Relevant History

Jorn Utzon

At a post-hike party this afternoon, I was talking to a friend about the Sydney Opera House, which I visited during a layover in Sydney in early 2007. Even now, visiting the Opera House seems like one of the high points of my life.

via flickr

Now, I read in the Guardian that Jorn Utzon, the Opera House's architect, has died.

For some reason, this detail in the Telegraph about Utzon's creative process stands out for me:

Utzon rarely used a sketchbook, but would draw on anything that was available. He drew the initial plan for an art museum at Silkeborg, in Denmark, with poured salt on a restaurant table in Sydney, which he then photographed with a borrowed camera. Based on Buddhist caves he had visited near the Gobi Desert, the museum was never built.

Another friend recalled Utzon using a charred stick on a pavement to sketch the cross-section of a cave-room he had seen in China, which was to form the basis for his design for a new house; sadly the sketch was washed away by a thunderstorm that same night.

It also reports this anecdote:

He also told the audience [in London in 1978] of a letter he had received from a woman who was put off the idea of throwing herself into Sydney Harbour by the sight of the opera house, deciding that if Utzon could go through the agony of getting it built without wanting to kill himself, then she too could cope with life.

Thomas Keneally had a great piece on the Opera House last year. It waxed rhapsodic about the design, the amazing location, and the structure's long and complicated history, and is well worth reading. The conclusion:

But it is as a focus for citizens and visitors, as well as the home of art practitioners, that the Opera House works. It is the great communal house of Sydney. In this way, it is more than a mere monument. Inside and out, it is Sydney's agora. The excessive and often excluding awe induced by many European opera houses is missing in it. Children run on its concrete skirts under a blue sky (well, often it is blue), and do not need to be hushed. A building children can feel ownership of is more than a mere opera house.

They say that in the medieval period the great cathedrals - Chartres, say - operated both as a place of wonders and a market not just for bishops and priests but for the entertainment, instruction and delight of ordinary folk, peasants and craftsmen. That is the role the secular cathedral of the Opera House plays in Sydney.

I'm glad I made it out alive

Having just returned from Australia, this (in the Guardian's travel section*) caught my eye:

Australia is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world but its beaches, rainforests and deserts can take a deadly toll on tourists. According to official statistics, 2,433 overseas visitors, including 25 children, have died in the last seven years. Causes of death include drowning, heat stroke and even a jellyfish sting....

[L]ast weekend hundreds of swimmers on three of Perth's most popular beaches were warned to leave the water after a two-metre-long shark was spotted near the shore.

*Maybe Thomas Friedman is right after all!

[To the tune of The Blue Nile, "She Saw The World," from the album "High".]

Technorati Tags: Australia

Sydney Opera House

During my layover in Sydney, I had just enough time to stash my bags and make a pilgrimage to see the Sydney Opera House.

via flickr

I had studied the building in an architectural history class (and recently read a New Yorker article about current efforts to restore it), but still I was completely unprepared for how amazing it is in real life. For one thing, it sits in one of the most incredible locations imaginable: the site is beside the Circular Quay and ferry building, across from the Harbour Bridge, and in front of the old Royal Botanic Garden, so it's very busy, very prominent, and very beautiful. I suspect only a handful of sites this cool become available to architects in a century.

via flickr

For another, the Opera House itself is much more interesting up close than I expected. I didn't realize how different the three buildings are, nor how their appearance changes as you walk around them.

via flickr

One of the cooler things I saw-- the guys doing the new tile have to rappel up and down the sides of the building, as it's too complicated to scaffold.

via flickr

The Opera House has also inspired some pretty innovative architecture nearby: in particular, a cluster of skyscrapers a few blocks away that I think are a terrific combination.

(Deutsche Bank Place (with the triangular scaffold), Chifley Tower, Aurora Place, and Governor Phillip Tower (the corporate headquarters in "Mission Impossible 2.") via flickr

[To the tune of Little River Band, "It's a Long Way There," from the album "Little River Band: Greatest Hits".]

Perth skyline

via flickr

[To the tune of The Rolling Stones, "Sympathy For The Devil," from the album "Forty Licks".]

Technorati Tags: Australia, night, Perth

Evening in Cottesloe Beach

I finished up my last meeting in Perth on Wednesday about 6:30 p.m. It was an 11-hour day, that combination of enforced physical inactivity and mental exertion that is strangely tiring. (If there's a physical version of ADD, I have it.)

I felt like I couldn't possibly leave Perth without spending at least a little time at the beach, so I got a cab and, on the advice of just about everyone I talked to, went to Cottesloe Beach.

Technorati Tags: Australia, beach, Perth, travel

More in Flickr

I've added pictures from my trip to the beach in Perth, and my layover in Sydney to my Australia trip set on Flickr.

via flickr

Most of them are pictures of the Sydney Opera House, but given how amazing a structure that is, it's a reasonable balance.

[To the tune of The Beatles, "Day Tripper," from the album "The Beatles 1".]

Technorati Tags: Australia, beach, Perth, Sydney, travel, work

On the plane

We're past Nadi, about eight hours from San Francisco, just across the international dateline.

For this trip I did something I haven't done in recent memory on a long flight: I didn't bring any book. Normally I weight myself down with books and reprints; this time, I packed a bunch of DVDs, and with my new power adapter, I figured I could work. Or just sleep: I've gotten about 14 hours sleep since Saturday. Been a busy trip.

Unfortunately, this flight has been choppier than the one to Sydney, so that's gotten in the way of my usual habit of getting up and spending much of the trip standing.

Technorati Tags: Australia, flying, travel

At the airport

I'm at the Perth airport. I'm a couple hours early for my flight, but I'd rather be early than late.

via flickr

I found a cafe here, and what looks like an open wireless network, though I'm not connected yet. Perhaps I'll be able to live blog my drinking coffee and waiting to board my flight, or maybe not.

Apparently not. Certainly not at $20 per day.

Not surprisingly, it's Young International Backpacker Central here tonight. I've heard half a dozen languages, and an abundance of henna tattoos on people wearing cargo shorts. I suppose the redeye flights are cheaper than others.

Technorati Tags: airport, Australia, Perth, travel, work

On the Swan River

via flickr

Technorati Tags: Australia, Perth

Deep questions

First, how many of the characters from Winnie the Pooh are edible?

Obviously, Piglet and Rabbit.

I think they eat bear in China.

I didn't know this until tonight, but it turns out that you can also eat kangaroo.

via flickr

I had kangaroo this evening at the Old Swan Brewery. It took a few minutes for my dinner-mates to convince me that this wasn't some trick they played on foreigners. But other than making me feel a greater kinship with gonzo carnivore Ted Nugent, it's pretty good. It reminds me of buffalo.

This leaves donkey, owl, and tiger, all of which I suspect are inedible.

Now the other big question: if the children ask, "Did you see any kangaroos?" what do I say? If I say "I ate some kangaroo," they'll think I'm a barbarian. If I say, "In a manner of speaking," they'll ask for details, and I suspect "On a plate, garnished with lettuce" won't go over well. I should probably say no, on the grounds that you don't see a cow every time you go to Burger King.

The tiger shrimp and squid were pretty good, too.

via flickr

Technorati Tags: Australia, food, travel

Feeling more human

After a couple pitchers of water and another round of revisions to my talks, I'm feeling more human. Maybe it's time to soak in the tub.

Part of me thinks it was nuts to get up so early, and that I should have just downed something from the minibar and gone back to bed. But I find I'm so wired when I'm on the road, and that this nervous energy is usually pretty productive, I figured it was worth the risk.

[To the tune of Bob Dylan & Grateful Dead, "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," from the album "Dylan & The Dead".]

Technorati Tags: Perth, work

Awake

I woke up a little before 3 local time, and haven't been able to go back to sleep.

So I'm working on my talk, and drinking water to rehydrade myself (I'm still feeling the effects of the flights). I'll try to sleep a bit more between now and 6.

[To the tune of Steely Dan, "Home At Last," from the album "Citizen Steely Dan: 1972-1980".]

Technorati Tags: Australia, Perth, work

Perth photoset up

It's created, though there's not that much in it yet.

Client just called. Must hop in a cab.

Technorati Tags: Australia, Perth, travel, work

In Perth

I've made it!

via flickr

Technorati Tags: Australia, Perth, travel

Greetings from Virgin Blue 427 (pant pant)

I'm on my connecting flight to Perth. The rest of my flight to Sydney was fine, though we got in a little late, and I spent 40 minutes in customs and immigration, and took the wrong bus to the domestic terminal. Live and learn.

When I got to the domestic terminal, I was told I could go ahead and check my bag to Perth, rather than put it in a locker for a few hours while I made my little pilgrimage to the Sydney Opera House. So I got in the check-in line. When I got up there, confusion resulted. They couldn't find me on the 1:25 p.m. flight, even though my ticket clearly said that I was on it. For some reason, I HAD BEEN RE-BOOKED ON THE 9:55 A.M., WHICH IS LEAVING IN 5 MINUTES YOU'D BETTER HURRY TO THE GATE.

So no Sydney Opera House for this architecture buff.

I did in fact make it, and even got a decent seat. An aisle seat, anyway. This being a low-fare airline, there's no business class, so I'm stuck in coach for the next 4 hours, and have to pay for my Diet Coke (which tastes subtly different from American Diet Coke, but a lot like English Diet Coke).

However, it means I get a few extra hours in Perth, and it also has the real virtue of eliminating any possible distractions and forcing me to focus on my work. I've flown too far to do merely a good job. I want to blow them away.

Technorati Tags: Australia, flying, travel, work

Greetings from UAL 863

I'm on the plane, a few hundred miles east of Hawaii. And I've got power. After a mad dash this afternoon, I got an adapter that will work with my Powerbook on a plane. (Business class offers power at your seat, but you need a special adapter to draw any juice. Kind of a pain.)

It's too cool.

I watched The Departed, which is a loose remake of one of my favorite movies, Infernal Affairs (in fact, I have IA in my backpack, ready for viewing after my meetings are over. It turns out that in many small and some substantial ways, The Departed is pretty different from Infernal Affairs: lots of details have been changed, some of the scenes have been scrambled around, the pacing's different, and the female character is more substantial. So it's a different movie, and very well-done: Gangs of New York was an exuberant mess, but this is tight, intense storytelling. The incredible violence, the amazing performances by Dicaprio and Damon (and yes, Jack is great, but he's always great), the nonstop profanity.... It's fucking poetic. If it doesn't score several Oscars, including the long-elusive best director award, I'll be really, really disappointed.

I miss my family, I know flying isn't good for the environment (carbon ton per carbon ton, it's considerably worse than driving). Still, I love to travel. But I also get to go home, which makes it the best of all worlds.

[To the tune of Fleetwood Mac, "What Makes You Think You're The One," from the album "The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac".]

Technorati Tags: Australia, flying, movies, travel

Eight hours down, five to go

We're near the international dateline, about midway between Sydney and Hawaii.

Some bits of the flight have been choppy, but overall it hasn't been bad. I slept some, but my internal clock now thinks it's now 7:30-- time to get up and make breakfast for the kids, and finish packing up their lunches (I do some of it the night before).

Having power on the plane is a good thing. I was getting pretty tired of the classic rock station on the airplane radio, and need to tweak the scripts for my presentation.

[To the tune of Yes, "Machine Messiah," from the album "Drama".]

Technorati Tags: Australia, flying, travel

Just past Nadi, Fiji

Ten hours into the flight. I can see deep red on the horizon to the east.

For the last couple hours I've been sitting on the floor, with the laptop on the seat or tray table, depending on how I need to stretch my legs. The person sitting beside me probably thinks I'm nuts, but I can't sit in a seat for 13 hours. It's just impossible.

via flickr

I did one very smart thing this trip: I brought my travel mug. This means the number of trips to the galley for coffee are cut in half, and if we hit choppy weather, I'm less likely to spill my drink. After a couple bad experiences having to sit for a couple hours on coffee I'd spilled, I've become very fastidious about my seat space. Nothing makes you pay attention to where your drinks are than having had to wear one across the Atlantic....

I could get used to this whose business class thing. Too bad I probably won't have that chance.

[To the tune of Fleetwood Mac, "Big Love (Live '97)," from the album "The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac".]

Technorati Tags: Australia, flying, travel

Our lives, mobile version

So I'm sitting in the lounge, typing away on my Powerbook, with my Adium and Entourage windows open, listening to my iTunes. I decided to bring my travel mug with me this time, as it's nice and big, and well, good for travel.

Essentially, I can talk to everyone I normally talk to, listen to the music I usually listen to, do the work I usually do. I even packed some of my favorite movies.

Could it be that we're becoming too good at constructing these bubbles around ourselves? People complain about being able to go to a Starbucks anywhere in the world. But are we now creating personal versions of this phenomena?

One change for me: I'm not wearing my totemic all-black outfit, because it's the middle of summer in Australia (what's that about?), and my black 511 Tactical shirt would give me heatstroke. So I've switched to the lightweight khaki model. It's still the same shirt, with the awesome pockets that hold absolutely everything. I wouldn't get on a flight without it.

[To the tune of Yes, "Siberian Khatru," from the album "Close to the Edge".]

Technorati Tags: culture, travel

Australia travel times

If memory serves, while visiting Australia aboard the HMS Rattlesnake, Thomas Henry Huxley got engaged. It took another seven years after he returned to England before he could bring his fiancee to London, and actually get married.

Of all the things that's different about travel now, I think the ways we experience separation, and the ways geographical distance do and don't translate into emotional experience, have changed the most in the last century or two.

[To the tune of Yes, "Close to the Edge," from the album "Close to the Edge".]

Once again, greetings from the Red Carpet Lounge

I'm in SFO, waiting for my flight to Sydney. Sydney, Australia. I've settled into the Red Carpet Lounge, as is my habit before (or during) overseas trips.

Australia. I haven't really focused on that part of the trip, partly because it's relatively short, but I've never been to Australia. And it's very far away.

I'd meant to reread some of Bernard Lewis' European Vision and the South Pacific before leaving, but didn't get around to it: too much else to do. The Victorians I studied would have been disappointed: they found the time to read up before a trip.

I'm flying on to Perth via Virgin Blue, and apparently they don't have one of those check-your-suitcase-on-through-to-your-destination arrangements with United. The woman checking me was apologetic, but since it pretty much guarantees that I'll 1) have to go from the International to the Domestic terminals, and 2) this'll give me a chance to spend a few hours in Sydney, I'm actually quite pleased.

I have no idea how my body is going to handle this flight. My body knows what to do when I go to Europe, but this is pretty alien-- not to mention several hours longer than flights to Heathrow. We'll just have to see how it goes. Since I feel like I can do some good work on planes, and since I've got a lot of work to do, my instinct is to push as hard as I can, then see what happens. I've got plenty of slack in my schedule to sleep when I need to.

[To the tune of Yes, "Hearts," from the album "90125".]

Technorati Tags: airport, Australia, San Francisco, SFO, travel