DocAndersen
When I traveled to Australia and other parts of South East Asia, there were limited times I could call home. 7 am my time was 7 pm at home. 8 pm my time was 7 am at home. I could and did call twice a day to check in and make sure the family was ok. The trip to Australia that I took was a bucket list checkoff! I had wanted to go since I lived in Thailand. It was everything I had ever heard and more. A land filled with Good days and sludge they called Vegemite. First, offer that stuff doesn’t taste good. I found myself walking around the city of Sydney and finding magical places everywhere I went. I was there with a good friend that had spent many days in Australia.
I got to go on the two-plus hour harbor tour. That was fun; I took a lot of video of that experience. But mostly I got to hang out with people that I didn’t see other than the once a year trip for a company event. We went to dinner; we hung out in the lounge of the hotel. We shared the moments that make people actual friends. I shouldn’t say actually. Virtual friends are actual friends as well. There is just something about knowing the moments of sarcasm. You can learn those in a virtual relationship, but it takes time. With physical and in-person friends, you learn those cues much faster. It is a different type of connection. I treasure virtual and physical friends.
The first pictures are of my initial day. I got to Sydney a day before the rest of the crew. I had to take pictures of the Opera house. Somewhere in my father’s pictures are his pictures of the Opera house. It is a grand addition to the Sydney Harbor. A magical lady, inside and outside one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. The first day was just me. I like landing in land and walking. I’ve done that on every continent except Antartica. I doubt I would land in the frozen world and walk right away outside. But I have walked on the other continents. Landing at the airport, driving into the city and then walking. The time for me back then to adjust to being without my family. It got harder and harder as the kids got older.
I have never understood the need for these memorials in public places and yet I think it’s beautiful.
I live in the land of public memorials (DC) so I reserve my opinion