Postcard from Sydney, Australia

 

Hi everyone at Luna!

I arrived in Sydney in the middle of winter, but the weather is beautiful! I stayed near the fabulous Harbour Bridge in a traditional little hotel above a pub...perfect!

I took a ferry to Manly, across the harbour and had delicious fish & chips on the beach. The view of the Opera House from the boat was magnificent!

I'm going to see a rugby match tonight, then travel south to see my brother's family. hope you are not missing me too much?

Jim

Hinata's country guide to - The UK

 

Postcard from... Australia

I went to Australia. We went to an aquarium with my uncle.

We saw lots of fish! It was very cool. I ate fish and chips.

I love fish and chips!

from Eleanor

(This journey took place in early March!)

Postcard from...Bulli, New South Wales (Australia).

Hi everyone,

Mrs. Turner's wonderful class

Maybe you noticed that Eleanor has not been around lately? Actually, she has spent a whole school term at a primary school near Sydney, with her cousin Joe. She has been 'home staying' with her four cousins, and her Aussie aunt & uncle (except they're both English!).

I took an extra day away from Luna (June 29) to arrive early, and surprise my little girl...we had a wonderful reunion at her bus stop, coming home from school. I got to meet her classmates - they had a lovely goodbye party for her on their last day of term. A very cheerful & chatty bunch of bright faces, shepherded by Mrs. Turner, who has been her teacher and overseen quite a transformation!

Last soccer practice with coach Mark

Before flying back, we had a big family reunion (my mum, my cousins and all their children - 19 of us in a local pizza restaurant) and time for a weekend of sport. Eleanor played her last football match for Woonoona and had to say good bye to her very best "bestie", and shared the goalkeeping gloves with cousin Joe. Lovely buzz around the mixed team, even though they were well-beaten. I went to support cousin Louis play rugby union in a floodlit U15 game, and Uncle Mike play in a 'seniors' league fixture (football) - very good standard & very fit. Memo to self....

Fish 'n' chips in Shellharbour

Long walks on the beach, fish & chips, family dinners - all squeezed into an extended weekend. Delighted to have my girl back; an amazing episode in all our lives. Homestay in 2017, anyone?

School trip to England - Yuya's report

I went to England for about 2 weeks in April.It was my school trip. The flight took about 12 hours and I didn't sleep so I was exhausted.

White Cliffs of Dover

First, I went to Cambridge. The main event at there was to learn from the students of Cambridge University. The program is called Blue Bridge Education and I had a great time because the students were very funny and clever. They told us the importance of body languages, eye contacts and big voice. It is quite hard for me, but I'm trying to do them when I take communications, even in Japanese. We also did a shopping with the Cambridge students and I bought many teas.

Next, we went to Dover, where we were really lucky because there weren't any clouds in the sky. Dover is at the south end of the UK, and it is near France. We saw a gravel beach, blue sky and the white cliffs all at once, so it was awesome & beautiful.

After that, we went for a sightseeing trip in Canterbury. I bought many things there, like T-shirts, chocolates, and some drinks, because they were so cheap!

Canterbury Cathedral

The final place we went to was the capital city, London. I stayed there for about a week, and I felt the difference of the scenery between it an Tokyo. In Tokyo, there are many kinds of tall buildings, but in London, of course, there are also tall buildings but not only that. There were also many kinds of old-fashioned buildings. Because of that, we could easily feel at home there.

The food in the UK was very delicious. Before this trip, I heard that British food is not tasty. So I was a bit nervous. However, we didn't have any problems. The best food was fish and chips, which I ate at a restaurant called "Garfunkel's Restaurant". The fried fish, with some fresh lemon, was absolutely fabulous.

Traditional Fish 'n' Chips 

Finally, I will talk about where I stayed. First in Cambridge, I had a home stay for the first time in my life. The host family were very kind, but the food was a bit oily. In London, I also had a home stay. The host mother's food was delicious but she was very strict. For example, when we went for a drive, she shouted at any driver who didn't give way to her. Nevertheless, while I was staying there I was touched by her kindness, so in the end I was very sad to say goodbye. So where did we stay on the rest of the days? Of course, we stayed at a hotel. We were very free during the hotel stay, so it was a lot of fun and I really wanted to stay there.

Fish & chips

Image via Wikipedia

People often ask me what I miss about the UK, and a good podge out on steaming fish & chips is very high on my list. No plates or knives & forks - no table, not even in the house! Walking home on a cold night after a couple of pints in the pub. Enough salt to give my doctor a heart attack, and evaporating malt vinegar filling the air. Keep having to change hands because the newspaper wrapping is too hot...greasy fingers and just enough loose change for the last bus.

I am so hungry! OK, we can get "fish & chips" in some "English" or "Irish" pubs in Japan (Old Rock in Matsumoto for example) & I had some the weekend before last in Okayama. However, a cold plate, silver cutlery, a hint of salad, and a dollop of tartar sauce is not the same thing at all, and certainly not when you can count the chips and get bugger all change from Y1,000!

What is good fish & chips all about then? Well, apart from the obvious in the first paragraph, it involves things like responsible food sourcing, hygiene & staff training. Check out this article on Britain's best chippy.

Geographically there is an important point in the article too. Students of mine always come back from their three-day trip to 'England' (ie Harrods, Baker St & The British Museum) with complaints about the food. Of course it's rubbish - it's London. And if you went to a pub, the beer's flat and yugh as well. For a decent serving of fish and chips you have to go north, and the further north the better!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Lastly, how do you find a good chippy? Easy, look for the one with the longest queue. The waiting is worth it, the anticipation grows, your tummy rumbles...Enjoy!