Unfortunately there was that one incident when the man seated right in front of me passed out on his way to the bathroom. They needed a doctor and portable defibrillator to bring him back around so I wasn't shocked when the pilot announced that they'd be doing an emergency landing in Fiji. Luckily, though, the doctor and flight attendants felt like they got things enough under control to push onto Sydney instead of stopping. But I'm thinking the whole situation was crazy enough to warrant adding it to my lengthy list of unlucky flying experiences.
The plane arrived in Sydney at about 6:30 in the morning and it took me over two hours to get through customs. I felt bad for the poor rep from the printer assigned to pick me up. He had to sit and wait that entire time and must have certainly thought I'd gotten lost. Or detained. (Because that hasn't ever happened to me before . . . ) Eventually I got through, retrieved my luggage, and tracked him down. He dropped me off at my hotel but unfortunately it was too early to check-in. So I left my bags with the concierge and decided to walk to the Royal Botanic Gardens. These gardens are to Sydney what Central Park is to New York City. Only cleaner. And, on a Sunday morning, emptier. It's a huge park; a person could explore there for days and still not see everything. I saw a bit of it last year and spent a couple more hours in it this year.
There are many sections in the Royal Botanic Gardens. One is called The Domain. It is the area that was, during colonial times, the Governor's buffer of privacy between his residence and the penal colony. Today it is a popular venue for outdoor concerts and festivals, open air events, cricket matches, and large gatherings and rallies. While it's "technically" not part of the Royal Botanic Gardens, it is located right next to it and managed by the same trust.
Another section is the Palace Gardens. It was formally a part of the Domain and the location of the the massive Garden Palace, built to house the Great International Exhibition of 1879. In 1882 the Palace was destroyed by fire and the substantial grounds became part of the Royal Botanic Gardens. It contains around 1,800 flowers displayed amongst traditionally manicured hedges and rock walls. There are also many "Grandma Robinson benches," or random places amongst the foliage to sit, relax, and enjoy the ambiance of the garden.
Within the Palace Gardens, there are tons of flowering wattles, one of the most common and exclusive flowers to Australia. It is considered their national floral emblem and can be found blooming nearly year-round. In the words of Monty Python, "This here's a wattle, the emblem of our land. You can stick it in a bottle, or you can hold it in your hand."
The Government House and grounds is located on the north edge of the Royal Botanic Gardens and is very close to the Sydney Opera House. It was designed by Edward Blore, the same architect that designed Buckingham Palace, and is considered one of the finest examples of Gothic revival architecture in New South Wales. It has been home to 5 governor-generals and 27 governors, including the current governor, and is also used by the state government, charitable organizations, and the general public.
After a few hours exploring the gardens, I walked around the Sydney Opera House, through Circular Quay, and over to the open-air market held in The Rocks area every Sunday. I did some serious damage to the pocketbook at this place last year. This year proved to be absolutely no different. :)
By the time I got done shopping, it was finally late enough to check-in at the hotel and I was way beyond tired. My poor, tired, jet-lagged body was seriously screaming for a nap. I grabbed a taxi back to the hotel and within two minutes of getting the key to my room I was in bed, fully clothed and dead asleep. I do recall getting a phone call from the printer a few hours later but for the life of me can't remember what they said.
More to come . . .
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