A Bloody Long Way To Go

They have a saying in Australia that it's "a bloody long way to go" in part referring to its distance from the mother country of England and of course in general to it being a separate continent so far away from everything else. After a 15 hour flight and coping with a mind-boggling 17 hour time difference, I'd have to agree! But when we touched down in Sydney, Australia somehow it all became worthwhile.

Whether taking tea in the little shops near the Circular Quay, grabbing a beer in an old pub with a secret passage underneath it, or traveling down the winding roads in a tiny taxi (or huge bus) on the left hand side and then going through a roundabout with white knuckles - Sydney was both quaint and metropolitan. The people were incredibly kind and very curious to know you. After traveling in Europe and practically having to apologize for being American, Sydneysiders feel a very common bond with America (our histories are remarkably parallel).

I had the privilege of traveling to Australia for my job - the one that doesn't involve photography - and had a great time because (or some would say despite the fact) I was part of a four-person faculty/staff team chaperoning 50 freshman business students to Sydney for 9 days. My traveling companions had great senses of humor and we just rolled with the punches that come with large group traveling. I could not have asked for a better trip, except it should have been longer and I want to see more of Australia. Regrettably, my suitcases were jammed with items for the trip and I wasn't able to take anything but a point-and-shoot. But I had to include just a few fun photos, especially of our visit to a wildlife park.

Enjoy!