Brisbane: Familiar Yet Unfamiliar

Hello! I have been in Brisbane since Friday, and have enjoyed exploring the city despite losing my voice on Saturday. This city reminds me of a cross between San Francisco and London. The streets here are steep like those in San Francisco, and overlooking the city is a clock tower that is nearly identical to Big Ben in London. Also, the restaurants and stores are arranged in a similar fashion as those in SF. However, Brisbane is much more laid back and not as fast paced. On Friday, I went to Cathedral Park, which is not a park as much as a plaza in the middle of the city. Across from Cathedral Park is St. John's church, the major Anglican Cathedral. I love to visit churches when I travel, so I went inside and took pictures. When I was there that day, people were setting up for a concert, as the cathedral hosts concerts and lectures in addition to worship services and being open to the public. Let me tell you, there are many churches here representing several denominations--Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Church of Christ, and Chinese Christian.

On Saturday I went to the Museum of Brisbane, where I saw some paintings by Australian artists and artifacts that were important to Australia's history. Because the museum was small, there was not much to see so I unfortunately was not very impressed. But then again, I have been able to go to awesome museums such as the National Portrait Gallery and the British Museum so I was not that surprised that the Museum of Brisbane does not hold up to the same standards. 

After checking out the museum, I went to the City Botanic Gardens. These gardens are at the end of the main street that runs through the major downtown area, so it is the perfect place to get some peace and quiet from the busyness of the city. While these gardens may seem like any other major park, there are a few elements that are unique in comparison to places like Central Park in NY or Hyde and Regent's Parks in  London. First of all, there are bamboo trees when you enter the main park, which I had not seen previously (aside from my backyard). Second, there was also a "religious fig tree" that supposedly resembled the one Buddha sat under when he discovered enlightenment.  

Because my voice has been gone since Saturday, I mostly have been relaxing in my hotel room. That being said, I did go to St. John's for worship on Sunday morning. I have not been to an Episcopal (or Anglican, as we say here) church since Easter, so it was nice to go to a church where the liturgy was familiar and comfortable. Receiving communion was definitely the best part. :) While I planned to go to Sydney today, unfortunately I could not go as my voice has not come back. Hopefully, my voice will come back soon and then I can continue with my travels!