It's funny how this page turned out so blue, as I seem to remember australia in warm yellow hues...
Many know the story of my arrival into the Sydney airport and how I was quickly assumed to be a drug smuggler. Afterall, three weeks worth of travelling all in one regular backpack should be suspicious, as I was told by customs. And so started my first real travelling experience by myself.
E-mail allowed me to share the stories with friends as they happened, which helps me from feeling so guilty about this rather condensed page. It just seems that too much happened in that time to replay it all here.
Sydney was a truly international city with much to do. From the main tourist attractions to the beautiful gardens and the harbor, I was able to enjoy every minute.
The seemingly seamless "sails" of the Sydney Opera House are made up of Swedish tiles that clean themselves when it rains, making it easy to maintain. Of course the cost made it a controversy during the construction.
The opera house has three concert halls, which were surprisingly small when compared to the outside appearance. But it was nevertheless a great place to enjoy an opera. I was seated in a prime location for the presentation of Puccini's La Boheme. It was very good.
While my time in Canberra was spent a little less hectic than Sydney, it was no less grand. The people there were very friendly. I found a very nice hostel and ended up staying there about a week. Some of the other travellers and I made some trips together: a Japanese guy named Yoshi, Elizabeth-who is an American JET living in Nara, and Eric from Holland (but I called him Hans). We all braved the cold, rainy weather one morning to drive to the tower for a larger view. Hans had an old Volvo he had purchased from two Italians a few months earlier. It was also in Canberra that I met Kjell, a cool Fin with a great knack for conversation.
I had considered going on to Melbourne, but opted against it when a family incident spurred in me a desire to remain where I was. I liked Canberra and didn't want to feel rushed. It was there I captured a photograph of the clouds on one particular day, white and crisp against a sky oversaturated with blue. It was the shape that caught me, like tongues of fire reaching out in a violent stillness. Not in color, just form. And then they just disappeared. Someday I'll write a poem about it...
Canberra was a carefully planned city in every way. Its design is deliberate, but it is a beautiful place. The image below is a peaceful scene of the man-made lake in Canberra. This photo was taken at dusk.
Copyright 2000 H. Krebs