Everyone deserves a chance to fly

What did I promise you, dear readers? Oh yes. More pictures from my wanderings in Sydney, Central Business District.

Happy Valentine's Day :)

On Valentine's Day I was wandering around CBD waiting for my free walking tour to start, and I noticed 4 guys dressed the same (see above pic), and heard the faint hum of a pitch pipe. I knew it could only mean one thing. Barbershop Quartet Singing Valentines. They struck up a tune and I had to get closer to be sure I wasn't imagining this. "Longest Time" by Billy Joel is a favourite of mine, and that's what they were singing! I seemed to be the only one interested in what they were doing (they were parked out front of the train station entrance under a bridge) so basically they were singing to me. Then they asked me to stay just a little longer, and sang a tag, "You are so beautiful", which was amusing, and then sent me on my way. What a treat.

Also before my walking tour I checked out the Sydney Observatory. Originally it was set up to provide the time for ships in Sydney Harbour (1858). It was a neat little museum based on astronomy and timekeeping, using tides and meteorology. See the little gold ball at the top of the tallest tower? I know its a little hard to see in this picture. That ball drops every day at exactly 1pm, to keep time for Sydney and passing ships in the harbour. The ship's officers could check their chronometers against the ball dropping for time keeping accuracy.

Time Ball :)

Sarcophilus harrisii (Tasmanian Devil)

At Wild Life Sydney. My first tassie sighting!!! Really excited to see these little buggers in Tasmania :)

One of the tallest buildings in Sydney. How does it survive the stormy season? There are buckets of water that counteract the wind power, stabilizing it, and preventing it from falling over. I think its tropical cyclone season. Maybe I should hang out there.

Rub his nose for luck. Can you see where else people think its lucky to rub? Lol

An artistic tribute to the birds who have lost their song. Lots of empty bird cages strung up between buildings. Apparently Melbourne and Sydney are in major competition for who is better, so this is just one of the ways they compete. Street art! Below this you would see on the ground the names of the birds for each cage, and somewhere is a sample of their songs.

A lovely view on a lovely day.

Follow the white rabbit feet!

The Rocks Discovery Museum. Aboriginal fishing tools, pre-European settlement.

Hooks, flies and sinkers.

Aboriginal playing a didgeridoo!

Here's what it sounds like.

And now we leave CBD, and head to Coogee!

A beautiful day at Coogee Beach. Our house is about 10 min walk from here. Uphill, both ways.

 Our kitchen/dining room. You would not believe how small the fridge is for 6 people.

Beyond this  (to the left) is the washing machine, bathroom, and backyard.

Just to the left of the front door is a twin room shared by Chelsea and Bibi.

 Cozy little back yard.

BBQ, clothes line, backyard

Akvile and I share this room. We have our own bathroom :)

Next to our room to the right (facing our room), is Andreas' room.

Living room. We have a huge flatscreen TV (not pictured).

Poor lighting, but this is our sunroom. Wish you could see the awesome blue tiles better.

To the right of the sunroom is Sven's room.

So that is our house! I leave you with just one more note:

If you are ever in Sydney or Melbourne, I HIGHLY recommend taking the free walking tour. It was one of the best tours I've been on. Click here for more info!