| Urban culture in the heart of nature
 In January 1788, eleven ships arrived in Botany Bay bearing 1,530 people, including 736 convicts and the soldiers in charge of them as well as ordinary civilians. A few days later the ships set sail, and the settlers were left to contend with isolation, loneliness and hunger. 216 years later, their will to live has grown into a country of 20 million. The seeds of that growth were planted in a little field that now boasts one of the most beautiful cities and harbours in the world, with a population of 4 million: the beautiful city of Sydney.
Few places are as convenient for the visitor as Sydney. When you first see Sydney, you feel that Australia’s wide spacious streets make it easy for newcomers to find their way, and all points in the city are linked in a web of subways, monorails, streetcars, ferries and buses to take you wherever you want to go. For a big city, the airport is remarkably close, just ten minutes away by subway.
Sydney is full of things to see: parks, museums, galleries, Chinatown and the aquarium. The downtown area alone is so richly endowed with attractions, exhibitions and festivals that it takes several days to see them. The cuisine, too, is extremely diverse, with more than half the restaurants serving Asian foods, and there is plenty to restore the flagging energy of the hungry traveler.
Walking around downtown Sydney, you can take your pick of Asian flavors: Vietnamese, Cantonese, Beijing, Szechuan, Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Thai, Japanese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Indian, and Korean. The sizzling sound of fresh seafood cooking in a red-hot wok, and the enticing smell of a spicy Szechuan sauce, is sure to arrest the steps of the passing tourist.
City of culture and Art
From the works of Picasso and Dali to the paintings pf wandering gypsies, from world famous galleries to little steps by the roadside, Sydney displays a wide range of art all year round. The powerful voice of Pavarotti in the perfect acoustics of the Sydney Opera House, or the unique sound of the didgeridoo played by a homeless person, brings a sparkle to the life of the city and its inhabitants. It must be the power of music penetrating deep into the brain of the loafer that makes his foot tap rhythmically as he lies listlessly on the ground.
The sound of didgeridoo is truly unique. The instrument consists of a tube over one meter long that has been hollowed out by white ants, but its resonant sound is reminiscent of an electronic instrument with complicated circuitry. No other instrument in the world sounds anything like didgeridoo.
As there is no great difference between the face of the city and its hidden back alleys, there’s nothing to get disillusioned about. Tourists come in great numbers from all over the world, and the fact that they blend in so easily with the crowd and don’t stand out as outsiders is one of the great joys of Sydney.
A greater joy is to be found at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the leading gallery of Sydney and of all Australia. In its precious and noble halls, you can wander at will; admission is free, and you can leave your bags for free at the entrance.
Beautiful art works are brought here from all over the world for exhibitions in every season. Besides the permanent displays of aboriginal and Australian art, exhibitions periodically feature great works by artists such as Rembrandt, Picasso, Cezanne, Renoir, Rousseau and Monet. In few places around the world can you admire the fine brushwork and colours of the great artists so closely.
The lobby of the gallery, with its enormous seats, is a popular spot for reading, dating and listening to music. The smell of coffee drifting up from the café downstairs, the sound of footsteps on the marble floor as elderly couples walk arm in arm, the gentle natural colouring of the old building and statues, all combine to create a mood of peace on romantic afternoon in Sydney. 
Where nature shines through civilization
Outside the gallery is a road leaking through Sydney Domain to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Here, the path has been made without steps to aid disabled access. In the dark woods, the branches bend with the weight of what appear to be large ripe berries. On closer inspection, these grey berries seem to move, and turn out to be a type of bat called a grey-headed flying fox, hundreds of them hanging from each tree. With a wingspan of over one meter, they look menacing, but they are vegetarians, eating only fruit and flowers. They play a vital role in the local ecology, spreading tree pollen and seeds far and wide. To see such rare animals all over the trees in a park within the city is typical of the ecology of Sydney.
Beside a small pond next to the path leading further into the gardens is a pair of white ibis. The cleaners hate this bird because it makes a lot of work for them by rummaging through the garbage. The white ibis is not shy of people, having no recollection of being hurt by human hands, and it loves to play in the water. Quickly zooming in with your camera, you see dozens of white ibis, and feel as if you are in a zoo.
The thin covering of civilization made by mankind cannot hide the power of nature that ruled this place millions of years before it became Sydney. In the park, joggers coexist with seagulls, minah birds, blackbirds, white ibis, ducks, crows and parrots, all sharing the God-given warmth of the sun.
Perhaps this is what has made Sydney one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. A beautiful city can never be built by turning nature upside down. It must be a city that belongs to nature, that cleans and restores itself as it lives and breathes. To maintain life, a city must be built on the roots of nature. Trying to build a city first and then plant nature within it will only produce something grey and drab.
Meeting place of diversity past and present
Travelers with a little time to spare are sure to head for the museum. There’s no place like a museum for getting a sense of where you are in time and space, in joy and sorrow. Sydney has two main museums: the Australian Museum and the Power House Museum. The Australian Museum serves as an important link by providing a place for reflection on aborigines, European immigration, racial prejudice and the dark past as seen from the viewpoint of the present. It brings together the diverse culture and thought of all Australia, quietly reminding Sydney not to be too complacent about its modern development or too uncritical of progress.
Naturally, there are also displays and detailed information on the animal, vegetable and mineral heritage of Australia. The old original building has been extended into massive structure, and above it, the Australian flag with its six stars flies alongside the flag of the aborigines. The lower part of the aboriginal flag is red, symbolizing the earth and human relationships. The upper part is black, representing the aborigines themselves, and the middle is yellow, symbolizing the sun.
The aborigines were never a greedy people that sought to own or conquer nature. They always had plenty to eat and to wear, and wherever they went, they found new places to explore. They saw themselves as belonging to nature, and lived by the bosom of Mother Nature who always protected them, fed them and clothed them. The Australian government is now trying to make the life and history of the aboriginals better known, to wash away discrimination and build new relationships. This effort takes a concrete and visible form at the Australian Museum.
Paradise for the lazy
One place that should not be missed by any visitor to Sydney is the aquarium. Finger-sized sea fish and fresh water fish more than one meter long; giant eels that look like peeled bananas; seals and dozens of big sharks; and finally the great aquarium with its coral and the fish that live among them; all accompanied by a background of classical music to show that all the movement in the world has rhythm and beauty.
In Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, you can see an animal that any modern human would be inclined to envy. The koala hangs from the trees, moving extremely slowly, and eats only the leaves of the eucalyptus, which is common all over Australia. Because it lives all its life in the trees, it has only to reach out its paw to get plenty to eat. It sleeps twenty hours a day, and spends the other four eating. Yet even with this lazy lifestyle, it never suffers from modern disorders like high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity. For many of us, always pressed for time, it is the lifestyle of our dreams.
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