After barely making our flight to Sydney, we arrived to more gorgeous weather and an amazing view of the harbor as our flight landed. It was definitely surreal to see the harbor, the Opera House and the bridge...all places we had seen in pictures and never for a second thought we would see in person. We had a pretty easy time getting all our luggage and finding our rental van. Then it was off to our Airbnb...a God-given gift that Ron and Rebecca only reserved in October. It was a beautiful place, very modern, with a great view of the harbor, a wonderful breeze, and a very convenient location. The owner met us, gave us a tour of the apartment, and even gave Ron and Rebecca a tour of the town in her car.
Then it was time for my husband's favorite past time...a trip to Costco with Ron. Yes, we brought some boxes and had this trip all planned out and scheduled. Rebecca and I stayed with the kids and found a yummy pizza place across the street. We enjoyed getting settled and went to bed relatively early. Andy and Ron were in the sweet spot...Andy in Costco and Ron helping Andy spend his money. The only disappointment was finding out that my parents' flight had been canceled and they wouldn't be arriving until Friday.
So, instead of making a run to the airport, we had another day before my parents joined us. We decided to drive to Bondi Beach and do the beach walk. After finally finding a place to park, we got to the crowded but beautiful Bondi Beach. We decided to do the walk, much to our children's dismay. The scenery was picturesque...like looking at a movie. The deep blue ocean, big waves, cliffs and cloudless blue sky was amazing. We walked for about an hour before returning back. Then we spent some time in the surf and on the sand. The water was pretty chilly, and the surf was so rough that you were only allowed to go in quickly and then back out. But that was enough for us!!! The sand was hot...and by the time Ron got back (he had walked the entire beach walk) we were ready to be done and get back for lunch. We did find a great souvenir shop It was such a fun time...but we were a bit tired and someone needed their nap:)
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| The water was COLD |
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| Miss Sassy-pants |
That night, after a great meal in, we actually had the energy to go out and explore. We found ourselves in Darling Harbor. It was a great atmosphere. We took in a street show run by some Americans:) We also found a wonderful playground...Australians know how to make a playground!
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| Darling Harbor |
The next day, Andy and I went to the airport and found my parents with no problem. They were able to get a lot of sleep on their flight and didn't have much jet lag. On the way back, we picked up some fish for dinner...as well as some sashimi (yum!) We got back in time for lunch and while Ron and Rebecca checked out more of Sydney on ferry, the rest of us set up our blankets and chairs on the green space across the street...yes, it was New Year's Eve and we needed to get our plot of land:)
We had dinner(the best fish tacos!!) then went out about 8:00pm. The first set of fireworks were at 9:00pm, with the big fireworks coming at midnight. We had a good time eating ice cream, waiting for the show. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the 9:00pm show...and they were impressive. Then my parents, and the younger two went to bed. We went out and waited for the 12:00am fireworks. It got more crowded, but some people did leave, so we readjusted our position for more quality viewing. By 11:30pm it was packed, and we were chilly and glad we had brought some blankets. Then we all stood up and watched the amazing fireworks. We weren't right on the harbor, but had an unobstructed view...and we didn't have to camp out two days in advance to get it! It was fireworks we will not soon forget.
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| Fudge sickles waiting for fireworks |
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| People who have waited for 48 hours |
For New Year's Day, my parents and us went to Tsonga Zoo with the kids. To be honest, we were probably zoo'd out by then, but we greatly appreciated the shows and the beautiful scenery. The Zoo actually is on the opposite side of the harbor from the Opera House, which makes for some great pictures and worth the price of admission. It was a hot day, so we only stayed a few hours, but it was long enough for all of us and we left on a happy note. That evening, we got the kids settled, and then the adults went out to dinner by ourselves! We took a friend's suggestion and ended up at a "cook your own meat" restaurant that had been around for a long time. The food was amazing!!! Then we walked to the harbor, took pics of the Opera House, and made it to Starbucks before heading home...it was such a great evening and we were all grateful for some adult time.
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| Taronga Zoo |
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| Our Monkeys:) |
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| Cook your own...restaurant suggested by our "German" friends:) |
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| Love adult night out:) |
Our last full day, Ron and my dad went golfing, while the rest of us went to Manly Beach. This was a larger beach, but even more crowded. We had a terrible time trying to find parking (it took us about an hour) but when we finally got settled, we enjoyed ourselves...spending a lot of time in the water. There were also a lot of shops, and we got some snacks before heading back to pick of the golfers. It was a full day, and felt like we had seen some amazing beaches on our Australian Adventure. We had another wonderful meal and started to pack for home.
But, the next morning, at the crack of dawn, Rebecca, Andy and I had a date on a bridge. We decided to do the Bridge Climb over the harbor...and it didn't disappoint! While we got our training and did the climb, Ron, Grace and Emma went to a pancake house and walked around Sydney. The cool thing was that while we were climbing to the top, we spotted Ron, Grace and Emma below walking across the bridge...which apparently never happens, according to our guide. When the three of us got down, we met up with the other three...they toured the tower while we hit the pancake house. We ended our time at a couple more souvenir shops before heading back to the apartment. Then Ron and Rebecca had to catch their flight to Melbourne, so Andy took them while the rest of us kept packing up. By the time Andy got back, we had just a little more time to spend with my parents before we had to get to the airport. My parents were staying in Sydney a few more days before joining us in Hong Kong. As we drove to the airport, it started to rain. While we took quite a bit of time to check in, we got to the gate feeling like our time in Australia was full...full of great memories of family and friends, full of laughter and adventure and experiencing more of God's amazing creation.
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| Can you spot Ron, Grace and Emma? |
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