3.

Good morning/afternoon/night! For me, I am writing bright and early on the morning of New Years Eve. Australia is still proving to be one of the most unique cities. Yesterday, we went to Olympic Park. I had mixed feelings. On one hand, it was incredible. Great stadiums and architecture. The public areas and stadiums/centers all had modern, interesting architecture that you would find yourself staring at, trying to figure out how they came up with such a complex design. On the other hand, it has a feeling of a sort of  ghost town. In this massive athletics park, full of hotels and restaurants that is clearly meant for huge masses of people, you will find only a few cars lining the roads and the public spaces filled with only a few wandering tourists. We did, however, find that the aquatic center was open to the public and full of families swimming. It is a fascinating problem to have: what does a city do with empty (huge) ex-Olympic facilities that are a ways out of the city? Here are a few looks: 

2.

Where we are staying.

First, an apology. This is my first attempt at blogging and I am afraid that for the most part this blog will serve merely as a summary of my daily travels here in Australia. I will attempt to throw in some interesting stories and witty commentary. No promises. Regardless, we have (obviously) arrived in Sydney! After 20 hours in the air, I am happy to say we made it. Slightly smelly, a little ornery, and extremely exhausted. Upon arrival we walked (hiked) a few miles to our place of residence here at Wesley College at the University of Sydney. Beautiful place...more pictures of the campus to come. Wesley College is an interesting building (castle): a cross between Hogwarts and a fraternity house. It seems that other than about 25 or so Chinese students we are the only people staying here. At night it gets moderately creepy. No air conditioning but with the windows open, it's not too bad.We also hunt ghosts at night...no such luck...yet.

Quite the contrast.

Our first day in Sydney (the 28th) we went around exploring in the city. We walked over to the Sydney Botanical Gardens which, conveniently, lie smack in the middle of the city. They did not disappoint. In fact, I have never been to a city that has such beautiful gardens and parks brushing right up against skyscrapers. This is no Central Park---it is better. It is green and lush and is home to a multitude of exotic birds and insects. And bats! Lots of bats. Hanging practically everywhere we walked.

Day 2. We went to the Harbour Bridge! [Yes, that is the correct spelling.] We were able to go to a lookout point on the bridge and get some pretty sweet pictures of the Sydney Opera House and the city. Here are a few of the shots I took from the top:

Afterwards, we went over to the Museum of Sydney and ended the day with Pancakes on the Rocks (exactly what it sounds like) and some more exploring. Overall, a great day in Sydney. I find myself more and more familiar with the campus and we are constantly learning how to get around and find some great spots in the city. More to come tomorrow!