Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Some absurdly expensive cups of tea
Soundtrack: “Echoes: The Best Of Pink Floyd (Disc Two)” by Pink Floyd
Monday 4th July. I got up at 6.15am to walk to the station with Belinda, so that on her way to work, she could show me where to go. The station is five minutes’ walk from the house, so that was all fine, but Dundas station is on the Carlingford line, and trains only run every hour, and every half-hour a bit later on in the day. Annoyingly, the connection between the Carlingford line and the other lines into the city has a very short time between the two trains, so it’s very easy to miss the train and end up sitting in rubbish Clyde station for another hour. The trains in Sydney are so damn inefficient. And the same lines, confusingly have different names, which never helps. And when you get to stations, it’s always really unclear which platform you’re meant to get which train from. Double-decker trains sort-of make up for it, but not really.
There really isn’t anything to do in town at 8am – not even the cafes are open. Therefore, I walked across the Harbour Bridge (I wasn’t climbing that thing for shit). It took me a while to find the start of it, though, so by the time I’d ambled across to Milsons Point, it was coffee time. Back on the other side, I strolled around the Rocks (the oldest part of town) for a bit and had a look at Cadman’s Cottage, which is the oldest remaining building in Sydney. Strolling along Circular Quay, I spotted a booth selling tickets for a harbour cruise company: $14.50 for the morning coffee cruise. $14.50 for a cup of tea: a bit steep, but the views made up for it, as well as just plain being on the water. On the boat, I met a nice guy called Tom, who’s reading dentistry at Manchester. We sat around talking on random benches around Circular Quay for ages, and I took him shopping for a birthday present for his sister. It may surprise you, but I’ve become rather an expert at shopping in Australia. That’s what all the time in Adelaide did for me, I suppose.
Only in the Wonderful World Of Steph: I came across a crazy street performer with a Bristol accent plying his trade beneath Circular Quay railway station. I stood there for ages and I recognised a few of his jokes, so I reckon I must’ve seen him in Bath before. I didn’t want to ask him in case he managed to get more money out of me, though. From there, I made my way to the Opera House for a tour, which came with a free cup of tea. It really is a truly fantastic building, and inspired, I bought myself a ticket for the Saturday matinee performance of “HMS Pinafore” and “Trial By Jury.” $23 for a cup of tea, though.
Monday 4th July. I got up at 6.15am to walk to the station with Belinda, so that on her way to work, she could show me where to go. The station is five minutes’ walk from the house, so that was all fine, but Dundas station is on the Carlingford line, and trains only run every hour, and every half-hour a bit later on in the day. Annoyingly, the connection between the Carlingford line and the other lines into the city has a very short time between the two trains, so it’s very easy to miss the train and end up sitting in rubbish Clyde station for another hour. The trains in Sydney are so damn inefficient. And the same lines, confusingly have different names, which never helps. And when you get to stations, it’s always really unclear which platform you’re meant to get which train from. Double-decker trains sort-of make up for it, but not really.
There really isn’t anything to do in town at 8am – not even the cafes are open. Therefore, I walked across the Harbour Bridge (I wasn’t climbing that thing for shit). It took me a while to find the start of it, though, so by the time I’d ambled across to Milsons Point, it was coffee time. Back on the other side, I strolled around the Rocks (the oldest part of town) for a bit and had a look at Cadman’s Cottage, which is the oldest remaining building in Sydney. Strolling along Circular Quay, I spotted a booth selling tickets for a harbour cruise company: $14.50 for the morning coffee cruise. $14.50 for a cup of tea: a bit steep, but the views made up for it, as well as just plain being on the water. On the boat, I met a nice guy called Tom, who’s reading dentistry at Manchester. We sat around talking on random benches around Circular Quay for ages, and I took him shopping for a birthday present for his sister. It may surprise you, but I’ve become rather an expert at shopping in Australia. That’s what all the time in Adelaide did for me, I suppose.
Only in the Wonderful World Of Steph: I came across a crazy street performer with a Bristol accent plying his trade beneath Circular Quay railway station. I stood there for ages and I recognised a few of his jokes, so I reckon I must’ve seen him in Bath before. I didn’t want to ask him in case he managed to get more money out of me, though. From there, I made my way to the Opera House for a tour, which came with a free cup of tea. It really is a truly fantastic building, and inspired, I bought myself a ticket for the Saturday matinee performance of “HMS Pinafore” and “Trial By Jury.” $23 for a cup of tea, though.
