most spectacular fireworks displays I've ever seen. In addition to the traditional fireworks, there was synchronized music, and most amazing were the colored laser beams lighting up the sky and reflected in the water of the Harbour. Peeking through the clouds was an almost full moon. What a wonderful welcome to Sydney for us!

Early Australia

Road Scholars are people (Rusty and Wendy in this case) privileged to be on guided trips to new horizons  -- formerly run by Elderhostel. Groups have a trip leader and local guides and lecturers. It's great! Sunday morning we had a history lesson, a textured look at Australia's early discovery and settlement. Just some of the things we heard:

• Aboriginal peoples came to this continent about 50,000 years ago (humans inhabited Europe about 40,000 years ago, and North America about 20,000).
• Some flora and fauna derived from Asia (elephants and tigers) and some from the east (marsupials and lizards). Dingos (a dog) are not indigenous. but came to the continent from somewhere else 40,000 years ago.
• There are about 300 Aboriginal language groups; people were not nomadic (they did establish home territories).
• A number of explorers (beginning with Vasco de Gama in 1497) came upon the continent but didn't consider it worth exploring further; maritime empires were centered elswhere, such as in Asia.
• In the early 1600s Dutch traders said there was "no good to be found" here and turned to other places for valued spices (what would haggis, made of tripe and oatmeal, be without nutmeg and mace?).
• James Cook came around in 1769-70, on the ship Endeavor, expressing a favorable attitude toward Aborigines and exploring Botany Bay with scientific aims. He claimed New South Wales for the British crown.
• In 1788 with the arrival of the First Fleet from Britain, Australia ("the southern land") became a new "settler society." The first residents were convicts (550 men and 150 women) arriving on 11 ships and settling at "The Rocks" on Sydney Harbour.
• Convicts were sent here less for punishment than to establish a new British foothold in the empire. 
• Convicts constructed lots of cool stuff in Sydney, such as the first hospital. Most of the convicts gained eventual freedom and were valued members of Australia's growing citizenry.
• In 1804 a guy named Flinders circumnavigated the continent and drew a fabulous map (above).

Just the tip of the iceberg of information! 

Walking About in Sydney

No grass grows under the feet of Road Scholar participants. The six of us who came over on the Qantas flight from LA were greeted by Brian, our tour guide, and had a half hour at our hotel in Darling Harbour before heading off on a brisk introductory walk around this part of town. First off we learned January 26 just happens to be Australia Day, similar to our 4th of July, one might say, complete with fireworks and lots of people enjoying the sights and sunshine. Here are some highlights of our afternoon, and we plan to return to the harbourside for fireworks later tonight, provided we can stay awake!

Lunch at the Queen Victoria Building (locally called the QVB), a sandstone building magnificently restored in the nick of time by an ambitious developer when the city was considering tearing it down


Australia Day flags complemented the national flag all around Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour is just one of several welcoming harbors in Sydney, one of the reasons Sydney has thrived over the years

Water fountains, street entertainers, busy restaurants reflected the energy of the holiday

Sydney seems like a really family-friendly, visitor-friendly spot. We will be here for three full days, doing various neighborhoods, cultural sites, gardens and zoos, and beaches. Whew! More later.

Arriving in the Land of OZ

Wow, amazing how quickly 14 hours goes by when one is full of anticipation, a glass of Australian wine, and watching the Iron Lady on my own personal screen. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually slept for several hours. It was rather exciting, not to mention reassuring, to see land appear outside my window. It was really happening - we were about to land in OZ! Rusty will take you on our first walking tour of Sydney.

Crossing Over

we are halfway there
a full moon gleams on the wing
one day lost, others gained

Departure Day in LA

Boarding Qantas flight to Sydney in half an hour after a great day in Los Angeles. Wendy's high school friend Tom kindly took us to the Getty Villa in the Santa Monica hills looking west over the Pacific, on a quick drive through Beverly Hills and window shopping on Rodeo Drive. Getting mentally prepared for our 15 hour flight across the International Date Line, skipping Friday and arriving in Sydney, Australia, at 9:30 Saturday morning! On this flight we'll be traveling about 12,500 kilometers; can you figure out the miles?

"Letters" from Australia

We leave the States for Down Under on January 23, 2013...soon. We may not be using pretty stamps like these to send you letters but we do plan to send pictures on this blog, and maybe some real picture postcards!