sydney

After doing all we could with our time in Cairns, it was on to Sydney. The final stop on this whirlwind tour. Upon arrival, we walked across the Pyrmont Bridge and got an eyeful of Darling Harbor (and a mouthful of delicious dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants). The next morning it was off to the Opera House, and a tour of the interior. The outside facade is something marvelous, but it was the soaring concrete inside that really got me. I'm huge fan of Brutalist architecture, and this was just so fluid, ornate, and dare I saw delicate? Yes. Delicate concrete. Fantastic. Next was a walk over to The Rocks, and a stop-in at one of my favorite places in the city, the Museum of Contemporary Art. So much fun. Finally, we made our way to the Sydney Tower, for a high altitude lunch at 360 (so named for the fact that the restaurant completes a full rotation in just over an hour). Beautiful food, dizzying views, and a nice cap to a busy day.

Concrete, warm wood, plenty of glass, all my favorite architectural elements in one dazzling space

Wonderful little peeks of the surrounding city from inside the museum

and plenty of colorful, engaging works of art

bold color, smooth cement, bright natural light, I absolutely love this room

masses of bleached starfish, suspended in free space

and a massive, wildly colorful, intricately taped floor that everyone, young and old, was captivated by

then my favorite piece, one of the best things I've ever been a part of. A submersion into a stunningly beautiful video and music, with life-size, human shaped pillows on the floor for cuddling. Wonderful. 

And finishing our exploring high above everything, slowing making our way around and getting a glimpse of the truly gargantuan spread of the city

kuranda

Alright, really need to power through these last few Australia posts. It's just so bittersweet, looking back at all the fun things we did and then knowing that to go back and visit those beautiful places and see the wonderful people I miss is just such an ordeal. Oh well. It's a blessing to have found those people and places, and I'm lucky to have found the love I did and have something to miss so intensely, right?
Another Cairns adventure this time. We took a train up the rainforest covered mountains to the little town of Kuranda. Did some exploring there, wandered around a wildlife park and had some adorable encounters, then made our descent in cable cars suspended high above that green wildness. You know by now how in love I am with a verdant landscape, and this was no letdown. Looking below, and out to the horizon and seeing nothing but green. Fantastic.

On the way up we saw gorgeous waterfalls...

scenic vistas...

and impressive monoliths

Then a walk through town, and straight to the wildlife park, where we saw plenty of crocodiles

cuddled with koalas

fed wallabies and kangaroos

(how precious is that face?!)

were dared to step any further by brave lizards

and had some silly times with colorful, cheeky, and assertive birds

and finally made it to the butterfly house. Yes please!

it was beautiful, delicate, fluttery, crazy butterfly chaos!

And then the trip back down. Endless views, and a few stops, including another rainforest boardwalk, and some remarkable flora and fauna. It breaks my heart a little to see wonderful creatures in captivity, so I was beyond thrilled to see amazing spiders and whatnot thriving in their natural environment.