I've been in Australia the last few days. We came over for a show in Newcastle, NSW - a beautiful city whose kind people I now count as friends!
Sunday I set-up camp in downtown Sydney. Figuring it's not every weekend you end up in Australia I planned long ago to explore Australia's metropolis for a few days before returning home. And you know what - I'm not a fan. Everyone's been very nice; the city is very clean; the city is very modern, but ultimately this just isn't for me.
When I was younger - think high school and early college - I LOVED going to big cities. New York was my favorite. I loved the energy, the hustle, the bustle the ceaseless entertainment and what seemed like exotic shopping.
Now the places I most enjoy are more steeped in tradition and history. Show me a museum, or a medieval church and I'm happy for days. Put me in a country whose populace is equally divided between pre-revolution and post-revolution and I become a fascinated student of the society.
So what happened? Well - I think a city, is a city. Buildings, shows, shopping - ALL of the cities in the world have it. But history is that thing you can not build into your city. You have to weather it, learn from it, hide it, re-discover it and then put it on display for it to become an integral part of your city or nation. And that's what I like about traveling now.
To my new friend Sydney: thanks for the tour - you're young and you will go far, but for now I'm going to rely on the wisdom of older places to enrich my touring life.
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