Coffee Lover's Dream!

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Australia is a Coffee Lover's Dream Come True!

Hello Elementary Friends,

I know that I have MANY coffee loving friends out there.  If you want good coffee, you have to come to Australia!  They take their coffee very seriously here.  Australians are members of the world’s great lovers of coffee.  They love those black beans more wholeheartedly than most countries in the world. 

According to Tourism Australia, when coffee was originally brought to Australia on the First Fleet in 1788, it was of questionable quality and it was not until the 1950s that good quality espresso coffee was introduced to Australians.  This largely came about with the influence of European migrants.  Those Australians whose families came from places such as Italy, Greece, France, Turkey, Austria and Hungary had always enjoyed a decent cup of coffee at home but it wasn’t always easy to find their favoured espresso or latte in a neighbourhood café.

The last couple of decades have seen coffee consumption boom and today Australians consume 2.9kg of coffee per capita annually, compared with just 0.6kg 50 years ago.  With this has come a large array of cafés and - with a climate that is perfect for outdoor eating and drinking - you can enjoy a coffee at café tables on the street, in shopping malls, on the beaches and in parks.  

Melbourne remains the capital of Australian coffee culture but the rest of the nation is chasing it down. The reason Melbourne took an early lead is it seemed to embrace its European culture earlier than the other capitals. Melbourne’s coffee culture continues to thrive and it has become so entrenched in the cities way of life that there are numerous coffee tours offering coffee connoisseurs and lovers a look into the city’s coffee secrets.

Within walking distance of our house, there are 4 coffee shops where you can get delicious coffees.  Mitch likes a Flat White and I usually get the Cappuccino.  Delicious!  Beware, however, that if you are addicted to Starbucks, it was quite a bust here.  There are now only a handful of stores, and they are never busy when we see one.  

According to Business Insider, Starbucks is a huge flop in Australia. The coffee mega-chain handed over its remaining 24 cafes down under to the Withers Group, which operates 7-11 in Australia.  Starbucks closed nearly all of its 84 Australian stores last year. The brand made several missteps that contributed to the decline in Australia.  Starbucks entered the market in 2000. At that point, McDonald’s McCafe and Gloria Jean’s were already established there.  The chain also opened in low-traffic areas and charged more money than competitors.

Happy Chinese New Year!

On Saturday evening, Mitch and I headed into the city in search of China Town so that we could celebrate the Chinese New Year.  Well, why wouldn't we?  It is the year of the Monkey and that is my year - 1956! In addition, Sydney has one of the largest celebrations outside Asia.  We only got lost a couple times, and for us, that is great!  Here are some photos of the beautiful lights and decorations!

Sunday - Church Service in the City - Then, Lots of Walking in Search of Yurong Street

Sunday morning we headed back into the city to attend the service at Saint Andrew's Cathedral.  We just had to go because our home church is Saint Andrew UMC in Highlands Ranch, CO.  Saint Andrew's (with the s) is a magnificent cathedral right in the heart of Sydney City Center.  Here is information on this amazing building!

Located in central Sydney, the cathedral is one of the city's finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture. Designed by Edmund Blacket, it was ready for services and consecrated in 1868, making it the oldest cathedral in Australia. Joan Kerr described St Andrew's as "a perfect example of the colonial desire to reproduce England in Australia in the mid nineteenth century."^[1]

The cathedral holds services every day, including choral services on Sundays and several times a week during school term, Christmas and Easter. There is also a healing service, Bible studies and prayer meetings. St Andrew's has a traditional choir of men and boys, as well as a company of bell ringers. The notable pipe organ has been restored and is regularly used for recitals and concerts. St Andrew's has a National Trust of Australia heritage listing as being a building of national significance.

The service was very positive and uplifting.  I was pleased to hear that the Saint Andrew's community has openly committed its support of the Syrian Refugees even though the Australia government is seriously considering sending them home.  Here are photos of the cathedral and the beautiful windows and pipe organ.

As many of you know, our daughter, Katie lived and worked in Sydney in late 2005 and the first half of 2006.  It has been so fun to be in places where she has already traveled.   The other night when were in Manley, we walked right by the Bavarian restaurant where Katie worked.  Here is a photo of Katie in front of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge in 2006 (10 years ago!).  

Up until this past weekend, we had not, however been to the place where she lived.  She kept saying - Mom, Dad - go to Hyde Park and you will find Yurong Street.  So after church we went in search of Yurong Street.  We found Hyde Park rather easily.  Prominently positioned is the ANZAC Memorial. This structure is very important to all Australian citizens.  Here is a short history lesson for you on the importance of the ANZAC War Memorial:

The Anzac War Memorial commemorates the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landing at Gallipoli, Turkey, on 25 April 1915. The enormous casualties suffered at Gallipoli – the first significant battle Australian troops participated in during World War I – came to represent the foundation of the Australian national identity.

The first anniversary of the Gallipoli landing was commemorated with services in Sydney and around the country. The observation of this anniversary led to the establishment of a fund for a memorial to those who had died in the battle. War memorials were a particularly significant form of mourning, as Australia's war dead were not repatriated, but were buried on the foreign soil where they had fought and died.

For the remainder of the war, funds towards the construction of a memorial in Sydney were raised through public subscription. By 1918, more than £60,000 had been raised. It was then decided that the memorial should commemorate not only Gallipoli, but the other battles that Australian Imperial Forces had engaged in during the war.

Although a number of war memorials sprang up throughout Sydney's suburbs and in country towns, nothing was done about building one in Sydney until 1923, when the Institute of Architects suggested it should be erected in Hyde Park. 

Here are photos of the ANZAC Memorial:

NOW - You have to understand that we have a love/hate relationship with Siri our GPS.  She comes in very handy sometimes, but she drives me crazy when we are on foot.  Either she can't keep up with us, or we are walking so slow that she can't believe we are not farther along.  She sends us on goose chases!  Normally, we do not find where we are going due to Siri, we just happen upon it - which is exactly what happened in our search.

Out of the middle of nowhere, Yurong Street emerged!  Here are photos of the street where Katie lived and the place that she rented while she was here:

Of course, we had to text her the photos so she could tell us if we were in fact, in front of her place!

We then made a short visit to the Australian Museum which is a Science and History Museum.  I liked the massive animal collection, the dinosaur bones, and the South Pacific Islander Mask Exhibit.  I love interactive museums (that's why I work in an elementary school!), so this museum was just for me!

Our First Uber Ride!

After all that walking, we just could not make ourselves walk the 30 minutes back to our bus stop.  We decided to try our Uber App for the first time.  It was a great first experience!  Our driver, Jason arrived within 5 minutes of our request and efficiently deposited us at our doorstep within 25 minutes for a charge of $27.00 (Australian) which would equate to about $20 USD.  Worth every penny!

Have a great week, Elementary Friends!