Sydney Australia

I recovered from my flight here after a couple nice hot showers and a good night in bed. First thing in the morning I put my bike together. Only one or two problems. There were parts missing. Several screws and the wrench free tightener for my seat were missing from the box. There was a hole in the bag they were in and they must have fallen out of the box during handling at the airport. There was no hole in the bag when it was sealed up but customs or someone opened the box and did not bother sealing up the bag they opened so the parts just rolled out of the box. I could not ride the bike the way it was only partially assembled. So I took it out on the street and there was a taxi right there that had a large hatchback perfect for carrying my bike to a bike shop. $30 later I was in front of a bike shop but there was an hour until they opened. What the hell, breakfast time instead. The cafe had great coffee and the french toast was like nothing I had ever had before. it was covered in freshly canned fruits including apricots, pears, rhubarb, figs and apples with ricotta cheese and maple plum syrup. Tasty but unusual for me.

When the shop opened they quickly found the missing parts and put them on for me. Another $30. Then it was time for a ride.

I rode straight down to the bay by the opera house and the harbor bridge which are the two major icons for Sydney. I took the mandatory pics of them. Back in 1974 after a night of drinking with a wild man friend we snuck up on the bridge and climbed to the top of it. We sat there admiring the view and had a smoke then climbed back down. It was easy climbing up but climbing down was way harder and seemed much more dangerous. We made it despite our inebriated condition.

I do like the way that Sydney has the waterfront full of trees and parks instead of the usual skyline right to the water full of shops and restaurants. The natural look is much more pleasant and there is plenty of room behind the trees for all the business.

I rode to the end of the parks and then took the streets back to my hotel. I had no problem getting around in the city. It is nothing like I remember it from when I lived here. I still have the general sense of where things are, the roads are just all changed to get there.

After showering in my hotel, I went out tasting the local brews. I tasted quite a few then went back to my hotel and rested before returning to try a few more and eat some dinner. I did recognize someone at the bar and had a good time talking with him and watching the Clippers lose a game after giving up an 18 point lead. He was a well known film director but he asked me not to name him. Overall it was a good day, I just spent more money than I have available to me. The shit will hit the fan one day with my rapidly disappearing cash. I wonder if I could sell my tired old body if I needed to?? Na nobody would buy a tired beatup old man. I need another plan.