Sydney, the Flight Over and Initial Impressions

I miss passport stamps. The new photo recognition software, while very cool, feels a bit impersonal. And is also easily confused if you are wearing your sunglasses on your head, as I found out going through security in Auckland. I did end up going to talk to someone to prove that I was, in fact, who I said I was. I flew out around the same time that my Mom and Aunt flew back to California, so we all got to hang out in the airport for awhile, which was very nice.

The flight to Sydney was lovely, if a little turbulent. I spent most of the flight watching the first two episodes of ANZAC Girls, an Aussie-made series that follows the experiences of Australian and New Zealand nurses during WWI. It's quite well done. Having sussed the sunglasses thing, customs and security in Sydney went much smoother.

I caught the train into downtown Sydney and eventually managed to find my hotel, despite a barely functioning Google Maps app. Once I have been somewhere, I have a pretty excellent sense of direction and will be able to navigate back. But getting there the first time? Why, yes, I have discovered a lot of cool things and been places I wouldn't normally have been by being hopelessly lost.

My hotel was lovely, it made me feel as if I had wandered on to a Bond set. The elevator played music and would occasionally quote movie lyrics at you, and the songs and quotes changed depending on how many people were in the elevator. I was often in there by myself, so it would immediately switch to playing "Are You Lonesome Tonight." Sigh. I forgave it when it later told me that the Force would be with me, because I'm kind of easy like that.

The hallways reminded me a little of Sleep No More in NYC, as there were cabinets of curiosities all of the room numbers were on note cards held by sculpted hands:

I got in quite late (and was still fairly sick), so not a whole lot of adventuring that first night. Many, many more pictures to come!