On the second day, we took the train into downtown Sydney to see the sights and play tourists for the day. Shabd and dad spotted an expansive woven wall. To the credit of the artist, we all hurried over to touch the seemingly soft patterns against the building, only to be surprised by the rock hard reality of the artwork. It was cement! The strands of fabric had been plastered over! Who knew a grey wall could be so intriguing...
It seemed as if the Ibis birds were Sydney's equivalent to pigeons in New York City. Fluttering around the squares and streets in the masses, their dumpster-diving ways keep them in the race for dirtiest birds on the block...
We saw so many interesting trees both inside and out of Sydney's city limits. This was one of many along the sidewalks between the streets and parks in the inner city, but it especially caught our eyes with it's incredible root system and stature. In the humid climate, many species of trees thrive to provide not only much-needed oxygen for a large urban landscape, but also a plethora of beautiful backdrops for a breathtaking visual experience.
The first stone of St. Mary's Cathedral was laid in the early 1800s. The architectural design, like that of most European/European-influenced structures of this period, is intricate and extremely detailed, providing history, beauty and a simple lesson in the often-forgotten building methods of our ancestors (replaced by build it cheap and make a profit...) - build it strong and build it steady; build it right the first time, and it will last...
As you may remember, Giorgos and I caught Theo Nick peeking through the barred peep-hole of the mountain monastery door in Velventos, Greece. At the time it was just a little joke picture for the family to laugh at. However, it has become my little tradition with Nick. Now I've got pictures of 'Nick in jail' in Australia and Greece. I wouldn't say he enjoys being held captive for my photo shoots, but he is a great sport about it all and his children LOVE the pictures. Anything they can do to put their pops behind bars for a day, I guess, as the family pranks are a staple of the Agoratsios way.
In an otherwise fun-filled day, the sobering truths of the Aboriginal history in Australia serve as a much-needed reminder to Aussie's that life has been harsher on many, and to keep perspective on how mistakes of the past must become lessons for the future. A huge program has been pushed not only to give reparations to those hurt, enslaved and massacred in the colonization of the Australian continent, but also to educate those who do not fully understand the history of suffering of the Aboriginal people.
Our European and American ancestors have made similar mistakes in search of new land and natural resources, exploiting and killing both Native Americans and slaves alike (we can't honestly call them mistakes, but I have no other excuse for this terrifying treatment of one human towards another). The one major difference between these two examples of terror is that of population. Australia has a meager population of roughly 27 million people. For such a large amount of land on this continent, it is even more painful to think about how the Europeans had to go out of their way to attack and enslave the Aboriginal people. This strikes me somewhere deep down in my heart - it pushes violently with a dull pain deep inside my mind - the choice to attack and nearly decimate a culture as beautiful as the Aboriginal one with so much space in the surrounding areas to avoid such confrontation...
My intent here is not to distract from your enjoyment of our family adventures and the blog, rather to underline the sad realization that no matter how beautiful a landscape or a population as a whole, there is always a history when you dig deeper. The exhibit of Aboriginal peoples and culture serves as a tool to educate and remind Australian's and tourists alike that we can strive for a better world. The artwork and cultural history on display is incredibly beautiful and original. It was a pleasure to take the positive out of this educational experience, enjoying every bit and piece of the Aboriginal history offered at Sydney's 'Australian Museum'.
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