Day 3, Sydney Airport

I survived the seemingly endless flight! And we refuelled in Singapore, not Kuala Lumpur as I had been claiming. Sydney is overcast with about 18 degrees at 6.30 in the morning...
I've bought an Australian Vodafone prepaid card, so if anyone should feel thus inclined, the number is 0061 424 32 90 54.
Now I'm off to meander! First I have to figure out public transport - joy.
I could incidentally kill for a shower, but have no towel or shampoo, so that'll have to wait.

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Would you believe that I spent the better part of 3 hours in Sydney airport!
I finally got hold of Madeleine and acquired directions to her house. I also finally had a shower (free! in the airport) with newly purchased towel + shampoo. I exchanged my last euros and at the same time established the exchange rate SEK/AUS$ (5.7/1). Great. For someone who can just about manage multiplications by 2 or 10, not such good news. Never mind. The Travelex guy told me he had a Greek cousin who'd played an Arab guy in a Swedish film, which I can't remember the name of. Good movie though.
I then went back to the very helpful young man at the information desk, who told me which bus to get to Bondi Junction in the Eastern suburbs. The bus cost about 25% of the train ticket fare, but lasted an eternity (45 minutes). However, what better way to spend your first morning in Sydney than 'cruising' round the suburbs watching people and building. For example, I deduced that there is a large Greek community in Southern Sydney, close to the airport - lots of Greek restaurants, but also other buildings with Greek writing all over them.
In the village of Kingsford, I particularly liked thead outside a church: "EXPOSURE TO THE SON MAY PREVENT BURNING". hehe. Try translating that!
Now I'm sat in the Bondi Junction shopping centre, and yes I'm sad to say, in the upstairs McDonald's - but hey, they do have the best view over the harbour from this particular spot,and their cappuccino was gorgeous (at least after 33 hours of airplane tea).
I love it how all the houses are pretty unique and embedded in lush vegetation and strikingly coloured flowers and bushes like bougainvilleas, lots of trees and palms that remind me of the South of Spain, and some leefless tree that looks like a cloud of blue flowers (jacarandas).
This mixture covers the hilly geography of suburban Sydney in the nicest possible way, and is only interrupted by the sea.

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Walking along the shores of Woolombooloo Bay, where I met Simon for lunch (pie from Harry's Cafe de Wheels - a Sydney institution) up to Mrs Macquarie's Point, and then turning around into Farm Cove, I can't help but thinking that Sydney's skyline is the most beautiful one I've ever seen. And I don't just mean the Opera House, which I am sitting opposite right now. Even the Deutsche Bank tower fits aesthetically in with the rest of the facades on the hill overlooking the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Domain and hyde Park.