May 21, 2005
I'm in the global city of Sydney this weekend for some meetings and to make arrangements for a new job. As I have a few moments off this Saturday afternoon I went wandering through the inner city from Darling Harbour taking in Ultimo and Glebe.
It has been a decade or so since I've been in Sydney. My life has been Adelaide Canberra Melbourne. Sydney has changed beyond recognition, the familar landmarks have gone, and it looks a lot cleaner. Presumably the Olympics did that. The harbour really sparkles on a glorious autumn day. Sydney would have to be one of the more beautiful cities of the world.
I noticed that everybody is hanging on the street: they live on the streets in inner Sydney in the resturants, markets, pubs and shops. So many young people are walking the city despite the very heavy traffic. Glebe looks and feels very bohemian.
I went to check out Glebe Books and Fish Records. The hotel---the Novotel in Darling Harbour--- charged $10 for 45 miniutes.
Glebe Books was very disappointing. They had few books on Heidegger or Nietzsche in the philosophy section, and nothing on French philosophy in the 1930s and 1940s. The global city is not much of an improvement on provincal Adelaide. Heidegger is not in fashion in post modern Sydney--it appears to be borders, security, immigration and human rights.
I'm now posting from an old internet cafe in Glebe. The connection is so slow at the Internet cafe (they do not sell coffee or food) and, as the computer keeps jamming (or freezing), I cannot do the links I wanted. So the post cannot be finished. I'm giving up and walking back to the hotel for dinner with friends in Darling Harbour.
So I'm forced to just check in here. Nothing will posted until I get back to Adelaide late on Sunday.
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Conputer? Gleeb, and Fish? Gary, are you taking the pis? How's the weather down under?