....and home again

Well, here we are back where we started to write our blog...San Francisco airport waiting for our flight back to Vancouver.  Woke up, went for a walk in a nearby park (found our last Australian cache).  Then went back to Barb and Ross's to get ourselves ready to go to the airport.  We boarded the flight at 3:30pm Monday March 7, flew 13 hours (saw the King's Speech) and arrived here at 10:30am Monday March 7.....we have gained our day back that we lost when we went.  Had to go through customs, get our bags, go through security and then recheck our bags.....boy travel gets complicated these days!

Pam:
I have had a great time these last 5 weeks..got to see kangaroos and wallabys up close and of course held a koala, drove on the "wrong" side of the road, each coffee we order was made to order (flat white!...i am now drinking a cup of strong North American coffee to keep me awake), outlet plugs that each have off/on switches. meeting lots of other travellers, snorkling on the Great Barrier Reef, beautiful stretches of cliffs and beaches, the warmth of summer and of course seeing Curtis and Natasha again.  We had a wonderful fun adventure.  Carol was a great travelling companion...never got made at my messiness or misplacing things or my geocaching addiction...we are talking about other places to go! 

Carol:  
I can't believe the 5 weeks are finished--it passed so quickly and yet Melbourne seems a long time ago.  We were fortunate to have the 'cool' summer/autumn weather for the whole time and missed the 42C week in Sydney. 

Visiting with old friends, meeting new ones, all part of the travel experience that enhances the experience. The coastal areas and beaches were impressive,  the fact that in Sydney, each suburb has a beach area ease to access for the afternoon or weekend.  The abundance of free transport within the centre areas of all the cities made orienting ourselves so much easier.  Completing the blog each night has given us a diary of our travels as well as keeping family and friends informed of our escapades.

  And yes, we are talking about travelling together again, once we fill the travel coffers.

Trip to Parramatta

Sydney is a city that relies on commuter ferries....we have taken one to Watson Bay and then to Manly....this morning we decided to take a ferry up to Parramatta a town about 20 kms up the Parramatta River. The trip takes about an hour to an hour 15 minutes depending on if you catch the express or the one that stops at about 10 different stops along the way.  They are very efficient....they stop, let out the ramps, let people off, let people on, pull up the ramps and they are off....all within a few minutes.  When we got to our destination we walked around the town and down the riverwalk back to the wharf, where we had a coffee while we waited for the ferry back. 

Carol and I got off Darling Harbour.....lots of restaurants, shops, the aquarium, the Maritime Museum and other entertainment venues.....we walked around for a while and headed back to the trains to home.

Tonight we took Ross and Barb out for a great dinner at the Mumu Grill for our last evening in Australia. 

When we got back we started putting together our return home wardrobe for our entry back into the land of winter....blahhh

Our transport today.

Bondi Beach

So our last weekend.....we had to see what Bondi beach was about before we left, so off we went to the train station and then on to a bus to the famous surfing beach of Bondi.  We took our swim suits but it was so windy and then it started to rain that all we did was walk the boardwalk along the beach watching the surfers and swimmers.  The waves were getting really big as the wind got stronger. Then back along dropping into small shops along the way before we boarded the bus back to the quay. 

We had a bite of lunch at our new favourite take-out spot...Pie Face where we each got a mini quiche.  We continued to walk through The Rocks where there was a Saturday Market going on...then on our way back to the train station found 2 caches, one that was on the Sydney Harbour bridge. 

We got back to the house before Barb's cousin Chris and her husband came for for a delicious dinner.

Cultural Day

Friday March 4

Today we began with a culture stop.  Ross dropped us (including Barb) off at the Opera House for our 9:30 tour.  Our guide's commentary was very informative, succinct and humorous.  From the  backstage entrance to the various theatres we climbed stairs up and down. From the various common areas we were able to capture some incredible views of Sydney's landmarks on our cameras. it is a most magnificent, intriguing piece of architecture.

Following our tour, we walked over to Circular Quay to catch the ferry to Manly Beach.  Disembarking with the full ferry load, we strolled down the Corso--the main shopping/tourist area from the ferry terminal to the beach at Manly.  The sun was shining causing us to walk in the shade of the many trees lining the area. After a lunch stop, Barb left us to return home and we poked around in the shops before heading back to the city.

The Botanical Gardens was next on the agenda.  An 800 metre walk through the gardens netted us another cache. Heading back into town, we stopped to do a bit more shopping then boarded the train for home.  Arriving about 5pm, we quickly prepared ourselves to leave for our picnic and performance of A Comedy of Errors at Shakespeare by the Sea.  Picked up Mark en route, found the perfect parking spot and settled in for the night.  Barb and Carol took the orders for fish and chips and set off for the shop.  Half an hour later, we were able to return with the food--Friday night at the beach, the shop was exceedingly busy--so we were able to finish eating before the performance began.

Set only in a lighted rotunda, no sets, no microphones, we were treated to a delightfully, funny rendition of Shakespeare with the beautiful beach at our backs. As they performed the wind blew around them.  The night was topped off with a cup of tea at Mark's apartment which offered an unobstructed view of Sydney and the Harbour Bridge.

We were on our own for the day today, so off we went in search of the train station and tickets.  We have purchased a one zone, 7 day ticket that will get us on buses, trains and ferries as many many times as we want for $41.  I know, I know we are not going to be here for 7 more days (I know some of you are anticipating our return home!) but the daily pass was $20, so we opted for the 7 day pass and will give it away when we leave.

So off we went to downtown Sydney on the train, we walked around The Rocks which is like Gastown old historical buildings and shops, then walked along the quay to the free bus that circles the downtown core.  We got off the bus back at the Quay where we hopped on the Ferry to Watson Bay, a nice little 30 minute ferry ride to a cute little village to have a lunch of delicious fish and chips. It was  obviously a  popular place everyone ran straight from the ferry to Doyle's take out and the line up was long (thanks for the hint Candace, but we didn't try the salt and pepper squid).  We then climbed "The Gap" a great view point and tried, without success to find a cache...hmmm.  Then back on the ferry to downtown to catch the free bus to Paddy's Market, a weekly market in the Haymarket area.  We had few souvenirs and gifts to buy. 

A Sydney ferry and Harbour Bridge

We caught the train back to St Leonard's, hot and tired....it seems we are slowing down after 4 and 1/2 weeks of being tourists.  Barb and Ross came home soon after and we have been having a relaxing evening chatting and watching TV.

Sydney beaches and Biways

Wed. Mar.2

Barb took us on a wonderful drive this morning up the coast, along the beach areas to Palm Beach about 40 km from Sydney.  Then back down through St. Ives for lunch and to an address Carol had for a quilt shop....which was in a residential area...actually the shop is an on-line shop out of someone's house...but because we called them while sitting in the car at the end of the driveway, we were told to come up.....the house is filled with bolts of quilting fabric.  Carol made a few purchases to add to her quilt and Pam purchased the Australian alphabet book panel to add to her collection. 

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant  with Mark, a friend of Carol's and Barb's  from our Contiki tour of Europe 38 years ago!!!!.  Dinner was wonderful, great food and laughs.

Dinner on March 2nd

Sydney

Tuesday March 1

We were up bright and early this morning had our hot buffet breakfast and were picked up by a taxi at our hotel to take us to the Gold Coast airport for our 10:00 flight, our 13th flight in the last month.  

We were picked up by Barb who took us on a little tour through Sydney on our way to her home in Crow’s Nest/ St. Leonards. After her husband Ross got home we went for a little drive to St Leonard’s park to take the dog for a walk (found a cache too) and then down to a park under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We came back to the house for a wonderful lamb chop barbeque.

Here is our sunset from last night in Coolangatta, Queensland:

Greenmount Beach at sunset, Coolangatta, Queensland