Australia!!

Back from a great trip...

The lab folk in Newcastle were most welcoming-- and refreshingly down-to-earth! They took me out to eat at a grill-your-own-steak joint, which was great fun, especially as wives, girlfriends, and children rounded out the affair. One gets the impression people there live more balanced lives than Cambridge folk. They certainly take themselves a lot less seriously!

Then after a couple of days of work came vacation! (holiday, for you Brits.) Spent most of it in and around Sydney, with friends old and new. Here I am with the city and the Harbour Bridge:



We also saw some of the bizarre animals unique to Australia - many of them evidence that God has a sense of humour! Here are just a couple: the koala, who sleeps like this, wedged into the crook of a branch (I mean, really - can that be comfortable??), and the kangaroos, who just hop around all the time, except when they raise themselves up on their tails and kick with both feet! You wouldn't want to make them angry! We saw one with a little joey climbing into and out of its pouch, much to our amazement. It didn't look like it would fit.



We were treated to digeridoo music and tried a bit ourselves... a little like playing a tuba, I suppose. I couldn't make it sound very good.


And then we went wine-tasting in the Hunter Valley vineyards, outside of Newcastle... gorgeous scenery, and good wine! They also had olive-tasting and chocolate-tasting. Yum.