It is strange going back to Sydney now. It was once a huge part of me… But that Sydney has moved on without me, and it is no longer the city that I knew or was a part of. When I walk around now, I am a tourist. But I try my best to not be *that* kind of tourist!
I look back over the photos I’ve taken on this trip, and I realise that the pictures I take in Sydney are the equivalent of the photos I took five years ago when I got to Amsterdam.
I take photos of lush looking markets filled with fresh produce …
… of walkways and architecture that capture my fancy.
The unusual and tasty food that we don’t get at home, but are lucky enough to share with good friends.
We make sure to go to our favourite spaces, so we can re-charge our mental and emotional batteries.
As I walk through the world there is a smile on my face. I see some people stare at me from the corners of their eyes. It’s not Sydney style to walk along smiling, and it sets me apart as an outsider.
But the air is full of the rich heady scent of frangipani. It is a very “Sydney in Summer” smell, and as I stop to photograph it a local jogs past and noticing what I’m doing, it makes her grin too.
This guy walking his horse was kind enough to slow down so I could take his photograph!
It reminded me of the guy who used to walk his goat down King St. But we didn’t make it to Newtown this trip.
The streets I have walked with confidence in my past lives are covered in art that takes me back in time.
And yet they are no longer the same streets, it is no longer the same art, and I am no longer the same person.
ghoti industries 
I love this post! – Also want those dishes.
Thank you! *hugs you tight*
The restaurant was Kazbah – http://kazbah.com.au/ – And we were at the Darling Harbour location.
(It’s one of my favourite restaurants, and we ate there a couple of times in the two weeks!)
That’s quite a yard display; whatever it is that goes on there seems to draw a crowd (of gnomes). 🙂
This sounds and feels familiar — when I go back, I take pictures like I initially did here: adverts, strange shops, pretty views, foods and people I miss… maybe that’s to be expected, but I hadn’t thought on it until you posted about it. 🙂
It’s both interesting and strange feeling yourself become a stranger in your home town. I haven’t felt like the suburb I grew up in was “home” for many years.