Footy Fever

Sydney celebrates as Hawthorn is defeated.

On Saturday, we watched the AFL Grand Final over at Adam and Emily's place with some friends. This is Australia's version of the Super Bowl. You may remember last year's post about the game, when Meatloaf performed (and was terrible). If not, you can find it here. Anyway, this year an Australian band called The Temper Trap performed, so there was no Meatloaf drama. The Hawthorn Hawks played against the Sydney Swans this year. Our friends Kristy and Nigel are big Hawk fans, so we were kind of cheering for Hawthorn, but the Swans were originally based in South Melbourne, so we were okay with the fact that Sydney won by ten points in the end. It was a great game, and we ate the mandatory meat pies, drank some sangria, and had a yummy BBQ.

Oh yeah, and remember how I said each team has its own song? Well, check out the Sydney Swans song...

Did they steal Notre Dame's fight song or what?! (Skip to the 50 second mark of the video.)

Go Swans...Go Irish...whatever...Melbourne is done with its footy fever for another season!

The Wrong Thong

Zack is in Sydney this week for work and sent me the picture above last night. Apparently you can buy thongs from a vending machine! Yes, flip flops are called thongs here. Very strange. Anyway, Havaianas are a very popular brand here in Australia. Nearly everyone has a pair of Havaiana thongs and wears them all summer long. They come in all sorts of colors and designs. Yes, we have some too. Zack's were featured earlier in a Perth post. Mine are pictured to the left!

It's not too late to enter our Australia-versary blog contest. You have a few more days to answer the easy questions for the chance at a fabulous prize (maybe a pair of Havaianas?!). So get your comments posted!

Day of Transition

On Monday, November 14, my family spent their final morning in Sydney doing whatever they wanted. Morgan and I slept, my mom and dad packed and rested, and Justin and Cindy explored the New South Wales Art Gallery. Then we headed to the airport for that famed Tiger Airways flight mentioned in yesterday's post. After getting to Melbourne two hours later than planned, we changed our itinerary a bit and headed to Lygon Street for dinner. It's kind of like the "Little Italy" of Melbourne with several Italian restaurants in a row. As you walk by them, people out front offer you free things to lure you in to their place. We chose one that gave us free drinks, garlic bread, and bruschetta. The pasta was tasty, and we followed it up with desserts at Koko Black. I've always heard that the hot chocolate there was delicious, and it definitely lived up to the hype. Yum! Tomorrow I start posting about our trip down the Great Ocean Road. Until then...

Blue Mountains Hike

Here's a short post from my mom. I think she copied some of it from Wikipedia!

Church at St. Mary's Cathedral

Sunday, November 13 began with Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral.  We then boarded a train for our two hour ride to the Blue Mountains; it was a nice time to nap, read a book, or just rest while watching the countryside roll by.  Once we arrived in Katoomba, we fueled our bodies for the upcoming rigorous walk by eating large quantities of Chinese food.  The Blue Mountains are a series of beautiful and rugged valleys eroded down through an ancient plateau.  We began at Echo Point, famed for the three-pronged formation known as the Three Sisters.

"Three Sisters"-get it?
Yes, I am hunched over and squinty. I thought I needed to duck out of the way of the formation,
and I thought I didn't need my sunglasses at this point. Wrong on both accounts.

We then began a 900 step descent down the "Giant Steps" – a feat for the sure-footed!  We continued to trek for about two hours through hidden valleys, lush rainforest, beautiful gum trees, and spiraling waterfalls.  It was a tiring day but one in which our spirits were renewed and nurtured by nature.  -Sue

Justin at one of the waterfalls.

Heading down the "Giant Steps."

Shopping, Sun, Sand, and Surf

Playing around near Darling Harbour.

My mom wrote most of this post too...(Mom, when did you do all of these?)

Um, yes, that is my dad planking in a water feature.

Saturday, November 12 began with a walk to Darling Harbour, a harbour just beside the famous Sydney Harbour.  It was quite a diverse shopping center with many restaurants, cafes, and and tourist shops.  There were various fountains and water features as well. 

This is made entirely of Legos!

After using yet another one of Aubree’s fabulous coupons and eating the most delicious pizza, we donned our swimsuits and took a bus to one of Australia’s most iconic destinations, Bondi Beach. 

Busy Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach is a large expanse of a fine white sand gashed out of rock platforms that borders the most beautiful aquamarine water.  Unfortunately, because of the cove’s shape, the swimming area is known for its dangerous and sometimes deadly rip currents.  Perhaps some of you have seen Bondi Rescue featured on one of the cable stations – I have not, but was quickly informed that the show features all of the happenings at the beach, including many swimming rescues.  While we were there, we ourselves saw three successful rescues – and each time, someone in our group could be heard saying, “Bondi Rescue!”  The beach was very popular for tanned and toned bods and a great place to people watch, and as we discovered, it's apparently one of Australia’s topless beaches. We chose not to participate in this custom.  

Listen to the signs...

...or you might get "Bondi rescued"!

Sculpture by the Sea, an annual outdoor sculpture exhibition, was taking place while we were there, so we walked along the oceanfront and saw several unique pieces of art.

Sculpture by the Sea piece

After returning to Sydney, we took a 30-minute ferry boat ride through the Sydney Harbour to Manly, a peninsula lined with fine restaurants and tourist attractions.  The ferry gave us a stunning view of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge spectacularly lit up in the evening sky.  We ate at a German restaurant that featured many kinds of sausage and delicious sauerkraut.  The evening was topped off by some delectable chocolate treats from Max Brenner Chocolate Bar.  -Sue

Sydney Opera House view from Manly ferry.

Lots more posts to come...our day in the Blue Mountains, time spent in Melbourne and along the Great Ocean Road, my adventures with Morgan in Uluru, etc. Thanks for reading!  -Aubree

Harbour Bridge view from Circular Quay.

Sydney's Sights on 11-11-11

Where were you at 11am on 11/11/11?

Another post written by my mom...

Our Sydney hotel was quite a treat. Aubree got us a sweet deal with free breakfast every morning and late checkout on our last day. On the first morning, the scrambled eggs, potato gems (tater tots), bacon (thin slices of ham), sausage, spaghetti and baked beans (yeah, we didn’t get that either), assorted cereals, muffins and pastries, yogurt, and hot cocoa, coffee, and juices was a delicious, filling way to start the day. By the fourth morning, the meal had become quite mundane and the most coveted item seemed to be the large moist chocolate chip muffins, two of which were delivered to Aubree and Morgan’s door on the last day since they decided to sleep in and skip breakfast.

Dad and Mom at Archibald Fountain.

Going to the lobby each day was a multicultural event; it was not uncommon to see groups of people from every nation and to hear many languages spoken – a great place to people watch. Have I mentioned our fun with the elevators? A couple of us, and me once for five minutes, were stuck on the elevator because our key card did not allow us to choose a floor or to even open the door so we would have to sit there until another hotel guest happened along and let us out.

Hyde Park greenery

Enough about the hotel – on to discovering Sydney! We had been so busy discovering all things Australian that we often forgot what day it was, but today we were quickly reminded. We began our walk to see the Sydney sights on this beautiful warm day by walking among the green trees, plants and well-manicured bushes in Hyde Park and the Royal Botanic Gardens. We kept seeing pockets of well-dressed people and then bride and groom couples and quickly realized that it was a special day, 11-11-11! By the end of the day, we had seen at least twelve (or maybe 11!) couples tying the knot on a date even the most forgetful will remember.

Justin's favorite color is yellow, so we made him pose with these flowers.

We walked along the cove, passing Mrs. Macquarie’s chair, named for an English governor’s wife who used to enjoy the view from her “seat” carved out of rock.

The Dills (with one former Dill-me!).

And then we saw it, the iconic Sydney Opera House! It was spectacular!

Morgan and I amused other tourists while trying to get this shot.

After several pictures to capture the moment, we walked to the Sydney Opera House to begin our tour. The tour was informative and interesting; we learned about the original architect’s dream and the engineers’ struggles to bring it to reality. The project was supposed to take three years and $7 million to complete but it took 16 years and $102 million and by then, the architect had left the project and never got to see the finished masterpiece.

Inside the Sydney Opera House during the tour.

We toured the main concert hall, in which they were doing a sound check for a band that was playing that night. The acoustics were incredible, and we were informed that they could be adjusted depending on the performer or band. As an example, the tour guide said that if Michael Buble were to perform, it would cost him $30,000 to rent the hall for the night – we didn’t think that was very expensive at all (ha). In the opera theatre, we saw ballet dancers rehearsing. There are three smaller drama theatres for plays, one of which is funded by Cate Blanchett and her husband.

Cindy jumps for joy at the Opera House.

We were so impressed by the ambiance that Ray, Cindy, Morgan, and I came back in the evening to see the Australian Ballet Company’s performance of The Merry Widow. The orchestra’s music and ballerinas' costumes were breathtaking, and the dancing was exquisite; we were so happy we were able to experience it all.

After lunch outside the Opera House, we walked through Circular Quay (pronounced key), a wharf surrounded by tourist shops, hotels, and restaurants. On our way to the Harbour Bridge, we passed through The Rocks, Sydney’s old town quarter where colonial and maritime history is preserved, and we shopped in several unique shops. The famous Harbour Bridge was humungous and “suicide proof”; it was hard to get good pictures of the Sydney Opera House because of all the fencing and wires.

To add a little excitement to our afternoon, we donned ponchos and sped around the Sydney Harbour in a jet boat doing several 360-degree turns, all of which drenched us, despite our protection. With fast speeds and a rock music soundtrack, it was a fun way to see the Harbour, and we were glad for the warm Sydney sunshine to dry our clothes after the ride.

Groupon-type deals always come out for these rides-I'd highly recommend it!

Dinner was at a fast food chain called Pie Face, which featured a vast assortment of meat pies as well as dessert pies. It was so much fun for each of us to choose which small pies we wanted! We decided that we needed to buy into this franchise and bring this chain of restaurants to the United States. Anyone want in on our investment? What a thrilling first day in Sydney! -Sue

The girls demonstrate the hilarious Sydney Barbie pose!

Blue Mountains

On Sunday we headed to the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney. They actually do look blue, apparently because of the eucalyptus oil combining with the atmosphere to create a blue haze. It was kind of a trek to get out there, because they were working on part of the train route, so we had to take a bus for about an hour, wait for awhile, and then take a train for over another hour. But it was worth it. We started by walking through town and checking out the Three Sisters. This is a famous rock formation, and all of the tourists were there.


Then we started our hike (or bushwalk as they would call it here), and it was quite the hike! We went down the Giant Steps (all 900 of them-seriously), walked through the oh-so-green rainforest, saw several waterfalls, heard lots of noisy birds, and went back up a trillion more steps as part of the loop. We only saw a few people once we got away from the big staircase down into the valley. The whole thing took us a few hours, and our legs felt the results of those darn stairs for several days afterward! We felt like we were climbing a 14er in Colorado, huffing and puffing and wondering when we would ever reach the top. Maybe we're just out of shape (quite possible).

 

On our long walk back through town to the train station, we stopped in a little place for some Chinese food. Much to our delight, the prices were completely reasonable, the quality of the food was excellent, and the portions were large. You don't find that winning combination in Australia very often! We both fell asleep on the train and bus ride back to town and woke up sore the next morning. I think the Blue Mountains are a pretty cool place to visit if you have a spare day while visiting Sydney. We're kind of spoiled brats because we compare everything to the mountains in Colorado (and not much compares), but we were impressed with the waterfalls and green plants growing everywhere. It was also nice to just get out of the city. We sure did miss Molly the Trail Dog though; she would have had a blast out there!

Sunny Sydney

We enjoyed Sydney much more this time around. Maybe it was the warm, sunny weather. Maybe it was the liveliness we saw in the streets (we were here on a Sunday-Tuesday last time). Maybe it was because we were able to explore things at a more leisurely pace and not spend all our time on the normal tourist attractions. Whatever it was, it was nice. We like Sydney a lot, but we're ready to head home to Melbourne tonight. Zack probably has to come back here next week, but maybe only for a day or two.

I spent my days exploring various parts of the city. You've already seen some pictures from Watson's Bay. But I also walked around the CBD, taking pictures in the Royal Botanic Gardens and at Hyde Park. At Hyde Park, there is the Anzac Memorial. It's basically like a miniature Washington D.C. with a reflecting pool, monuments and statues, and an eternal flame in tribute to fallen soldiers. Zack and I met for lunch a few times this week and enjoyed our picnics in the park.

Since we were here over the weekend, we went out on Friday night and pretended we were still young. We hung out at an Irish pub called Scruffy Murphy's and saw some live music by a group called Elevation. They were a U2 cover band, and they didn't exactly make up for us missing the real U2 concert in Denver this summer, but we had a good time nonetheless. We even went downstairs to the club for awhile and stopped by the Marble Bar at the Hilton to see all the "pretty people." I don't think we got to bed until about 2am, which is very late for us!


I'm at a McDonald's using their free internet right now to write this blog entry. We're in the process of switching internet companies, because we hate Vodaphone, so it may be a few days before I'm able to write again. We'll see! In the meanwhile, you can look forward to the entry on the Blue Mountains hike, from which our legs are STILL recovering!

Winter Festival

It's winter here in Australia, though you wouldn't know it from the sunny 70 degree weather we've been getting in Sydney.  On Saturday night, we headed out to the Winter Festival.  It was held in front of St. Mary's Cathedral, as you can see in the picture.  This is in downtown Sydney, between Hyde Park and the Royal Botanic Gardens.  I think it was the third year they've had this event, and they have similar ones all around Australia.  I think there might even be one in Melbourne in August.

The whole area was set up with German/Austrian food booths, little Christmas trees, a blow-up snowman, and color-changing plastic ice cubes you could use as tables or chairs.  The yellow things on this tree are advertisements for Lipton chai latte instant packets.  They were giving out free cups of this deliciousness.  I had seen a commercial for this stuff a few weeks ago and bought some at the store.  It is so good; all you have to do is add hot water!  Do they have this in the States too?  It sure beats paying $3.50 for chai latte at a coffee shop (I don't like coffee).  Yum.

After getting our fill of free chai latte, we watched the ice skating demonstration.  The skaters were pretty darn good, considering the fact that Australians probably aren't really known for their ice skating skills.  This was kind of evident when it was our turn to skate.  Everyone got on the ice SO slowly and tentatively.  It was funny.  After a bit, everyone pretty much got the hang of it though.  It was an 80s theme night, so there were fun Michael Jackson and Madonna songs playing.  We had a good time speeding around the rink in the funky orange rental skates.

Not our feet!

After skating, we got some Gluhwein in our souvenir mugs that came as part of our skating package.  This is a spiced wine that Zack said tasted like cough syrup.  We couldn't remember what it was called or how to say it, so we called it Google-wine.  I also enjoyed a brat for dinner, which was delicious.  Maybe two winters in a row isn't so bad after all!

P.S.  Hooray for Zack writing a blog entry!  He did it while I was asleep, because he knows I'm a control freak and would correct his grammar and punctuation with every sentence.  After our awesome day in the Blue Mountains (blog entry to come), he's up late working tonight-poor guy!

Darling Harbour and Fenced in the Gardens

Monday was a beautiful sunny day in Sydney.  While Zack worked and before he got home for his birthday celebration, I explored some other parts of the city we hadn't gotten to on Sunday.  I first walked around Darling Harbour.  This is a touristy area with several seafood restaurants and water features.  In this picture, you can see the track for Sydney's monorail.  We never rode it while we were there; we just walked everywhere.

I grabbed some fast food for lunch and ate it on some steps overlooking the water.  Several seagulls gathered around and were eyeing my food, waiting for me to drop some so they could snatch it!  It was about 70 degrees and sunny, which was a nice change from the cold rain we had been getting in Melbourne.

After walking back by the Harbour Bridge and Opera House later in the afternoon to get some sunset pictures, I meandered through the Royal Botanic Gardens.  I saw several strange birds, which I'll talk about in another post.  Anyway, I didn't know they locked every gate at 5pm, so I found myself trapped inside!  This is a picture of the fence near a fountain where I was trapped.  I could see the whole city off to the right, and I needed to get out and back to the hotel before the Birthday Boy got home from work!

Apparently this happens quite often, because a sign like this was posted at every gate.  So I called the ranger, and fifteen minutes later (and after about six other trapped folks had joined me), he came and let us out.  I got home with plenty of time to spare before Birthday Boy left work.  Zack is actually headed back to Sydney for work on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, but I think I'm done with Sydney posts, so tomorrow's blog entry will be about something else.  Hope you're having a good weekend!   

Bondi Beach

Some people wonder what I do in Australia while Zack works.  Well, sometimes I'm busy taking care of household stuff...grocery shopping, laundry, ironing, cooking, cleaning, banking, finding an apartment or items for it, etc.  Sometimes I'm busy planning our adventures and activities, such as the Yarra Valley winery tours or Zack's birthday dinner or my family's upcoming trip in November.  But most of the time, I am free to do whatever I'd like to do.  And it's glorious!  I can't remember the last time in my life when I could truly do whatever I wanted to do without feeling like I should be doing something else.  With teaching, though I loved the kids, there was always some book I should be reading, some lesson plan I should be working on, and/or some papers I should be grading.  In school, there was always some essay I should be writing, some materials I should be studying, and/or some textbook I should be reading.  Now I have the freedom to spend my days (and nights) however I choose.  So I take pictures around the city.  Or go to a Zumba class.  Or ride my bike to the market.  Or go for a run on the pier.  Or signup to volunteer with a youth foundation.  Or write a blog entry.  Or watch The View.  Or read a book for (gasp!) enjoyment.  And I don't have to feel guilty about any of it!  I'm sure I'll go crazy at some point and find/invent some sort of job for myself, but in the meanwhile, Zack is nice enough to let me have this time to learn how to enjoy life a little bit!

Anyway, when I was faced with an entire Tuesday to myself earlier this week in Sydney, and I felt I had already seen the main tourist attractions, I decided to spend the day at the beach...Bondi Beach to be precise.  Zack and I had stopped by there on Sunday to see this famous stretch of sand and watch some of the stellar surfers, but this time I went alone.  It's about a thirty minute bus ride from the city, and it's known from the TV show Bondi Rescue.  This picture shows a public pool you can use (for a price) right alongside the ocean.  Sometimes the waves even crash into the pool!

I hired (rented) a surfboard for two hours and enjoyed an afternoon in the ocean.  I didn't catch a whole lot of waves, but it was fun just being in the water.  I think that Sydney's beaches are a bit warmer (though you still need a wetsuit) and the water is a bit bluer than down in Victoria.  But, I also hear that up to 30,000 people can be at Bondi Beach on a summer day, so I can't imagine how many surfers you'd be bumping into on a day like that!  After returning my surfboard to the shop, I found a place with creme brulee flavored ice cream.  Of course I couldn't pass up a cone of that, so I bought one and brought it down to the beach to finish.  And that's how I spent my Tuesday in Sydney-not too shabby!  

Life is good!