Friendly or feisty

Finally arrived in Sydney after a brief passenger delay - turns out, a guy on the plane misplaced his passport....the same one he had just shown the attendant at the gate, before making the short walk down the breezeway to the aircraft....

Landing in Sydney I made my way to the train. Thank you to all the cities that run transit from the airport - what an incredible convenience and simple but brilliant idea (Toronto, take note). I bought a three day unlimited pass and hopped the trail to Central Station.

Since I wouldn't be able to get my dorm room for a few more hours, I headed straight to the harbour front and Opera House. An amazing piece of architecture, I sat on the steps with a sandwich and took it all in.

Standing on the platform waiting for the train back towards my station, I was looking at all the people, most of whom were smiling and appeared happy. I was reminded how everyone here was so friendly. I would think that's probably the norm when you live in such a beautiful place.

When the train rolled up, the doors opened and a small, elderly woman stood on the train. As I stepped up trying to manage around her with my backpack, I said to the woman "excuse me". Thinking she would move aside slightly to allow me through, she looked the other way and said "no". Shocked I looked at her and she was firmly grasping the bar, her feet locked in her spot. As I wedged past her and into a corner, I laughed to myself....not sure she was unfriendly but she was definitely feisty!

I jumped....

....so who's holding the net????

So it's taken me a few days to start this blog, mainly because I haven't sat still long enough to gather my thoughts. Plus, its been trickier than expected get past the initial anxiety of leaving a job I loved, packing my life in a tiny backpack and hopping a plane, with only part of my trip planned. Totally un-Sharon like, but I'm trying to embrace every moment.

Let me backtrack a bit - I arrived in Sydney, Australia a few days ago, via Air New Zealand - the official airline of Middle Earth. Holy Hobbits! The inflight safety video was completely Hobbitted - seriously funny with special appearances by Gollum, Sir Peter Jackson and even giant, hairy feet. And just in case you forgot where you headed, the inflight magazine features the history of all things hobbit and Middle Earth.

So the initial hobbit-shock gone, I settled in for the 13 hour flight. First to pick my movie....but wait, what is this? There is a remote control?? Handy, yes - but why exactly do I need a remote control to work on a screen that is a mere 10 inches from my face? If I stretch my arm out straight, I can practically change the channel for the person seated in front me.

So I grab the remote (yes, I did) and start cycling through the options....Lord of the Rings 1, 2 or 3...or a look behind The Lord of the Rings 1, 2 or 3....or a special sneak peak of The Hobbit....hmmm...maybe sleep instead.