by Guillaume on 26.8.07

I'm leaving Australia in 30 mins. Writing this from the Qantas Business Lounge, gazing at the view of Sydney skyline. There hasn't been such a great weather in days but yesterday was great as well and I'll remember my last surfing sessions probably forever. I'm leaving when I was just getting good. or sort of. I'll have to come back, but for the time being, I'm Out of Australia.


PS- I still have so many pics to update, I'll have to catch up with the backlog sometime before life gets crazy in our new home, the city that never sleeps.

by Guillaume on 1.7.07

By a chilly Sunday afternoon, we went for a walk in the Rocks. The observatory is a nice point to observe indeed: the harbour, the bridge...

And the Rocks is always a lively place.





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Labels: rocks, sydney

by Guillaume on 23.6.07

We've just spent one week in New Caledonia. 3-hour from Sydney by plane, this is a great get-away from the recent stormy and cold (meaning: around 10°C) weather in New South Wales.

I'll post the story and more pictures shortly but I had to share that I have found a place which I can call the most beautiful I have seen on Earth: Ile des Pins, an island south of Noumea, 35 minutes by plane.


Our first stop on Kunie (the local tribe name for the island) was Kuto where we discovered the bays of Kuto and Kanumera, probably some of the most beautiful unspoiled almost-secluded beaches I know (the island is secluded anyway but there are a few hotels and local tribes live there). Definitely a good spot for snorkeling with tropical fishes.


But it is the "piscine naturelle" in Oro, a vast natural pool separated from the sea by a large reef and rock wall, which has really made a big impression on me. First there is this amazing scenery when you access by walking in a shallow river bed created by the sea. And then when you actually go in the water, the pool reveals its corals and its marine life that you can discover simply by snorkeling (it's no more than 5-meter deep I'd say). I swam to the rocks to see the ocean and it was amazing to see the waves coming in and cascading between the various levels of the rocks to the pool.

There, I started getting this feeling of being alone on Earth, being a Robinson, when I heard a noise behind me in the water. It was a sparrow hawk which had just caught a fish at the surface, a delicate and aerial performance.


We only got to spend one day there as a treat for our 3rd anniversary and it's definitely a place Raquel and I want to spend more time visiting...


See photo album...

Labels: beach, Caledonia, reef, snorkel

by Guillaume on 27.5.07

Another perfect week-end weather - even just on that count, Sydney is an amazing place.

So for a change, we decided to ride the ferry. This time, to Rose Bay, one of the 2 main bays on the southern shore of the harbour between Sydney and the open sea (the other being Watson Bay where we shortly dropped by afterwards).

After a short ride amongst the many sailboats, the ferry entered Rose bay which with houses anchored to the shoreline and its marinas looks like a little h(e)aven.

We decided not to do much - we wanted to take it easy and there is not much to do anyway. Having said that, you can rent a kayak, sail with the sailing club and take a bath....that is, if you don't mind shallow brownish waters. We didn't try it and opted instead for a pad thai picnic on the tiny beach. There is a very decent Thai restaurant and take-away on what I'd called the main street, self-proclaimed so-called "The Best Thai".

Of course I brought back my fair share of picture as I found the "Bretagne in the summer" feel quite inspiring - anyone who has visited the north of Britany around Dinan and St-Malo should be able to see what I mean.



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Labels: harbour, sydney

by Guillaume on 6.5.07

We are very lucky to be living in a great apartment on one of the top floors of one of the city high-rises and I have now collected some pictures to give you views of Sydney CBD to Botany Bay by day and night with blue and stormy skies.

I even have some fire trucks!


    

    


See photo album...

by Guillaume on 6.5.07

Sydney has to be discovered on the water and we took another direction this time, heading west on the river. We went as far as Parramatta, discovering the various aspects of the harbour, the gorgeous little coves filled with boats and the shores and islands covered by so many adorable houses. After the Olympic Park, the river starts to really get narrower, an impression made even more accute by the mangrove that develops on both sides.

Parramatta is based on an aborigenal phrase meaning "where the eels lie" but I'm not too sure if this stands true anymore because the arrival at Parramatta is a bit depressing: in the town, the river runs only in a cemented 2-meter wide bank flanked by a promenade along the local supermarket. The town itself is uninteresting apart from a few early-20th-century building (similar to other towns in the greater Sydney area). So we just stopped for a bite before heading back to Sydney - enjoying nice views of the river by night.


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Labels: harbour, parramatta, river, sydney

by Guillaume on 5.5.07

Taking the ferry between Darling Harbour and Circular Quay is always a good reason to enjoy the architectural beauties of Sydney - its curves, its angles... and I often end up taking a few pictures! (too many, in fact)





And Raquel took that funny shot. Did you know Sydney had its own Statue of Liberty, right in the middle of the harbour? ;)





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Labels: bridge, harbour, opera, sydney