Off to Sydney!!

Four a.m. arrived early but I think it was more like 4:30 before I dragged my butt out of bed.  Gotta tell you that bed in the spare bedroom at Natalie's was soooo comfortable it was hard most days to get up right away and at 4 a.m., even though we were going to Sydney, it was even that much harder.  But get up I did and soon we were off to the airport and Sydney.

A Sydney Street

Arriving in Sydney it was a bit disappointing to see it overcast and threatening rain and rain it did off and on but never the less we still did our fair share of walking around the wharf.  We also took the above ground train around the CBD of Sydney to see what we could see.

Looking into submarine

We walked down to the wharf and did a tour of a World War II battleship and submarine...well actually Natalie did the submarine but we both did the battleship.  When I got to the hatch where you'd go down into the submarine I took a picture and decided I wasn't up to being claustrophobic...it just looked so very claustrophobic to me.   

One very crabby seagull

Park Benches in Hyde Park

About mid afternoon Natalie headed off to the hotel after having afternoon tea and watching probably one of the most cantankerous seagulls I have ever witness bully any and all other seagulls ruthlessly.  This guy really thought he owned that corner of the wharf!  

I took the long way through the Royal Botanic Gardens and walked along the government district back to the hotel taking a ton of pictures as I went.  I particularly liked Hyde Park which was just around the corner from the hotel and found the trees particularly magnificent in their unique forms especially the fig trees...so much character showing.

Barristers

Walking along 'government row' which I believe was Macquarie street I was quite tickled to see two barristers standing in their court dress, wig & all, waiting to cross the street.  I'm not sure one would see an attorney in this dress in the states but who knows. Interestingly wigs were first worn in court as a result of the general fashion that begun under Charles II in the 1660s.  The powdered white or grey legal wig, made from horsehair, had become a custom by the end of the 18th century.  It is actually quite interesting reading about all the customs and formality observed by the legal system in Australia & England but I doubt since it hasn't caught on here in the U.S. yet that it ever will...not sure if that is such a bad thing either!

If you would like to see more pictures taken around Sydney here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

A Slow Day Then In To Melbourne

It was so nice to finally to sleep in a cozy, comfy bed and Sunday morning found me a bit more rested than the night before.  It was actually a laid back Sunday until we went to dinner at Helen and Bob's and I got to meet the brothers and some other family members.  It was Bob's birthday that coming Tuesday so there was a family gathering of sorts and a good time had by all.

The coming morning (Monday) was my first venture in to Melbourne with the Tour Guide.  First off...I think it's time to quit calling Natalie the Tour Guide as I think you all have it figured out by now that I had my own tour guide of sorts for the trip so the tour guide will be known as Natalie going forward!  :)

Anyways...it was time for my first trip to the CBD (central business district)of Melbourne and to get there we were taking the train.  So off Natalie and I headed walking to the Boronia train station which was between 3-4 blocks from her unit (apartment).  The wait wasn't too long and here came the train. 

As we traveled towards the CBD I was surprised at the vast amount of graffiti along the train route.  I guess I just hadn't expected to see that much...more than I remember noticing in the Twin Cities but less gang graffiti by far than us.

I don't remember just how many train stations we went through on our way to the CBD but it was more than a half dozen so the trip took better than a half hour.  Along the way the train went by just a ton of graffiti and then you could tell the CBD was getting closer as we went by the tennis park with Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena & Margaret Court Arena and a handful of outdoor arenas that you see every January when the Australian Open is held.  On the other side of the tracks was the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) where (you guessed it) cricket is played.  There was no cricket being played there when I visited so I didn't get the opportunity to go to the MCG for a game though I did spend part of a day later on doing a tour but I'll talk about that when I get to that day.

Our getting off point was Flinders Square and it really is a grand looking place and it seemed like we were in the heart of the city! Oh wait...I think we were pretty much.  Anyways...off we headed to different sites with the first place being the Eureka Tower where you can so out over Melbourne in all directions.  Only wish the day hadn't been quite so cloudy and rainy off and on.  But, as Natalie always said, wait 15 minutes and the weather will change and change it did to more sun but after we had been up in the Eureka Tower.

It was a great day even with the cloudiness and, of course, I took a ton of pictures so I'll post a link again to Picasa if you want to see them.

We had an early evening that day as we were off on our first adventure away from Melbourne...Sydney for three days and two nights!!  Not quite sure what Natalie was thinking but we were going to have to be up and at 'em by 4ish a.m. and out to the airport.  Never the less...I was looking forward to Sydney!!

If you would like to see more pictures taken around Melbourne CBD here is a link to that photo album on Picasa: Play slideshow

Must Keep My Eyes Open!!!

Melbourne

Believe it or not, though I've done two blogs about just my first day in Australia, my day wasn't quite done after going to the William Ricketts Sanctuary.  Nope...far from being done!  From the Sanctuary we continued up to the top of the Dandenong Mountains to look out over the valley and Melbourne.  Even though it was a hazy day you could still see Melbourne in the distance.  It would have been nice if the sky had been clear but still think the picture looks ok even if I did it in black and white. 

There was another lovely garden of sculptures to wander through on top...seems like everywhere one turned you would find some type of sculpture garden and that became one of my favorites...especially if there were flowers to be photographed which usually had the Tour Guide rolling her eyes.  Come to think of it that did happen quite frequently!  I guess she did put up with a lot with my obsession with taking photographs...oops...I guess I kind of downplayed that habit of mine.  LOL

After going through the garden and looking out over the vistas it was time to head back down to get ready for dinner with the Tour Guide's mum Helen and her husband Bob.  I was so looking forward to finally getting to meet Helen as we had been corresponding back and forth for a couple of years and I had spoken briefly with both of them this past Christmas.

Helen & Bob

Finally they arrived and I was taken aback at how warmly I was greeted by both of them.  It soon seemed as if I had known them for years.  The dinner the Tour Guide prepared was scrumptious though she would profess throughout my trip that she was just an average cook...if she was only average I am barely competent to be a cook in a greasy spoon and only if they are hard up!! 

After dinner it was decided that an Australian movie with none other than Paul Hogan called Charlie and Boots was to be the evening entertainment.  Sounded good to me but little did I know that I would soon fall victim to all the fresh air, great food and wine we had had and I soon found myself struggling to stay awake.  The first 20 minutes or so of the movie was ok and then the wall started to tap me on the forehead...soon the tapping became a thumping!! 

You all know that feeling where you're fighting with all your might to keep your eyelids from spasming as they struggle to close.  Well, I'm not so sure just how long I tried fighting the good fight...it seemed like a long time and then I would hear my name said with authority and my eyelids would spring wide open like I'd just seen a ghost.  Once in a while I thought I heard some comment and laughter but really it probably was my imagination and before I knew it I was being woken up by the Tour Guide telling me that the movie was over and Helen and Bob were leaving and I really should go to bed. 

I soon found out that the comments were in fact real and the laughter was caused by me.  Seems that I wasn't putting up much of a fight to stay awake though I'd swear on a stack of bibles that I was and that when I would hear my name called out it was because my snoring had become too loud for them to hear the movie.  OMG...talk about being embarrassed!!  All I can say is I truly did try and fight the good fight against sleep but just couldn't win it.  Oh...and those comments I thought I had heard...well I really had though no one would tell me exactly what was said but seems I supplied a bit of humor with my losing battle against sleep.  OMG I hope I didn't drool...snoring was bad enough!!  Nothing like making an impression on the first day in Australia I mumbled to myself as I shuffled off for my first sleep in Australia.

If you would like to see more pictures taken up on top of the Dandenong Mountains here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

...and I'm off!!

Passport stamped?  Yup!!  Suitcase found and collected?  Yup!!  Tour Guide waiting?  Yup!!  Stepping on Aussie soil?  Yup!!  ...and I'm off and running on a lifetime dream trip to Australia!!

One never realizes just how draining it is flying halfway around the world until you step on the ground and try and 'hit it running.'  Thank goodness for adrenalin and hot, long showers to revitalize you!  Oh...and also caffeine to boot!!

...and hit the ground running is just what happened the first day in Australia! 

After a wonderful hot shower off we went up into the Dandenong Mountains which are pretty much outside the Tour Guide's back door as she lives in the foot hills of the Dandenongs. 

If you take away the rain forest type atmosphere the Dandenongs so remind me of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia especially with their hazy blue appearance...and the winding mountain roads with hairpin turns back and forth as you wind your way upward are a definite similarity.

In a short time we were at the William Ricketts Sanctuary which is a sculpture park originally known as Potter's Sanctuary.  William Ricketts, though never trained as a potter, is known for the power of his vision of a modern Australia that embraces Aboriginal spirituality and respect for the natural world.  In the 1960s the Victorian government bought the sanctuary from Ricketts and made it into a public park.  Ricketts continued to live here and create until his death in 1993.

This is the entrance to the pathway that winds its way through the sanctuary...you feel as if you are being ushered into the rain forest by these two sculptures.  It is an amazing walk through the rain forest that you find yourself going on and at each twist and turn you are seeing yet another amazing sculpture amidst the trees and ferns.  Finding myself surrounded by such a vast array of green after the cold white of a Minnesota winter causes one to breathe in deeply and envelope your senses with the wonders of the rain forest and I found myself feeling a calm and quietness surrounding me that I hadn't felt in such a long time...it was bordering on magical and the talent that William Ricketts had really was amazing. 

I do not know just how many sculptures were in the sanctuary but I do know that I did not succeed in photographing every one of them though I gave it my best try.  What a fabulous choice of an introduction to Australia this was and to think I'd only been on Aussie soil for a few mere hours.  Little did I know the vast amount of wonders I would see in the oncoming days!!

If you would like to see more pictures taken at the William Ricketts Sanctuary here is a link to that photo album on Picasa: Play slideshow

Customs Fun?!

What an awesome sight this was to see for someone who had been waiting years for their dream of going to Australia to come true.  Of course...and don't laugh too loudly...I had to take the picture days later as I wasn't prepared to shoot any the day I arrived.  That first day all I could do was look and look and look just like a kid in a candy store!!  Oh the sights and sounds and GREEN grass...NO snow!! 

But getting outside of the terminal to actually step on Aussie soil was an adventure in itself.  I think I now know how cattle feel being herded into a small area to creep through a maze towards a chute.  It seemed to take forever to get to one of the Customs checkout areas.  Of course it did not help that at least 4 other International flights had landed about the same time as mine so there was a milling of probably 800+ people trying to get through International customs as quickly as possible and there just wasn't anything quick about it.  It was hot, humid and slooooow...painfully sloooow!!! 

Finally I was through the first part of Customs with my freshly stamped passport in hand and off to the carousels to find my suitcase.  After what seemed like another eternity finally my suitcase appeared on the carousel and off I found myself in the final line to get through the 'sniffer' dogs.  By this time I was definitely feeling like a pack mule with my overfilled backpack, laptop and camera bag draped around me and the largest suitcase allowable in tow.  If only I had cut out at least a third of what I had brought but a bit late for that.  Needless to say this thought would go through my mind multiple times during the next 30 days...hindsight is definitely 20-20!!

At last the end of the 'tunnel' was in sight and, though I was a bit nervous about finding the Tour Guide in this mass of people, there she was pretty much front and center and I spotted her almost immediately and I was relieved though there was no band nor red carpet waiting for my grand entrance to Australia though I had repeatedly reminded the Tour Guide this was 'standard procedure' for me.  I thought I was pretty convincing...guess I was only being dillusional!!  LOL

Regardless I was finally on Aussie soil and thrilled to be out of planes with my feet firmly planted on the ground!  A 15 1/2 hour flight just from Los Angeles to Melbourne was a bit long to say the least but I now had 30 days to forget all about it and have some fun!!  I could hardly wait!!

Jet Lag Anyone?!

Oh my...I really don't know where the past 30+ days have gone but my once in a lifetime Australian adventure is over and I am incredibly jet lagged from the flights back to the U.S.  There were a few hitches/glitches the past two days traveling but by the grace of a manager at Frontier Airlines I still managed to arrive home to Minneapolis on time and it appears maybe in time for a spring snowstorm that looks to be heading our way in several days. 

I actually find this fact a bit rude since I had spectacular weather for the majority of my adventures...not too hot...not too cold...pretty much just perfect though more than one native Aussie commented that they were having a colder than normal summer.  I personally don't think it could have been much better for someone coming from the dead of winter.

Now...let the unpacking begin and the resettling in happen and the daunting task of going through the massive amount of pictures I took.  You know you're taking a lot of pictures when the few times I didn't have a camera with me comments were made!  LOL  Hopefully I will have a few worth sharing in the coming weeks with you all as I recap and take you back through my amazing trip to Australia which has definitely left me wanting to return for an encore!!

I can't begin to tell you (but I'm sure I will try in upcoming blogs) how spectacular the people were I met in Australia...how awesome the 'Tour Guide' and her family were to me and, though I missed home, how hard it was to take that final walk to the International departure gates as I left.  That in itself tells you an awesome time was had and hopefully friendships have been strengthened and new ones were discovered!!

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On a side note I lost two friends while I was traveling...one to early onset Alzheimer's disease and the other to lung cancer.  They will be dearly missed but I celebrate their lives and how they touched mine.  Ludvine and Dave...I will dearly miss you both. 

“Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like it's heaven on earth.”  Mark Twain