Duff Down Under--Brisbane

The work part of the trip began in Brisbane, but we had a few hours to explore the city first.

This beautiful city sits on the Brisbane River and after walking a great distance we took a ferry back to our hotel.

I loved spending time in the South Bank area, with a beautiful library, an art gallery, performing arts center and museum. And there was an amphitheater where they were shooting a cooking show (We heard that Australians are very serious about their cooking shows.), parks, gardens, restaurants, and a ferris wheel. We saw many families having a wonderful time together there.

Brisbane State Library

We met our Australian hosts, Doug and John that evening, and I have to admit I was apprehensive. I knew we would be spending a lot of time with them for the rest of the trip and that it might be difficult for me under the best of circumstances, but they were kind and funny and smart and the best hosts one could possibly hope for.

We walked to Queen Street Mall and ate dinner at Milano's, an outdoor Italian restaurant. The food was wonderful and we were kept warm by outdoor heaters.

The first genealogy workshop was held the next day just outside of the city. Our hosts advertised these workshops as "Duff Down Under," and we got a big kick out of that.

While Duff was working, I went to a Catholic Mass and met a retired university librarian afterwards for a tour of St. Stephen's Cathedral. We spent so much time in the charming chapel next door (the oldest church in Queensland still standing) that the cathedral doors were locked up when we got there. My guide felt terrible about that, but, fortunately, I had seen inside the cathedral during mass and she was able to pull up pictures on her ipad to tell me their stories.

My favorite thing on the tour was this statue of St Mary of the Cross McKillop. She is in the only Australian saint recognized by the Catholic Church. The statue is carved from camphor wood, which is a lovely smell, at least for me.

My guide asked me what my plans were for the rest of the day and I told her I would be walking around the city. I asked her if she had any recommendations and she insisted on continuing on as my guide. She was terrific company, very kind, knowledgeable and cultured. We saw some other churches and then took a tour of city hall.

See that clock up there?

Well, we were able to get up inside it during the tour. It's an iconic landmark in the city.

But this room was my favorite. At the heart of City Hall is a stunning auditorium patterned after the Pantheon in Rome. The ceiling is a gold dome and the organ has 4300 pipes. There are many free concerts held here.

Duff's workshop was successful and  I was touched by a stranger's great kindness to me.