A sunnier disposition in Sydney

We put the Martin Place tragedy behind us today, but with reminders that Sydneysiders are still remembering; as we passed Martin Place on the bus, the street was chock-a-block (full) of pilgrims visiting the commemoration site. 

Yesterday's blog was truncated; we actually had an enjoyable lunch at Darling Harbor, just a 5 minute walk from our hotel in the Goldsborough building. Both Virginia (aka Yi) and I had an Aussie speciality: Morten Bay Bug. Not an insect, but it's a slipper lobster, aka Thenus orientalis. It's from Queensland, and it's a delicious crusteacean; try it when in Australia.

We were on foot most of yesterday, covering Darling Harbor, Sydney Harbor, George St., and other shopping streets, including our visit to Martin Place, ending up in Chinatown for dinner. The waitress, trying to lure us to come the next day for yum cha (dim sum), told us that chicken feet would be available. We skipped the enticing offer.

David & Yi in Sydney Harbor with the Sydney Opera House as a backdrop (note that opera season has ended for the year).

Today (Wednesday, Dec. 17), we walked around the corner from the Goldsborough and hopped on the 443 bus to the Circular Quay, near Macquarie Place. There's an obelisk there from around 1820 that marks the place where all distances from Sydney are measured. It's a short Ibis hop (there are loads of Ibis birds in Sydney) from the Museum of Contemporary Art. We spent most of our time viewing the Chuck Close exhibit. Quite a phenomenal artist who makes large portraits that look like huge photographic blow-ups. But, although based on photos, the portraits, many of which are self-portraits, are paintings (including finger paintings!), various printing techniques, and tapestries. You almost have to feel the tapestries to believe they are not photographs on a textured paper. I've seen Close portraits several other times, but never understood the complicated processes he uses to produce these extraordinary pieces. We had a coffee in the MCA café (a flat white), then caught the ferry to Manly, a half hour sail in a large 1,000 passenger- capacity ferry. We had take-away fish & chips overlooking Manly Beach, where the locals were taking advantage of the summer holidays and putting in serious beach time. Here are a few photos that give you some idea of the long, wide, sandy beach. David & Yi at Manly Beach.

Wei and Yi at Manly Beach

We'll be going out to dinner soon at a Kylie Kwong restaurant in the Potts Point area of Sydney. I'm hoping that it will prove to be as good as her reputation as an internationally acclaimed chef.