Walking around Sydney Harbour today reminded me of Florence. The atmosphere along the water & near the CBD has a strong pull. It’s very open and inviting. The Harbour Bridge seems friendly, and the Opera House is just art. It inclines one to think grand thoughts. You wonder and imagine and consider and wander.

It feels like someone great, some type of artistic genius, will emerge from Sydney. It feels how I always picture Florence in the 1400s. Michelangelo became the greatest artist of all time in no small part because he grew up in the shadows of giants, surrounded by the world’s best art and architecture in 15th century Florence.

Both Florence and Sydney (at least during Summer holidays) are touristy these days. But Sydney simply appeals. It’s orderly without being constricting, chill without being lazy, and it’s on the other side of the world. What a wondrous place.

You see shapes, you see color, and you see the country’s unique story. It’s a history I know very little about, and it’s definitely humbling to travel to far off places to learn all these interesting things you never knew. The world is intriguing. I cannot recommend going out to explore it enough. It enables us to see how diverse and one we are, all at the same time.