The Blue Mountains were a cracking experience for us. A strange one at first, for when I say 'mountains' I mean .... well, MOUNTAINS. When you drive through the Blue Mountain range you don't actually get to see any mountains. There is that one steep gradient after Penrith and that's about it; the rest of the road is a gentle up and down through soft hills.
But once you reach Echo Point or Wentworth Falls ..... gosh, what a sight that is!
We had several hikes around and under the cliffs, down to the falls and through the valley and no matter which corner you turned around there was one stunning sight after the other.
I'm in love with those eucalyptus trees. There are so many varieties of them, and the smell of them on a hot day together with the spray from the waterfalls is hanging like a veil over the forest.
Downside was a lot of guided groups went there as well but us being considerably faster on our legs managed to escape the crowds and soon had the paths almost for our own again.
Flocks of sulphure-crested cockatoos circled over the trees (my goodness, these birds are talkative ...) and there were others in the brushwood that sang beautifully. Made for good entertainment. You could stay here for weeks and weeks and yet you would have just scratched at the surface of what the Blue Mountains have to offer.
Ah well, the next time around.
In the afternoon we went to Lake Lyell which is about 40 km from Katoomba to catch up with Graham and Janet. They had parked their bus right at the waterfront and had a terrific sight on the surrounding hills (no forest, it's pastures and bits of woods around Lithgow); best of all, there was no-one else around.
It was great to see Graham again and get to know Janet; she is such a lovely person! We had lunch together and talked all afternoon about this and that. Graham explained some of the abysses of music business to me. We pondered about the difficulties of getting a decent Port in Australia (and I loved what he found in the Hunter Valley....), developing a taste for wine, food and music, the snares of foreign languages (I'm rather proud that Graham started correcting me; he is taking me serious after all...), birds, the best workout and many many more topics.
Thinking back, it was probably more than a bit unfair towards Janet and Harald but when forumites meet naturally some part of the conversation evolve from things written on the forum and they weren't able to participate. Harald is not the most talkative person in German, even less so in a language he doesn't feel comfortable with.
Much too soon it was slowly getting darker and we had to say goodbye again as I wanted to avoid driving after nightfall. But I'd have liked to stay another week or so; it was so easy talking to them. By the time we arrived back in Katoomba it dawned on me that I didn't take any photos, not a single one! I guess we have to meet once more to alter that. Sorry, Graham.
Before we left, Graham gave me one of his CDs; in exchange for the salmon we brought for lunch he said.
Now don't get me wrong. The fish really was delicious. But I do think that I got the better part of the bargain.
PS: You know what's best? Spencer and I are buddies now.
But once you reach Echo Point or Wentworth Falls ..... gosh, what a sight that is!
We had several hikes around and under the cliffs, down to the falls and through the valley and no matter which corner you turned around there was one stunning sight after the other.
I'm in love with those eucalyptus trees. There are so many varieties of them, and the smell of them on a hot day together with the spray from the waterfalls is hanging like a veil over the forest.Downside was a lot of guided groups went there as well but us being considerably faster on our legs managed to escape the crowds and soon had the paths almost for our own again.
Flocks of sulphure-crested cockatoos circled over the trees (my goodness, these birds are talkative ...) and there were others in the brushwood that sang beautifully. Made for good entertainment. You could stay here for weeks and weeks and yet you would have just scratched at the surface of what the Blue Mountains have to offer.
Ah well, the next time around.
In the afternoon we went to Lake Lyell which is about 40 km from Katoomba to catch up with Graham and Janet. They had parked their bus right at the waterfront and had a terrific sight on the surrounding hills (no forest, it's pastures and bits of woods around Lithgow); best of all, there was no-one else around.
It was great to see Graham again and get to know Janet; she is such a lovely person! We had lunch together and talked all afternoon about this and that. Graham explained some of the abysses of music business to me. We pondered about the difficulties of getting a decent Port in Australia (and I loved what he found in the Hunter Valley....), developing a taste for wine, food and music, the snares of foreign languages (I'm rather proud that Graham started correcting me; he is taking me serious after all...), birds, the best workout and many many more topics.
Thinking back, it was probably more than a bit unfair towards Janet and Harald but when forumites meet naturally some part of the conversation evolve from things written on the forum and they weren't able to participate. Harald is not the most talkative person in German, even less so in a language he doesn't feel comfortable with.
Much too soon it was slowly getting darker and we had to say goodbye again as I wanted to avoid driving after nightfall. But I'd have liked to stay another week or so; it was so easy talking to them. By the time we arrived back in Katoomba it dawned on me that I didn't take any photos, not a single one! I guess we have to meet once more to alter that. Sorry, Graham.
Before we left, Graham gave me one of his CDs; in exchange for the salmon we brought for lunch he said.
Now don't get me wrong. The fish really was delicious. But I do think that I got the better part of the bargain.
PS: You know what's best? Spencer and I are buddies now.
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