Dads stories

Sent: Wednesday, 12 July 2000 10:39 PM
Dear Harald,

At last I know when you are leaving. On Friday the 21^st July. Wednesday I will send the last email. I am bound to remember some things, for your trip. For instance, personally I would leave the Oysters, even though there has been rain recently. Very important for the Oyster farms. I am mistrustful when it comes to eating. On the whole the food is excellent in the large hotels. Fish depends. The deep sea fish is absolutely great, but not at all Restaurants. If you have a sensitive nose, nothing can happen. The traditional fish and chips is seldom edible. I don’t know what fat they use here. When Hedwig makes chips, they are always nice and crunchy. Be careful with pork. But even with pork there is no problem in good hotels – they are really good. What I mean is in small Restaurants. When I had to go somewhere, I always first ordered steak until I had time to study the restaurants. Steaks, the national dish, is usually quite good, in the entire country. Rump steak is usually the size of a plate, so it should also satisfy a hungry german! Loin steak is the best but it is small. Tbone is the favourite, also with me. It tastes the best. Only sometimes it can be tough. It is usually served with salad or vegies and chips, or roast potatoes of one sort or another. The salad doesn’t have a dressing, you get it raw, but it is ok. I prefer vegies, a mixture of brussels sprouts, peas, beans, broccoli or whaterver. Either steamed or lightly boiled. You can get used to them. In the interior its best you avoid fish. Unless you know it is fresh from that day, which could be possible in the larger towns. If there is blue-eye on the menu, that is one of the best fish, like I said, on the coast. Snapper and sea perch are also good. I will ask Hedwig when she gets up. The fish in the fish and chips shops is usually shark (called flake). Tastes a bit sweet.

The only problem with Sydney is that you get flat feet from all the walking. It is a wonderful city on a big harbour. Working on the Opera House construction was a delight, right over the harbour. Towards the end I constructed the point of the big shell. That was in 1964.

You definately won’t be bored. The zoo is huge, and as far as I know very good. I am not a customer, I feel sorry for the animals. I would recommend a trip on the harbour, via hydrofoil. The harbour is the best thing about Sydney, a real experience. Hopefully you will have good weather.

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And that’s all for today. Have fun and forget all your worries.

All the best. Greetings. Peter.