Copyright: Jurgen Brauer, Augusta, Georgia, USA

1. After the lecture tour in India, my daughter and I traveled on via Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Sydney and Canberra, Australia. We rented a car, spent the night of arrival in Sydney, and next day we were off to the Blue Mountains. First we wanted to visit a site called Red Hands. The route surprised us a bit ...

2. Anne blows the dirt off the rental car ...

3. ... and then we took a hike to the site. And here they are: the red (and white) hands, age-old Aboriginal cave art.

4. Winter vegetation (August is winter in the southern hemisphere) along the way ...

5. "Queen Anne" at the Queen Elizabeth Lookout ...

6. ... to have a look at the magnificent Jamison Valley ...

7. ... and the famous Three Sisters rock formation.

8. As we climbed down to access one of the Three Sisters (the one on the left in the picture above), a rainbow appeared. Some sort of lensing effect split the lower part, focusing the sunlight.

9. From the Blue Mountains we headed through the outback to make our way by nightfall to Canberra. Along the way we stopped to photograph the sunset (overexposed on purpose). When I had taken this picture, I turned around to Anne and saw a wallaby happily hopping along behind her. Anne didn't believe it. ("Dad, you are kidding. I am not turning around!") When I finally convinced Anne to turn around and look, she saw the wallaby - and then she jumped in the air as happy and high as the wallaby itself!

10. In Canberra, we had a look at the National Museum ...

11. ... the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery.

12. ... and the War Museum.

13. The air intake of a MiG fighter jet.

14. The view from the War Museum to Parliament.

15. Back in Sydney, a view of downtown.

16. Anne wanted to be photographed everywhere with her sunglasses. So, here goes ... this one at a Sydney train station.

17. The famous Sydney Opera House in the setting sunlight.

18. A visit to the acquarium is a must.

19. A view through several stories of the Queen Victoria Building, a big shopping mall.

20. The Sydney Olympic Stadium and Olympic Park received a visit.

21. We even found the name of a relative who participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympics! (Just kidding ...)

22. Shane Gould was a famous Aussie swimmer, winning oodles of Olympic gold for Australia in the 1972 Munich Olympics. (I was an ardent fan of hers.)

23. At the Museum of Science and Design (a MUST-DO visit!), I learned that the famous economist William Stanley Jevons spent time in Sydney.

24. Before Jevons, culture was different ... this note explains it better than I can.

25. Did I mention that Anne wanted to be photographed everywhere with her sunglasses? Behind her, one of the many public transport ferries that carry passengers all across Sydney harbor.

26. At the airport, almost going home.

[The end.]