9/28/2015
So much has happened since I last wrote. I am aboard the
plane returning back to Dallas, but the past few days have been a great treat.
On Saturday morning I woke up early, and because Madeline had to do a number of
things with the bridal party I had the morning to myself to go and explore the
city. I decided that it would be a good day to go see the zoo, so I walked down
to the wharf, purchased a ferry ticket, and sailed across the harbor to the far
shore where Taronga Zoo is nestled. I never love the idea of keeping animals in
captivity, and I often choose not to do touristy things like riding elephants
and petting tigers because of this belief, but I find that zoos can be
incredible places for learning and enjoyment, and I know that a quality
establishment will treat the animals well and fairly, and has an important role
in the protection of endangered species and the education of the public about
the threats that we pose to animals through our industries.
The zoo was very nicely laid out, and the views from the zoo
were actually incredible. The zoo is
set up on a hill top, so each of the exhibits is at a different altitude. From
the top of the zoo you can see across the harbor to the Sydney Opera House and
the Harbor Bridge. It’s stunning. The wedding started at 1 p.m., so I hauled
across the zoo to see each of the sections before having to race back across
the harbor to get dressed. My favorites were the seals, the kangaroos, the
wallabies and the koalas.
The wedding festivities were fun. The ceremony was at 1 p.m.
Because Madeline was in the bridal party and the family was all seated
together, I actually didn’t really know anyone, but I stood to the side and
enjoyed watching everyone and of course the wedding party and the ceremonial
vows. Mark and Penny’s love for each other was evident and the energy of their
bond sent vibrations throughout the room. The vows were touching, and written
with love and affection.
The ceremony ended around 2, and there were a couple of hours
of down time before the reception. Jimmy, Mark’s close friend from University
asked if I had plans, and since I did not invited me to join him and some of
the others at Opera Bar just down the street. It ended up being the perfect
activity to pass the time, and made for a lovely afternoon. We sat at a big
benched table outside on the patio with views of the Harbor Bridge, and basked
in the long-awaited sunlight. Unfortunately, the rain had not ended indefinitely,
and we caught a couple more showers while sitting outside.
We returned to the hotel just in time for the reception. The
appetizers were quite good, and the company was much more enjoyable/natural
after spending time chatting with a big group of people in between the events.
I was seated at a table with Penny’s friends from work, and I really enjoyed
learning about the primary school system from the country’s most knowledgeable –
the teachers! The bridal party had a great entrance into the reception, and the
speeches given by Mark and Madeline’s mom and step dad, dad, Mark’s best man
and the maid of honor were wonderful and heartwarming. Mark’s speech was the
perfect way to launch into the celebration. He exhibited the same graciousness,
wisdom and gratitude that I’ve come to know and expect and appreciate from the
Keulen family. Between speeches we were all served a three course meal. The
plates alternated between seats, but my meal consisted of a chicken pistachio appetizer,
a main course of duck, and crème brule for desert. It was lovely. The best part
of the night, however, was the dance party after the speeches and toasts were
over. The first dance was beautiful, and the couple impressed the crowd with
their graceful steps and athletic spins. The music quickly changed to upbeat
hip hop, and all of the guests jumped up and down for hours on end. Dancing
truly is the best form of exercise. After the reception ended, the bridal party
decided to continue and go out, and the crew all walked up the street to a club
called “Frankie’s Pizza”. The bar was really cool, and would have been perfect
had we all been wearing jeans and T-shirts, but it didn’t quite suite the mood
post-wedding. Nonetheless I’m glad I had the chance to see it – it certainly
looked like fun.
The morning was the start to our last full day. We had
breakfast with the full family at the hotel. The buffet was incredible! Not
only did they have a great selection of treats and meats, but they even had a
juicer to let you make your own fresh veggie juice. After breakfast Madeline
and her family went off on a walk, and so I set off on some more exploration of
the city. I decided that I would do my best to improve my knowledge of the
history of Sydney, so I made the day into a bit of a cultural excursion. I
began by going to the Museum of Sydney where I learned about the first
governor, the master plan for the city’s layout, and the integration and
conflict between the aboriginals and the British settler from the first convict
fleet in 1788. The museum also did a good job highlighting different aspects of
the Australian cultural identity, including the importance of home ownership.
Finally, I learned about the construction of many of the city’s most prominent
features, like the Harbor Bridge, and how Melbourne and Sydney have competed
throughout the decades to be known as Australia’s best city.
After departing the Museum of Sydney I strolled up the road
a fair bit to Hyde Park. There, I enjoyed seeing the St. Mary’s cathedral again
(it’s just stunning), and walked through all of the different outdoors art
exhibits. I wandered haphazardly without much of a plan, and saw many beautiful
churches, museums and sites along the way. Eventually I ended up at the Gallery
of New South Wales, which is a free art gallery that exhibits Australian art, aboriginal
art, and European and Asian art from the past 3 centuries. It was a very
pleasant excursion, and I really enjoyed learning about the aboriginal’s “dreaming’s”
as depicted in their paintings. The gallery is nestled in a park called The
Domain, which is just lovely. The signs of the park boast that it is an area
for people to enjoy, and it encourages people to “walk on the grass” and “hug a
tree.” It’s my type of park. As I left the gallery I crossed the street to a
part of the park called the “speakers corner.” It’s one of the more unique
things that I have ever encountered during my travels. Apparently in the 1970s
hundreds of people filled the park each Sunday to listen to orators share their
thoughts on subjects that varied from religion to cosmology to the value of
entertainment in society. On this particular Sunday there were only a few
individuals who stopped to listen, and there were speakers on both sides of the
path competing for the attention of the few. As it was late in the afternoon
and I had not yet eaten, I grabbed a sandwich from the café a couple of strides
away, and returned to sit and listen. It was quite a pleasant moment. The sun
was shining and beaming warmly on my skin, and I had the opportunity to learn
about “the creation of mass” and how it countered Newton’s law that matter is
neither created nor destroyed.
I returned to the hotel afterwards because we had a 5 p.m.
dinner reservation that I needed to get ready for. We went to Center Point
Tower, the tallest building in Sydney, and had dinner at the restaurant at the
top. The restaurant spun around so that you could have a 360 degree view of the
city. It was epic, and also the first time that I had been able to see the full
ocean while in the city, since the area near our hotel was all the bay area.
The meal was delicious. I had an asparagus appetizer with a poached egg and a
gnocchi dish for the main course. The gnocchi was absolutely the best I had
ever had. There were sides for the table as well, and I had a taste of roasted
pumpkin (fantastic), mashed potatoes, and green beans. The dinner was a lovely
event – there were 14 from the Keulen clan and me, and the evening meal lasted
for 3 hours. By the time we all returned back to the hotel, sleep was already
pressing upon our eyelids.
This morning was our last in the country. Madeline did
breakfast with her parents and siblings, so I took off on one final exploration
excursion. I walked for about 2 hours straight and saw some very beautiful
areas on the peripheral of the Rocks and along the harbor. I made it to one
residential area with beautiful old homes, and then walked along the shore and
long the different piers to find new trendy apartments (which would be my dream
homes if I were to ever live in Sydney). I walked under the bridge, past the
international cruise terminal, and along the ferry wharf before returning back
to the hotel to grab my bags and head to the airport. The transition here was
fluid and smooth, and now we’re aboard a flight for another 14 hours before
arriving back home. It was a great trip, and I’m looking forward to my next
great adventure. Colombia and Norway are coming up soon!
