Sydney Diary - November 2019

About to Spring into Summer Down Under

A uniquely Australian phenomenon, the Melbourne Cup, ushered in the month of November. All through October restaurants and bars had been advertising specials for this Nov 5 event. We learned it was the biggest, most significant horse race in the country. The city center on the day of the Melbourne Cup took on a celebratory atmosphere with crowded bars and clusters of fashionably dressed people all over the place.

The Rocks set up for Melbourne Cup

The merriment was short-lived, however. For much of November we awoke to a hazy, smoke blanketed city due to bushfires ravaging much of New South Wales. How disheartening it is to witness the same drought fueled phenomena we've had to endure back home in California. Air pollution levels in Sydney on some days were comparable to Beijing.

The dismal atmosphere here seemed to foreshadow the Cave Fire in Santa Barbara days before Thanksgiving. From thousands of miles away we scrutinized the news, rattled to learn that our area was in a mandatory evacuation zone as heavy winds pushed the rapidly growing fire toward the city. Thankfully, a storm system ended the nightmare. On Thanksgiving morning there was snow on the the fire footprint. Fire and Ice! And our incredible firemen ensured that no structures were damaged. Phew!

In other depressing news, my 80 year old mum is unable to obtain a tourist visa to join us in Australia for the holidays. The reason? A computer glitch at the high commission in Canberra mixed her file up with an Australian citizen with the same first name as hers! We've been struggling with this since July and it's unclear when the problem will be resolved.

Now for something more uplifting. Jacarandas. A November emblem for Sydney. For weeks now showy purple enrobed jacarandas have brightened up the city, heralding the festive and summer season.

Early November Jacarandas burst into bloom on University of Sydney campus

With the sun lingering past dinner time I love going on evening walks. Observatory Hill, below our building on the other side of the Harbor Bridge freeway, provides fantastic views of the waterfront, the Anzac Bridge, and on smoke free evenings the Blue Mountains. It's the perfect spot to watch the sun sink into the horizon.

Sunset from Observatory Hill

Evening strolls around The Rocks, Miller's Point, and Circular Quay are also quite magical, emanating from the buzz of diners on cafe terraces, the changing light on the water and high rises, and the mild temperatures. I don't even mind the increasing presence of festive decorations, including massive Christmas trees, because it's the arrival of summer that dominates the mood.

Hunter Valley Weekend

Early on the 2nd Sunday morning of November we drove out of the city in search of bush scenery on our way to the famous Hunter Valley wine region. After over 2 months in the city we finally saw kangaroos (aren't they synonymous with Australia?) at the Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park in Calga. In this small nature center, an hour's drive from Sydney, we petted the free range kangaroos as wallabies and emus circled around us. We saw other local fauna in enclosures - wombats, a koala, echidnas, dingoes, colorful birds and pythons.

G'day mate! Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park

We drove along a quiet country road passing farm stands with spring produce offerings. Inevitably, we stopped at a farm stand where we picked up a box of nectarines for a mere A$6. Intermittent gum tree woods were a welcome distraction from the otherwise dry landscape on our drive. In the Hunter Valley it took a while before we saw an actual vineyard. At the first wine country town, Wollombi., we followed signs for Undercliff Winery. When we did a tasting of their organic wines we congratulated our instincts and made our first wine purchase. Another first was sampling a sparkling cold shiraz.

Sculpture on the ground of Undercliff Winery, Wollombi

There was a sculpture exhibit on the grounds of this small, boutique winery. It added interest to our picnic lunch which we munched from a patch of shade. Among the unusual works by respected artists was a life size horse made from rusting metal scraps.

We stayed at the elegant but dated Chateau Elan, just outside the town of Pokolbin. The resort is set on a golf course. Our room had glass sliding doors that opened to an outside terrace and sprawling gardens.

Dinner at Amanda's at the Edge, a quick drive from our hotel, showcased the region's culinary sophistication. They offered a separate vegetarian menu with inventive offerings borrowing from all over the globe. We shared a starter of dumplings. For mains, silky gnocchi on a tomato based sauce accompanied by roast squash and a mushroom dish featuring king oysters.

Gourmet Mushroom Main at Amanda's on the Edge

A local shiraz from a winery called Emma's Village paired really well with the meal.

View from dinner table at Amanda's on the Edge

The setting of this excellent restaurant was unbeatable, with a view of vineyards and woods. We could make out kangaroos hopping on the field and disappearing into the trees.

Kangaroos were definitely a theme on this trip. In the morning when we pulled open the drapes at Chateau Elan, there was a family just outside our room.

Mornin' to you too, maties! Outside our hotel room at Chateau Elan

We indulged in the hotel's hearty breakfast, seated at an outside table with a view of the golf course and the eucalyptus woods lining the periphery. From the incredible buffet spread we selected poached eggs, toast, fresh fruit, pastries, juice and strong coffee.

On the drive back to Sydney we hoped to stop for a hike in Bouddi National Park on the Central Coast, an area with a dramatic coastline of inlets and harbors. But fires from further north had rapidly spread south causing road closures. When we returned to the city we learned just how serious the situation was. The sky was blanketed with smoke from numerous bushfires all over the state. In fact, the situation was described as catastrophic. We'd escaped the Hunter just in time!

Culture

Our November entertainment calendar was packed. Here, in Sydney, the calibre of talent is of the standard we expect in London and New York. So, of course, we are obliged to take full advantage of this opportunity.

Live Theatre

On the first day of the month we went to a stand up comedy show at the Studio theatre inside the Sydney Opera House. This live recording of a popular television show called "Just for Laughs Australia" was hosted by Nick Cody. An hour of laughing hysterically at talented, self-deprecating comedians was a fine way to end the work week. Interestingly, the subject matter steered away from politics and religion. Conforming to the TV channel guidelines, perhaps? I was disappointed that there was only one female - with an androgynous appearance - her gender apparent only when she started talking.

We saw 3 outstanding plays this month. Cosí, a joint Melbourne Sydney project, is set in an asylum in the 1970's. A young professor is commissioned to do a play with a group of patients, each expertly exhibiting their idiosyncrasies. A patient, a lover of opera, succeeds in persuading the professor to perform Cosí Fan Tutte. In this comedy the supremely talented cast deal with all the predictable problems that the premise promises. Themes of the era are woven into the story. Mental health treatment methods (electroshock therapy), the Vietnam War, drugs, free love, attitudes toward communism, conflicts with patriots toward innocent war victims. A thoroughly engaging two and a half hours.

Bell Shakespeare, a national touring theatre company, took on Much Ado About Nothing this year. We are believers in seeing at least one Shakespeare play a year so we dutifully trotted off to the Drama Theatre of the Opera House with our 2 for 1 ticket purchase offered every Tuesday at 5:00 PM. It became evident early in the play - featuring a multiracial cast - that the current "Me too" zeitgeist heavily influenced the directing. The production bent farcical to preserve the Bard's poetry, while updating gender roles for today. Such tinkering exposed the absurdity of Claudio's character. How could you sympathize with someone who showed no grief when he was told that his bride had died? In the altered ending, Hero doesn't just forgive and forget but slaps Claudio across the face and distances herself from him on the stage. Would she take him back, we wondered, until we reminded ourselves that the play started with the ending. I'm excited to see stage directors breaking out of the mold to update Shakespeare's problematic plays.

Every Thursday at 9:00 AM Sydney Theatre Co. releases $20 tickets for purchase at their box office which is a 15 minute walk from our apartment. That was how we ended up going to see The Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in Walsh Bay. This disturbing dark comedy had a terribly depressing storyline yet it was a must see if only to witness the 4 actors in a gripping performance. From the moment the revolving stage spun from a stone cottage exterior to a suffocating interior we, the audience, were fully transported into the desperate lives of these Irish villagers.

Stage setting of BeautyQueen of Leenane

Gasps, laughter, breath intakes from the audience showed what a deeply felt performance it was. The playwright, Martin McDonagh who wrote the scripts for "In Bruges" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri", took us to uncomfortable places as he portrayed the bitterness of a 40 year old virgin daughter stuck in the role of looking after her demanding mother. After the play on our walk back home we were too stunned by two hours of cruel comedy to even articulate our feelings about the play. What was the purpose of such a play, we both wondered days later when we were able to disentangle the story from the performance.

Classical Concerts

We attended two excellent classical concerts this month, both at the Sydney Opera House. In an all Russian themed evening, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performed two achingly beautiful pieces- Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto 1 and Rachmaninoff Symphony 2.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House

On a Sunday afternoon, the touring Australia Chamber Orchestra (expanded for a symphony) performed Brahms Double Concerto and Dvorak's Symphony 8. A pair of delightful pieces that we enjoyed from seats behind the orchestra facing the enthusiastic conductor. We were two rows up from the orchestra pit, with close views of the instruments. The performance was recorded and streamed and we had to have had a visible presence on video! Dvorak's 8th, a lyrical, accessible 4 movement piece, was new to us and it was interesting to read in the program notes that it bore similarities to Beethoven's 6th and Mahler's 4th.

Because of the 2 for 1 Tuesday at 5:00 PM offer, we found ourselves at a ballet at the Opera House. Sylvia, performed by the Australian Ballet Company with music composed by Léo Delibes, transported us to the ancient world of Greek Mythology. Luckily we prepared ourselves for this unfamiliar ballet by listening to the music a few times and studying the complicated, convoluted plot.

Ballet at the Opera House

In the fast paced stage action choreographed to playful, merry music, you had to know the story to identify the characters, their motives, and their actions. Sylvia is a warrior nymph in Artemis's army and her story of falling in love with a shepherd is intertwined with the love interests and antics of the various gods and goddesses. The bond between Artemis and Orion enrages Apollo, with treacherous consequences. There's a third love affair - between Pschye and Eros. There's Sylvia's abduction then rescue; there's the involvement of Zeus, Aphrodite, other minor gods, nymphs, fawns, and mortals. So much action, no time for thoughts to wander! The scintillating performance was enhanced by fabulously costumed dancers and impressive staging. The back wall depicted in bold, dramatic colors the various settings: Hades, Mt Olympus, pastoral countryside. What a beautiful evening of entertainment!

Restaurants

Around the Opera House the numerous cafes and bars have become more crowded and atmospheric with the arrival of Spring. The weekend evening scene on the cafe terraces with swankily clad hipsters lingering over drinks with their buddies is a phenomenon. Inevitably, we were drawn into this vibrant setting a few times. Once, at the more intimate Portside Restaurant outside the Drama Theatre, the venue of our evening event, we enjoyed a fine meal. A smoky eggplant dip with crackers to start, followed by a pasta dish seasoned with truffle sauce and ending with our first pavlova of this trip. From the restaurant's upper level terrace on the west wing of the building, the harbor views were even better than the crowded places on the lower concourse.
Admittedly, the vibe at the Opera Bar lured us over on other evenings for drinks and/or dessert.

Another Friday evening "hot spot" in the city is Barangaroo, the new Darling Harbor waterfront extension. Since the area is also a hop, skip and a jump from us we soaked up the vibe on a blustery but warm evening. On the terrace of Anason, a Turkish Restaurant, we sampled some unusual, and artfully presented dishes. Lentil kofta, a seeded pretzel shaped bread, and exotically spiced roasted cauliflower and cabbage leaves on kebab skewers.

One of our favorite Sydney restaurants that we'd discovered years ago is  Bhodi in the Park, which serves tasty vegan Chinese cuisine. The perfect opportunity to enjoy their dim sum lunch arose when my friend Wendy visited Sydney with her sister-in-law in mid November. We gorged on dumplings, sticky rice stuffed with shitake, stuffed buns, and fried sesame balls for dessert. Delicious food matched by the the beautiful setting in the Cook and Phillip Park.

When Daryl and I went to Bhodi for a Saturday dinner it was the vegan Peking duck served with hoisin sauce in pancakes that wowed us. The dessert was exquisite too. Vegan key lime pie with a scoop of ice cream and accompanied by berries in a fruity sauce.

One evening, after a visiting mathematician at the University of Sydney gave a talk meant for a general audience but became too specialized too quickly, Stephan, Daryl and I trekked over to The Green Mushroom, a vegan Indian restaurant on Glebe Point Road. Here we encountered the most appalling service ever. Due to a series of mistakes the food arrived over an hour after the waiter took our order. Though the eggplant, okra and vegan lamb roganjosh dishes were divine, with perfect spicing and a delightful freshness, the memory of this experience would be forever marred by our foul moods.

The vegan/vegetarian scene in Sydney is delightfully prominent. We indulged in fine vegan dining at the trendy Paperbark Restaurant in the suburb of Waterloo. The 4 course set menu we selected came with artfully presented dishes, all composed of premium vegetables and seasonings, with careful attention to textures and flavors. But as with high end fine dining establishments, the portions were minuscule. We supplemented with an order of their homemade sourdough bread (heavenly) and at the end, after the hefty bill, we convinced ourselves we'd had plenty to eat!

Weekend Walks

On a mild Saturday morning when we strolled across the Harbor Bridge we saw familiar sights from a different perspective. Even the cruise ships were interesting to look at from above. At the other end of the bridge we ambled along the atmospheric streets of Kirribilli, debating whether to treat ourselves to a breakfast pastry from one of the many bustling cafes.

Across the Harbor Bridge, city view from Kirribilli

We spent a Sunday morning at the Royal National Park. Getting there involved an hour long train ride to the beach suburb of Cronulla, then a short ferry ride to Bundeena, a built up town at the entrance to the park. From he wharf we cut through the neighborhood and arrived at a deserted sandy beach. It felt like we'd arrived at some paradisical island. We continued on a dirt trail along the shore where the coastline became more rugged and rocky. We descended to a rocky beach and crossed over enormous flat boulders as we explored the shore.

Haven't seen so many shells on a beach in decades!

It was low tide, allowing us to examine the many rock pools with abundant of sea life. Patches of sandy beach were covered with seashells.

Deserted, peaceful shore at Royal National Park

We were now close to Jibbon head, where the land comes to a point, and around the point is the open ocean. We could see the heavy surf lashing vertical cliffs. We would have loved to continue on the coast track but the unshaded trail and high temperatures turned us off.

On the last Sunday of November we took a ferry to the west and alighted at Meadowbank where we picked up the Parramatta River track. While the area lacked the dramatic harbor scenery of our previous Sunday walks, we enjoyed the mangrove forests along the riverbank. Apart from the many cyclists on the cycle path that follows the river for many miles, the area was relaxing and restorative. If you kept heading west you'd arrive at the Blue Mountains. In fact, there's a walking track from Sydney's outer western suburbs all the way to the mountains. Something to consider on a future trip.

We couldn't help feeling a little sad that these Sunday hikes were about to come to an end. The final month of the year has descended.