As we’ve done upon leaving Melbourne, let’s create a little collage of impressions and moments of our two-week home-exchange in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

One day, a red balloon came calling. It was a little nervous and bouncy and didn’t stay long.

A few hours later two balloons arrived.

It was late in the day and they seemed deflated in spirit, so they stayed, huddled together, through the darkness of night.

Did you notice the slightly bored Innocent Bystander on the left? The Husband. The ever-patient husband, who spends half of our outings waiting for me to catch up, who is constantly being told to either step aside, stand back or move over. I want to thank him very much for his tolerant attitude! And I am grateful to assorted global municipalities for installing so many benches for him to rest his weary bones while I’m busy clicking away, completely unmindful.

In the picture above, the lower one of the two white high rises in the center was our building. We spent two glorious weeks in the posh penthouse apartment. Since it rained so much during our stay, it was wonderful to have such a large, comfortable place in a central location with immediate access to public transportation, as well as close-by marketing.

The one place in Sydney, to which we paid only a cursory visit. We were always sidetracked on the way over. I bet it’s gorgeous – our loss.

But we never missed a tree throughout the city, it seems.

Noisy miner, Manorina melanocephala, Meliphagidae

Amidst all this chlorophyll, we’re signing off from Sydney to meet you again on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Breath deeply, my friends!