Sydney Opera House.

On our fourth day in Sydney we wanted to see the Opera House, up close and personal.  We went on a Botanical Garden walk through the city that ends up at the house.  We were able to go inside, but due to a performance, we couldn’t go into the concert halls.  Even without seeing the halls, it was such a surreal moment to be there – to be standing somewhere that I have wanted to see my whole life.  Imagine the sound of the water, the sailboats gliding by, the sun reflecting off of the bright white roof, and the excited conversations of everyone taking pictures.       

I tried my best to capture these moments so that I can look back on the pictures and remember how much they meant to me.  And, of course, to share with you.

Here are a few moments from the day…

We took a ferry to Manly Beach for the afternoon.

Our little group.

The Bondi to Coogee Beach Walk.

On our third day in Sydney we did the Bondi to Coogee Beach Walk.  It is a 6-kilometer coastal walk that brings you through Bondi Beach, Tamarama Beach, Bronte Beach, Clovelly Beach, and Coogee Beach. Along the way we stopped for about a million photos, an amazing brunch with some of the best French toast that I have ever tasted (and, trust me, I have tasted my fair share of French toast), a quick dip in the ocean pool (by Brian), and to temporarily join a bocce ball club (random, but true). 

It was one of my favorite days of the trip (do I keep saying that – I just can’t choose!)  I couldn’t stop taking pictures.  I kept telling myself that I really didn’t need another picture of the horizon or the water or the ridiculous houses or the men fishing or the lifeguard stand – but my trigger happy finger won out and I was left with about 237 pictures from the day.

Here are a few of them…

These pools were amazing.  The waves would come crashing over the sides while people swam.
Brian went in one a little later in the day - but the rest of us forgot our swimsuits (darn!)

Dad, how would you like to join them?

This one is for Les - check out the council name;)

This trip will forever be known as the one where I sat on all the ledges.

The most scenic burial ground in the world.

Joined the club...

So that we could enjoy some Victoria Bitters by the water.

The Blue Mountains.

Our second day in Australia was spent on a tour of the Blue Mountains.  I asked several people before we left for any ‘must sees’ and this one was on the top of everyone’s list.  Thank god for that because, honestly, I had never heard of them and probably wouldn’t have known to go. 

We started off the tour at Flat Rock, continued on to Wentworth Falls, stopped for lunch in a quaint little town called Leura, went to the Three Sisters, saw an ancient aborigine engraving, stopped by Sydney Olympic Park, and finished the day with champagne on an evening cruise of the Sydney Harbour.  Not a bad way to spend the day. 

One of the coolest things about the tour was going around and picking up everyone in the morning.  We were the first group so we could meet people as they were getting on the bus.  We had a group of 20 from around the world – Russia, France, South Korea, Canada, United States, and Australia.  It was a mixed bag of people - some traveling alone, some traveling with friends, some young, some old - but what united us all was this love of travel and discovery and the desire to see and experience our world.  Something about it just gave me this warm, fuzzy feeling.  It was that or the champagne ;)      

However, the best part of our trip was meeting Glenn, our tour guide.  He had so much information on what we were seeing and kept us entertained the entire day.  We used his Aussie catch phrases throughout the rest of our trip (true story, true story).  If you are ever in Sydney, take the Blue Mountain tour through Oz Trails – you won’t be disappointed.  Don’t forget to ask for Glenn, a true Outbacker!

Here was our day in the Blue Mountains.    

Flat Rock.

This was as close as Sarah could get to the edge :)

Wentworth Falls

The Three Sisters.

Glenn!

Discovering Australia.

I’m back from paradise; paradise being Australia.  All the clichés apply – a trip of a lifetime, too beautiful for words, a dream come true, and every other overused phrase that describes something unbelievable.  I traveled with three friends for 10 days in the land down under.  We spent four days in Sydney, one day in Brisbane, and five days in the Gold Coast.  The best part was that we met up with our spouses in Brisbane and were able to have a week’s vacation with them. 

We did it all – held koalas, swam in the Coral Sea, fed kangaroos, saw the Sydney Opera House, met the locals, and even more.  I’m sure you can imagine that I got ridiculous amounts of pictures and there is probably no need to tell you what the next couple of blog posts are going to be about. 

Let me start at the beginning.  Our first day was spent walking around central city of Sydney.  We saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, the Rocks, Saint Mary’s Cathedral, and the Sydney Tower. 

Ready to go up in the Sydney Tower!

View from the Tower