Monday, July 03, 2006
Raindrops keep falling on my head
6/30/06
The best thing about today was the I got to sleep late … after going to bed at around 8:45 p.m., I got nearly a full 12 hours of sleep. Now I know that probably sounds gluttonous, but when the affects of sleep depravation (and a touch of jet lag) are setting in, any length of quality sleep is much appreciated.
Our touring for the day took us to Bondi Beach, which is about 20 minutes from our hotel. The self-guided tour in the rain was actually pretty nice. The water is crystal blue and the rock formations are incredible; the cliffs are all sandstone and you can walk up to different areas cleaved from the water over the years. And though our tour guide didn’t share much about what we were going to see, we did learn that Sydney is in a Stage 3 drought (I don’t know exactly what that means, but it sounds pretty bad). She even said the rain wouldn’t last very long, but it stuck around for at least the hour we strolled around the beach.
Back at the hotel, everyone prepared for Shabbat and dinner with families in Sydney. I, along with five other U.S. athletes and three from the Israeli delegation who are shomer kashrut (observant of the dietary laws) were invited to services at Chabad Double Day followed by dinner at the home of the Chabad’s rabbi while all the other athletes (as well as those from other countries) went to services at the Central Synagogue, which is one of the largest synagogues in Sydney. I’m not a huge fan of Chabad and the service was familiar but not too inspiring (for me, at least). Nevertheless, I appreciated the hospitality and looked forward to a pleasant Shabbat dinner.
There must have been 20 guests at dinner, in addition to the Rabbi, his wife, and their five children. We had a wonderful time at dinner though by the end we were visibly tired. It was a 25-minute walk from the hotel to the synagogue, and would be another 20 minutes back to the hotel. I barely got into my room before my eyes shut and I was asleep.
The best thing about today was the I got to sleep late … after going to bed at around 8:45 p.m., I got nearly a full 12 hours of sleep. Now I know that probably sounds gluttonous, but when the affects of sleep depravation (and a touch of jet lag) are setting in, any length of quality sleep is much appreciated.
Our touring for the day took us to Bondi Beach, which is about 20 minutes from our hotel. The self-guided tour in the rain was actually pretty nice. The water is crystal blue and the rock formations are incredible; the cliffs are all sandstone and you can walk up to different areas cleaved from the water over the years. And though our tour guide didn’t share much about what we were going to see, we did learn that Sydney is in a Stage 3 drought (I don’t know exactly what that means, but it sounds pretty bad). She even said the rain wouldn’t last very long, but it stuck around for at least the hour we strolled around the beach.Back at the hotel, everyone prepared for Shabbat and dinner with families in Sydney. I, along with five other U.S. athletes and three from the Israeli delegation who are shomer kashrut (observant of the dietary laws) were invited to services at Chabad Double Day followed by dinner at the home of the Chabad’s rabbi while all the other athletes (as well as those from other countries) went to services at the Central Synagogue, which is one of the largest synagogues in Sydney. I’m not a huge fan of Chabad and the service was familiar but not too inspiring (for me, at least). Nevertheless, I appreciated the hospitality and looked forward to a pleasant Shabbat dinner.
There must have been 20 guests at dinner, in addition to the Rabbi, his wife, and their five children. We had a wonderful time at dinner though by the end we were visibly tired. It was a 25-minute walk from the hotel to the synagogue, and would be another 20 minutes back to the hotel. I barely got into my room before my eyes shut and I was asleep.
# posted by Matthew Halpern @ 1:01 AM 
