Our team has been enjoying a holiday weekend at Manly, a lively and picturesque resort town with access to both the Harbour and the ocean. With all the exciting things we’ve been seeing and doing, it was nice to have a little downtime to recharge for the second half of our adventure. I have spent the time taking long walks along the cliffs overlooking the ocean, sunning on the beach and finally cracking the cover of the novel that I hauled all the way from Michigan. I even took a little dip in the ocean yesterday. In the center of Manly is a bustling pedestrian zone called the Corso, which runs from the harbour side to the ocean side of town. This is a great place for sitting in a sunlit café and people-watching. Our bed and breakfast, Periwinkles Guest House, is a friendly and cozy place with an awesome coveside view, and is within walking distance of everything.
As Manly is just a short ferry-ride away from Sydney, we all had an opportunity to go into the city for shopping and nightlife on Saturday. After picking out several opal pendants, I joined Rotarians Ross and Annona Pearse at the Sydney Opera House to see Carmen. It was an impressive production with about 60 performers on the stage, including a very talented tenor and a live donkey, chicken and horse. The horse brought down the house when he took a graceful bow during the curtain call. For me it was just a thrill to be taking in a show at the world-famous Sydney Opera House.
This is actually my second visit to Manly. My hosts in the Hornsby area, Bob and Laurena, are fellow music lovers, so on my first Friday here, they took me to a concert at the Manly Music Club along with their friend, Warren, who is a retired physician and president of the club. The concert was held at an old seminary that is now an international school of hospitality overlooking the sea. The tall gothic cathedral was a beautiful and intimate setting for a concert. I sat 25 feet from some of Australia’s most well-known musicians – soprano Teresa La Rocca, Pianist Rachel Valler, who has received the Order of Australia Medal for her work, and floutist Jane Duncan. All three women were virtuoso performers, and the soprano was also quite a comedienne. For her final number, she asked Warren and another gentleman to help her perform the “Doll Song” from Tales of Hoffman. Every time she “wound down,” Warren made funny ratchet sounds into the microphone while the other fellow pantomimed winding her back up. Their antics were so hilarious that soon the whole audience was in hysterics. Amazingly, even with all that going on, she was still able to hit the most incredible high notes.
It has been a bit of a change waking up to the soft shussing sound of the waves these past few mornings, instead of having thousands of kookaburras issue my wake up call. Last week we stayed in the Central Coast, a more rural area north of Sydney, and I stayed with hosts Roy and Carolyn in a subdivision that backs up to a forested mountain. The land there certainly does “abound in nature’s gifts.” Wild turkeys would come right up to the windows, possums clambered on the roof and every kind of bird imaginable would flit from tree to tree proclaiming its territory in its own unique voice. Other team members have already filled you in on our many interesting visits in the Central Coast, including wine tasting, the Reptile Park and several very impressive volunteer organizations that perform vital services such as fighting bush fires or rescuing citizens in surf and sea.
It has been neat to see so many different parts of Australia these past two weeks, and I’m looking forward to what’s in store ahead. To quote Roy, the cultures of Australia and America are similar enough to be comfortable but different enough to be interesting. Better yet, make that fascinating.
As Manly is just a short ferry-ride away from Sydney, we all had an opportunity to go into the city for shopping and nightlife on Saturday. After picking out several opal pendants, I joined Rotarians Ross and Annona Pearse at the Sydney Opera House to see Carmen. It was an impressive production with about 60 performers on the stage, including a very talented tenor and a live donkey, chicken and horse. The horse brought down the house when he took a graceful bow during the curtain call. For me it was just a thrill to be taking in a show at the world-famous Sydney Opera House.
This is actually my second visit to Manly. My hosts in the Hornsby area, Bob and Laurena, are fellow music lovers, so on my first Friday here, they took me to a concert at the Manly Music Club along with their friend, Warren, who is a retired physician and president of the club. The concert was held at an old seminary that is now an international school of hospitality overlooking the sea. The tall gothic cathedral was a beautiful and intimate setting for a concert. I sat 25 feet from some of Australia’s most well-known musicians – soprano Teresa La Rocca, Pianist Rachel Valler, who has received the Order of Australia Medal for her work, and floutist Jane Duncan. All three women were virtuoso performers, and the soprano was also quite a comedienne. For her final number, she asked Warren and another gentleman to help her perform the “Doll Song” from Tales of Hoffman. Every time she “wound down,” Warren made funny ratchet sounds into the microphone while the other fellow pantomimed winding her back up. Their antics were so hilarious that soon the whole audience was in hysterics. Amazingly, even with all that going on, she was still able to hit the most incredible high notes.It has been a bit of a change waking up to the soft shussing sound of the waves these past few mornings, instead of having thousands of kookaburras issue my wake up call. Last week we stayed in the Central Coast, a more rural area north of Sydney, and I stayed with hosts Roy and Carolyn in a subdivision that backs up to a forested mountain. The land there certainly does “abound in nature’s gifts.” Wild turkeys would come right up to the windows, possums clambered on the roof and every kind of bird imaginable would flit from tree to tree proclaiming its territory in its own unique voice. Other team members have already filled you in on our many interesting visits in the Central Coast, including wine tasting, the Reptile Park and several very impressive volunteer organizations that perform vital services such as fighting bush fires or rescuing citizens in surf and sea.
It has been neat to see so many different parts of Australia these past two weeks, and I’m looking forward to what’s in store ahead. To quote Roy, the cultures of Australia and America are similar enough to be comfortable but different enough to be interesting. Better yet, make that fascinating.
4 comments:
Megan, a very well constructed piece--well done.
Fitting for the "best city in the world"
What a delightful way to spend your birthday. Too bad we can't promise such an adventure every year! Remember to add those birds to your lifetime list.
I have enjoyed reading everyone's postings and following your journey so far. It sounds like you are having a fantastic time!
Enjoy your remaining days in sunny Australia. You'll freeze your buns off when you return!!
Can't wait to see all your pictures and hear all about your adventure.
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