We were also fortunate with the weather. Australia has had its share of rain and floods in the last few months but while we were there, the weather was mild with sunny days and somewhat cooler evenings. The rain began again on the day we left. Climate change is a global concern but in recent years, Australia has seen many of the adverse effects of this trend.
This past trip was really a family visit, but on our last day Lyle and I caught the train back to Sydney. We wandered around the Opera House and Circular Quay area. We just couldn’t get over the difference from the last time we were there in March, 2020. Then it was the beginning of the pandemic and Sydney was virtually a ghost town. Now the crowds are out again and things seem to be getting back to normal.
That afternoon, I had one incident with my white cane. At the Opera House, we had climbed the multiple exterior steps where I intended to use the clean washrooms on the inside of the building. This area is usually open to the public but on that day we were stopped at the door by a security guard. The doors were locked in preparation for a show that night when all the attendees would need to go through a security check and scanning process. It was still another couple of hours until show time, but the two security officers, decided not to turn us away. They unlocked the door, personally escorted us inside to the required facility, and out again using a lift (elevator) so that I didn’t need to climb back down the multiple steps. I’m not sure but I think that the reason we had this privileged treatment was because I was using my white cane. I try not to use my cane to gain sympathy or extra unwarranted privileges, but on that occasion I was grateful to accept.
This brings me to a point...if you go to Australia, do spend some time in Sydney. There is so much to explore there. The Opera House on Benelong Point is just one of Sydney’s many attractions.
There are two pictures with this post – both from our quick trip Down Under. In the first picture, my sister Jill and I are standing on a new boardwalk by the beach where we usually stay. The walk is built out over the rocks and at high tide, the waves splash right under it.
 |
| Sue and Jill on the boardwalk |
Lyle also took the second picture. I am standing on the walkway around the outside of the Sydney Opera House looking over the water to the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge at sunset.
 |
| Sue at the Sydney Opera House looking onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge |
No comments:
Post a Comment