Nov 2
Arriving in Sydney under cloudy
skies – I had booked tickets to the Sydney Observatory later that night.
We stayed in the Menzies Hotel in
the city – walking distance to many local attractions.
The concierge was a lovely guy
who called the female patrons (and maybe the guys too) “darling” and was
extremely helpful. Popped over to
Telstra to get a 4G broadband internet stick for the trip – free wifi in
Australia is rare, and internet at hotels can get expensive.
Ralph had booked us seats at the
“Fish on the Rocks” restaurant just down the street from the observatory before
the observatory tour, and to welcome us to Australia – our group is going to
cover a lot of ground together.
It was “big plates small food”
food. My scallop appetizer (or
entrée as one says for the initial course in Australia) consisted of 4 small
scallops. Service was good, food
was wonderful (even though it was petite) and prices were, ummmm, consistent
with the real estate.
Walking to the observatory, we
headed uphill. Fruit bats
flew overhead, starting their night of hunting. Their shadowy silhouettes zipping overhead, encouraging us
on as we slogged up the steep hill. (nb – fit freaks were running up and down
those multitude of stairs)
Welcomed by the volunteers at the
observatory, we went into their 2 domes. Cloudy skies
- not great observing weather. And I was feeling like shit – suffice it to say I
didn’t last too long unfortunately – as someone who volunteers a fair amount
for an astronomy club, it’s great to connect with like minds.
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