A photo of the Sydney Skyline!
Photo by Kevin Kearns #244
G’day mate, and greetings from down unda! Welcome to Sydney, Australia: home of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, many marsupials, and of course, Nemo’s temporary residence during his dry-land-days. While we weren’t able to track down P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, the Dins did have a lot of fun in this wonderful seaside city.
We kicked off our stay with a performance at St. Paul’s College of Sydney University, which happens to be Australia’s oldest university college. This ended up being a performance during a welcome dinner for the spring semester (southern hemisphere = flipped seasons!) and new residents of the college. After the performance, some of the Dins split off to explore various parts of Sydney’s night life. Eli and I journeyed out to some of the historic bars and pubs, such as the Hero of Waterloo pub, the oldest pub in Sydney, and others went to get late night bubble tea—continuing a tradition of attempting to have bubble tea at every stop on tour!
A photo of the iconic Sydney Opera House.
Photo by Eli Troen #250
As we approach the end of tour, the conversations and memories made tend to be equally poignant and reflective, looking back at all that we have done and all we have seen. Sydney is a beautiful place for such experiences. It really is a very relaxing city. It also happens to be the first place where everyone has spoken English since being in London in early June...albeit with a distinct accent!
The following day was spent traveling around the city, exploring parks, walking along the harbor and doing the things recommended by “true Sydney-siders,” the proud residents who have always called Sydney home. Some went to the Taronga Zoo to see koalas, Tasmanian devils, and wombats, while Sam, Sang-o, Eli and I went to catch a matinée at the Sydney Opera House called The Long Forgotten Dream. The show engaged not only with the intersection between traditional indigenous aboriginal culture and fast-paced western culture but also specifically learning how to participate in the globalized world, while still remaining tuned in and reverent to ancestry.
Jubilant Dins boating on the Sydney Harbor!
Photo by Kevin Kearns #244
That night, we held our final international performance of our 2018 World Tour at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. The performance was one to remember, with a wonderful setting, excellent lamb cutlets from New Zealand, delightful conversation, and an impromptu performance from one of the guests who played the spoons! Absolutely wild, right? And both Dins and audience enjoyed the evening immensely. Enjoying the uncluttered vibe of Sydney, I joined Dins and went stargazing, since for the first time in months, we found ourselves in a place with such low light pollution that we could see every star in the sky.
Casually backflipping into the ocean during Winter.
GIF by Eli Troen #250
Our final day in Sydney was a particularly fun one, as one of the hosts graciously offered to take the Dins boating in Sydney Harbour. So, the day passed by with kind company and a series of shenanigans, like doing flips off of the front of the boat into the harbour with the Sydney Opera house as a backdrop. Truly a landmark way to begin bringing the final international stop to a close. At night, we celebrated with our hosts, at a wonderful potluck (with a spread unlike anything I have ever witnessed), singing a few final songs and drinking local Shiraz.
We all agree that Sydney was one of the most remarkable moments on tour, and while we are excited to head home to the United States, the end of this phenomenal tour stop is bittersweet.
Austin Lentsch #246