The Rocks

Hostel life....I had to get up at 2:00 a.m, 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. to go across the hall to the bathroom.  My kidneys are working overtime.

I heard from John Fielder finally.  He is doing well in the UK, but he had no internet service in Brisbane.  Since I will be staying at his son's house next week, I have a premonition that I am in for the same plight.  Hopefully, the i-phone will still work.  I consider internet a necessity!!!

I thought I would go to Manly Beach today, but when I stepped outside it was chilly and raining.  I quickly decided to wait until tomorrow to go to the beach.  I walked all the way up Pitt Street (about 2 miles) to Circular Quay (pronounced key).  I did not find anything I wanted to buy along that whole street.  Amazing how many things I don't need anymore.  I stopped in a couple of bookstores, but even there, I could not make myself buy something that would add weight to my luggage.  The food was really tempting today.  All the smells were so enticing.  As soon as I got to Circular Quay I found a bench to sit on and had a banana and some of the seed/nut mix.

I walked around the section of Sydney known as The Rocks.  It has cobbled streets and old brick buildings.  I so much wanted to tour the Susannah Place Museum.  It is a row of four 19th century terrace houses that show life in Sydney at the turn of that century.  The first tour was not until 2:00, so I would have had to wait four hours to get in.  I just took some photos of the exterior and decided to move on.

Susannah Place Museum

Susannah Place

Here I am in The Rocks

I sat on a bench in The Rocks and had the rest of my lunch which was avocado, orange, and seeds/nuts.

I walked along George St. which runs parallel with Pitt St.   A vendor was selling some mixed seeds/nuts/dried fruits for $5.00, so I bought a container.  The vendor called it nature's lollies.

Town Hall is on George St.  My plan was to tour it, but that plan was thwarted because it was closed to prepare for an event.  I just sat on the steps, watched the people go by, and listened to a good solo guitarist play on the street beneath the statue of Queen Victoria while I ate my nature's lollies.

St. Andrew's Cathedral is next door to Town Hall.  They had a sign out front...Organ Recital at 1:10.  It was 12:45, so I went in, and what a treat.  The building was beautiful.  I enjoyed just sitting in the quiet.  The organ recital was by Edwin Taylor who is the organ scholar at Christ Church St. Laurence, Sydney.  He played four pieces:  Rhapsody No. 2 by Herbert Howells, Preambule "Psalm 23 v2 by Percy Whitlock, Adagio in D Flat by Franz Liszt, and Prelude & Fugue in G by J S Bach.  It was a lovely concert.  It was free, but I put $5.00 in the collection basket.

The organ in St. Andrews Cathedral

I went into an Asian Place called Lemon Pepper and had a miso soup and a bowl of rice.  It was good.  I don't know how to eat with chop sticks, so I used my own fork.  Darn it!  I left my fork in the restaurant.  Oh well, it's actually John's fork.  I guess I will have to buy him a new fork.

I went to a place called Event Theater.  The movie ticket was $22.00!  The sitting areas outside the fourteen theaters look like VIP lounges.  There are regular concessions and also bars that serve alcohol.  The seats were padded and luxurious with a little built in table for your popcorn and snacks and a place for your drink.  The movie showing at the time I was there was Horrible Bosses.  It had a star studded cast, but I can't recommend it.  It was nothing special.

I got a salad at Subway to take back to the room.  I went down to the lounge and accessed the internet until about 6:30.  I washed up...without getting into the shower....and dressed for bed.  Then I had my salad, played games on the computer, and listened to The Buzz radio station from home on my i-phone.