I grew up in a small town in Alabama. My parents owned a gas station / convenience store and worked very hard 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We never went on vacation, and only rarely would we be able to make a trip to Tennessee to see relatives. I rode on an airplane for the first time as a junior in college when P&G flew me to Orlando for a job interview. Going to Australia was a dream - a fantasy. Phillip and I have been very fortunate to be able to take our family on vacation throughout the last 14 years. Our favorite vacation destination is Disney World (where we have gone 6 times!). We have also gone to Outer Banks, NC and to South Carolina to visit friends (and Alabama, Tennesee, Missouri to see family). So, we have not ventured very far from our Cincinnati home. With the move to Japan, we have been given an amazing opportunity to see parts of the world that I thought would never be possible. So, as I sit on the balcony of our vacation apartment in Palm Cove, Australia, overlooking the ocean, I keep thinking ... "Am I dreaming?" I want to share part of my dream over the next few blogs.
We started our journey on Thursday, December 16. We got to the Osaka airport to find that our JetStar flight had been canceled. We had been re-routed on a flight that would get us to Sydney about 2 hours later than anticipated. JetStar is interesting. You get one small water for international trips and nothing for domestic. You have to buy water, soda, snacks, even blankets! We learned about this before we left, so we brought our own.
We arrived in Sydney on Friday, Dec 17, at about 1:30pm. A car took us to our hotel by Circular Quay. We freshened up a bit and went over to the Sydney Opera House where we did the essentials tour. Pretty amazing architecture. This originally planned 2 year project turned into a 14 year project. We saw the theaters, learned about the history, and got to experience a rehearsal. Even the kids liked it! We enjoyed the beautiful evening along with many folks who sat outside along the harbor, sharing drinks and dinner.
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| Jacob, Matthew, and Jessica at the Sydney Opera House |
On Saturday, we took the ferry to the Taronga Zoo. Upon arrival we took a sky rail up to the top and the walked our way back down. This could possibly be the best view of Sydney, and it was certainly a wonderful animal experience. There were koalas, red pandas, tigers, etc, but the best part was walking through the kangaroo walk-a-bout where we were able to pet those cute little roos. After we returned to the Quay we walked across the Harbor Bridge. Wow. It was breathtaking.
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| Koala |
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| Yikes! |
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| We loved the kangaroos. |
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| Red Panda |
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| View of Sydney from the Taronga Zoo |
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| View of Opera House from the Harbor Bridge |
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| Harbor Bridge |
We closed out our evening with even more breathtaking views atop our hotel. We just stood there together in awe. Jacob and I both broke into tears as the reality of where we were sunk in. We talked about how very blessed we are to have good health, safety, family, friends, and the opportunity to have these experiences together. Matthew saw a bright star and told us that he was sure it was Grandpa smiling down on us. :) This time together - just talking, with our arms around each other, and looking at the beautiful Sydney harbor - is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. It was fitting that my favorite movie "It's a Wonderful Life" was on TV when we returned to our rooms.
On Sunday, we spent some time walking around “The Rocks”, eating pancakes and shopping at the weekend Farmers’ Market. We then took a bus to famous Bondi Beach. It was a bit chilly but this did not stop the Maloney kids (including Phillip) from playing in the ocean. The beach and surrounding shopping area were both lovely. We took a bus ride back in the pouring rain. The rain slowed down a bit, so we walked into the garden where thousands of fruit bats fly around each night. Totally weird. We then took a ferry to the other very famous beach in Sydney - Manly. We just looked around a bit, grabbed dinner, and took the ferry back to the hotel.
On Monday, we walked through the Royal Botanical Gardens. We got to see those fruit bats hanging upside down in the trees. Some of them flew around. We took lots of pictures. Their heads are so big that they look like little "fox" heads. The Botanical Garden was full of lots of beautiful vegetation. As well, the path led around the Sydney Harbor where many people were walking and running. We went to Macquarie's Point where the former Governor's wife would sit and look at the harbor. It is one of the very best places to take pictures as you can get the opera house and the harbor bridge in the same photo. It was very windy, and one of the local weathermen was there doing his broadcast. He filmed Grandma taking our picture, balancing herself in the wind. Then, he came over and talked to our whole family. We had to fly out that afternoon, so we don't know if we made the evening news or not!
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| Thousands of fruit bats in the Royal Botanical Gardens |
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| Macquarie's Point |
I found Sydney to be every bit as beautiful as I had seen in pictures and on TV. However, the picture I will now hold in my heart is the view of the harbor from atop the Intercontinental Hotel, and the feelings of love and appreciation that go along with it.
Peace and Love from Australia,
Tina
