A story of changed plans – Part II
Sunday is our second full and last day in Sydney. We are sorted and packed before leaving our unit. Because of the fiasco over the change of our travel plans and the Covid19 fallout, we forgot to cancel Sunday night’s accommodation for one of us. This has probably worked in our favour as it gives us the chance, later in the day, to come back, freshen up, and retrieve our bags. Otherwise, we would have to search out some lockers. Expensive storage, but sometimes you do what you have to do.
We learn that travel on pubic transport, on a Sunday, is $2.80 all day. It is charged by tap on tap off using a credit card. Bonus!
We ride the slow ferry to Manly. We see a grommet of about 10 or 11 years – he has the long blonde surfie hair, he’s one of the first on board the ferry with his surfboard that is almost a little taller than he is. He is polite and uses “thank you” when we hear him ask for directions on something later. He quite forthrightly informs us that the cruise ship that is docked in the bay, and was in port yesterday, is now in quarantine because he has just seen it on Channel 7 Instagram news. He travels with a mate, who is a little taller and probably not any older. The pair of them make a lovely pair. We later see them getting into their wetsuits on the beach.
The weather is temperamental, showering, then dry, cloudy and maybe a little sun peeking through then having another tantrum. We walk the coastline for a little way then wander back for breakfast at a lovely dog friendly café where I admire Romeo, a beautiful German Shepherd, another young Shepherd and various other pooches. All of the pooches we see today are well-behaved and sociable – much better than many humans but I digress.
Breakfast is at BB’s Café and starts with coffee then moves on to Tuscan Eggs, because if you cannot be there you can go for the “feel” of it, and bacon and egg roll with potato gems. Modest price, tasty repast and on the walk again. We head the other direction from which we started exploring and round a head. The bay is beautiful and water is providing some action, not big waves, for the board riders. It is entertaining watching the grommets, then the mid-size grommets that are in their 20’s to 40’s or maybe a little older then the much older grommets who are still grommets at heart but moving a little slower these days. There is a wide age range and it is certainly a lifestyle living in this area – not my lifestyle.
The pooches are such a font of calm in a currently panicked and ridiculous situation. They are wonderfully oblivious to what is going on in the human world and aren’t they fortunate.
Ice-cream is always a good option and the Royal Copenhagen at Manly is generous. This fuels the ferry ride back and the wander up to Hyde Park Barracks and through their current exhibition which is fantastic. It is an amazing story and worthwhile if you have about an hour to spare. How rats have contributed to archaeology makes for a great listen. The lives of the convicts and early settlers (as well as those who migrated as a result of the Irish Potato Famine) were dreadful. We have so much we are “blessed” with in this modern day.
There are still various languages to be heard as we wander around exploring. The place is not busy which is sad for the small, and large, organisations. The rain keeps us company, coming in at angles of between 45 and 60 degrees at times then settling down again and coming down without as much wind accompaniment. We find our way to the airport as it is now unpleasant walking around the city. We sit planning our next adventure or rather our altered next adventure as we partake of a little sustenance and liquid refreshment. We observe the planes moving to and from the international airport, just across the tarmac. It is quite something watching them come in to land, the puff of smoke off their tyres, the impact of that touch down.
It has been a social experiment for me regarding use of my phone. Whilst in company, I made a concerted effort to stay off social media and to use my phone only for checking in location, checking steps walked, writing notes and taking photographs. I observe those around me. It is interesting to see how distracted we are from where we are physically in a moment. It is quite a limitation of interaction. We can be so physically present but so emotionally removed at the same time with the distraction of this lovely little electronic device.
I marvel at the speed of travel these days – both aircraft and land and sea means as well as news via social and other media. I kind of long for the days when we didn’t get our news so quickly, where you could remain oblivious for so much longer.
We have walked about 17,500 steps today. We have heard the bells being rung at a number of the cathedrals in Sydney CBD. Apparently, each Sunday the bell ringers have a little competition and it goes for hours. We are travelling back in broad daylight. We arrive at dusk. I like the idea of cutting the end of a blanket and sewing it to the other end to make day light saving occur. It is kind of nice having that extra time at night, although suggestion was made in my circles that this should occur in winter – works for me. Anyways, we resolve to continue to travel by food and wine from various locations around the world so we can support not only our local economy by some of the international as well.
As we travel 752km between 2 airports in a little over an hour, going through a bumpy ascent to rise above the clouds and see the sun, I am grateful for my experiences. I write the first draft of this blog and have it sitting in the cloud, whilst we are several thousand metres in the air – the joys of modern technology and wi-fi on planes.
I am disappointed in the attitude of governments to the current flu situation. I am saddened for the businesses and lives impacted by the measures that are being taken. I wonder what the long-term financial impact will be for something that does not seem to be as contagious as measles. If I am ignorant about that, I shall be educated but for now, I focus on enjoying life, preparing for our next big adventure in a little over 2 weeks’ time and hoping that in about 12 months we can undertake the trip we had planned to commence on 2 April this year. Whatever we do, we will enjoy ourselves, see something new and go places we haven’t been before. Adventure is what makes my heart sing. Life is a journey and one I plan to keep exploring for as long as there is breath in me and travel restrictions are lifted. For now, adieu and keep watching for more escapades.
