Going Visiting

One difficult thing about making friends in another country is that it's hard to know exactly when you'll see them again, which is part of the reason I was so excited to get this chance to return. This past week and weekend I had a great time visiting with folks. Unfortunately, this doesn't make for an exciting post for my friends and family back home, but what can a girl do?

Sunday, I got the chance to get out of town to visit a friend in Wollongong, about an hour south by train. The weather was beautiful, and the train rode the coast, offering views of the Pacific along the way. I managed to get a picture on the return, although the window was terribly disgusting.

Beach near Stanwell Park through an extremely dirty train window.

After the barbecue in Wollongong, I rushed back to a second barbecue in Maroubra, where I caught up with some old church friends. It was a long day, so it was good that I had Monday off to recover as well. On Monday, I decided to go to the Art Gallery of New South Wales to see an exhibit on American painting.

Oh the irony!

There were paintings from many famous artists there, including Whistler, John Singer Sargent, Georgia O'Keefe and Jackson Pollock. It may seem odd that I went to see an American exhibit in Australia, but we don't frequently get exhibits with such famous names in Anchorage, and I find it really interesting to go see American things in Australia -- it's a different perspective.

On the way back, I was looking for a book store and happened on this arcade in the CBD (Central Business District). (Australians use the word arcade in this sense to describe an enclosed walkway between buildings or streets. It's not a game arcade, like in the U.S.). It was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and I finally felt kind of "in the holiday spirit".

Christmas is coming!

Another thing that's neat about Sydney is the mixture of old buildings and new buildings. I think this is Town Hall, at least it's the building that's across from Town Hall train station.

Town Hall?

I've been so busy with my friends that I haven't kept up well with my travel journal this week, so I need to do some updating. But I'm really enjoying seeing everyone again.