Tourist time in Sydney.

Aradhna and I spent the past weekend celebrating Diwali with her parents in Sydney's western suburbs. After flying up early Friday morning we traveled into the CBD, where she went to her company's office on Hunter Street and I roamed like a tourist. Just behind this jacaranda in full springtime bloom is Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge.

Hyde Park.

Sydney Tower, as seen from Hyde Park.

Underground walkway leading to the Domain.

Domain fountain.

Sydney skyline from the Domain.

Fig tree in Royal Botanic Garden.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos in Royal Botanic Garden.

Postcard view of Circular Quay.

Circular Quay from Cahill Expressway walkway.

Museum of Contemporary Art and Sydney Harbour Bridge at Circular Quay.

Opera House looms over Circular Quay.

The Rocks.

Sydney solace.

Sunny sky, soft grass, shoes off, leaning back on a tall coconut tree ... that was my Sydney CBD experience on Friday afternoon as I awaited Aradhna in Hyde Park. After watching fall ripeness descend into early winter bleak in Tennessee, it's a treat to return to lush early summer green here in New South Wales.

An uncold place

Surreal watching video of the Valentine's Day Blizzard back in the US on yet another hot, sunny day in Sydney. February, yes. Crickets sing. Asian girls walk on high shoes in short shorts in Hyde Park. Construction blokes with Slim Jim skin smoke cigarettes in threes, saying nothing. Onyx brunettes share 'goss' with flaxen haired girlfriends at outdoor cafes and the CBD's maze of boutiques. And at every corner, up or down the street, the harbor beckons your gaze, bluer than the sky, white-tipped, refracting an ominous sun.

This photo was taken along a wonderful coastal path that connects Bondi and Bronte Beaches ...