30/9 - Sydney

Rosh Hashana morning, I went to a synagogue! We drove up to the orthodox one, there were not enough parking lot near, so we parked in a walking distance of 5 minutes. The huge temple was full of a couple of hundreds of families. Not that I am a big expert of that, but the pray and the tunes were just like I remember them. It seemed to me that everybody speaks either Hungarian or Hebrew.
Ben came over for lunch, after which we headed to the Koala Park to see native ozy (Australian) animals. The Koalas had their extra delicious dinner - eucalyptus leafs - they were awake and even jumped from one tree to another. We saw kangaroos, and kangaroo-crossings with special birds, worms, mice, and some other kinds.

For dinner we have sacrificed a cow to our god and ate its meat with some lecso and other stuff. Yami.

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

29/9 - Sydney

I had a very busy day today. In the morning Stan dropped my on the south side of Harbour Bridge. Through the historical cute streets of the Rocks I went to the bridge climber's encounter and registered my first bridge climb. After taking a mortgage for paying the entrance fee I was dressed in a funny grey dress. Noone can take anything with him. No cameras, no tissue. The climb leads on the metal skeleton of the bridge up to the top of it which lies 134 meters above the sea level. We were secured by a sliding plastic which rolled all along the metal rope on the climbing path. Great fun. Stairs, narrow wood and metal passes. Bellow us 80-100 thousand cars a day crossing the bridge. The view from the top was fantastic. Clear weather, and great feeling.

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From Australia

Afterwards I took a long walk in the City an the Royal Botanic Gardens.

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

In the evening we celebrated Rosh Hashana with a 5 dishes delicious gefilltefish, soup, chicken roll with apricot and many other stuff prepared by Jutka and Stan during the last 3-4 days (literally!). Participants: Jutka, Stan, Jesse, Ben, Suzie, Matt, Sharon, Alice, John, Julie, Judith, and myself. Wow that's a lot. yea.

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

28/9, Sydney

Yesterday I fall asleep like a log and slept 12 hours continuously. Well, that happend after 2 nights when I didn't sleep properly. Chompsky the cute dog came over to my room to say hi. After breakfast we went for a walk in the neighborhood with Stan and Chompsy. Burning sun, nice neighbors, 1M$ houses, strange animals all around. After we for home Ben and Suzie came over and took me out to the city for some sightseeing. We saw the north side neighborhood of the Harbour Bridge, where the prome minister's house is located. We had lunch just near the Opera House watching the amazing view of the harbour. Then we drove all around the city ending up on the east bay's well-off locations.

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

From Australia

Arrival

It's all about making a history. I was on the first flight ever which departed from Tel-Aviv and landed in Seoul, South Korea. Is this called an aviation pioneer?
Ceremony at the boarding gate in BenGurion airport. 200 people or more: ambassadors, ministry of transportation, all kind of representatives having speeches, drinking champagne and wine, eating cakes. I went approached the separated area slowly. Suddenly an official person asked me:
- What do you represent here?
Without hesitation I answered:
- I represent the passengers of the first flight to Seoul.
- OK, come in.
So I had a nice beginning.
Approaching Sydney's Kingsford Smith airport was a sightseeing tour. I saw the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and another 20% of the central Sydney.
Jutka and Stanley waited for me at the airport about an hour or so, but finally got home with them. Instead of going to sleep we ate breakfast and then went for a walk with Chomsky, the cute dog.
We went to Dobroid Point which has a great view to Manly, its port, harbour- and ocean side beaches. The took a wonderful walk in Manly. Saw a handicraft market, nice downtown with nearby beaches. Photos to come.
Very tired now, but I should not go to sleep in order to solve the jetleg until tomorrow.
Jesse, my cousin took me out to one of the less known beaches of Sydney. We went over Neutral Bay and then left... ok, I don't remember the exact name of the place, but this was really nice. We talked a lot and ate calamer-n-chips in a kiosk.

3 more days to liftoff

It's getting closer and closer...
Now it's even closer than it was when I wrote the previous line!
Time elapses only in one direction and not in the other. Right?

Heads up: Australia

Less than 3 weeks from now! :)
It's not only about "paying off" my debt to Australia, where I am going land on the 27th September, but also bringing true an old dream of mine.
I almost went there in 2005, but finally I got "only" to New-Zealand, landing on the "wrong island". :)

My schedule in a nutshell:
27th Sep. - 3rd Oct.: Sydney, staying with Jutka and Stanley
3rd Oct. - 7th Oct.: Alice Springs and Urulu with a 3-day Emu-run tour.
7th Oct. - 10th Oct.: Cairns (scuba diving / snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and touring the tropic rain-forests)
10th Oct. - 16th Oct.: Melbourne and 2-3 days on The Great Ocean Road

On my way home I make a 3-day stop in Seoul, South Korea.
I am leaving home on the 25th September in the evening with a direct flight to Seoul.
Arriving back home to Tel-Aviv at 21st October late in the evening.
Now excited. Very much.
As usual, my blog turns to a diary during the trip.
Stay tuned!