Olivia's first post

When we went to The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House it was like a dream come true!  I have always wanted to go there and now I can tell the experiences and tell how fun it was!  I couldn’t believe that the Opera House is made out of tiles.  The Opera House is very detailed.  The ferry rushed through the water and I got a little wet.  As we approached the Opera House and the bridge, I thought to myself what it would be like if we went inside the opera house and over the bridge.  We did go inside the Opera House.  It wasn’t a very nice day so we didn’t walk across the bridge.  Mom and Dad’s place was the best place in the world!    

-       Olivia 

Meeting the animals in Taronga Zoo

A Shocka!

December 4

Our first foray away from Manly beach had to be to our old stomping grounds – Kirribili!  We took the ferry from Manly, stood in the whipping wind and couldn’t stop taking pictures as the city came into view.  The kids let out a whoop when we saw the Opera House.  “It’s just so beautiful!” Olivia kept repeating.   We looked right and saw our apartment building, now covered completely in tarps as it’s undergoing a full renovation.  Our kids have heard about this magical place for years, and it was fun to finally show them.  The experience of being in Sydney but with two little bodies in tow is strange but fulfilling.  Life evolves and part of the fun is looking at shared experiences from completely new perspectives.   Our kids are delighted by the Australian experience but sometimes for completely different reasons than that of an adult.  Olivia is practicing her Aussie slang … the weather is a “shocka” (shocker) and “yes” is “yeaaaaa”.  Luke cannot wait to play cricket, rugby and to try his hand at surfing.  They saw Australian money for the first time yesterday and thought it very cool that dollars were heavy gold coins.

We've arrived!

December 3

We arrived in Sydney after a long and uneventful flight.  Despite a few boundary issues between seats 26A and 26B, the kids did well during the long haul over the Pacific.  Our friend Daniel met us at the airport and transported us to Manly Beach where we would spend our first week.  What a feeling to drive through the city and then to the section of the highway that opens to a commanding view of the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and sparkling blue waters of the harbour.  We crossed the bridge and couldn’t stop exclaiming, “Can you believe that we’re here?” 

Our apartment in Manly (Queenscliff Beach, actually) is stunning.  We’re perched up on a cliff with two bedrooms, two baths and a large seating area that overlooks the entire span of Manly Beach.  We watch the surfers come out at daybreak and enjoyed a full Aussie experience on Saturday complete with a surfing competition and a children’s surf club festival.  Teams from surf clubs around the Sydney area came to compete in paddling on boards, rowing rescue boats, sand races and simple water-based activities for the “little nippers.”  Of course, they all wore their Speedos (Luke doesn’t understand why the boys have to wear bikinis) and brightly-colored bathing caps.  It beats Little League, for sure. 

The weather, however, changed after that first glorious day.  While we are happy to be here in rain or shine, we’d prefer a bit (ok, a lot) more shine and warmer temps.  This is the coldest December in history.  And the week ahead looks pretty gloomy – rain every day.  Sydney still looks good in grey though.  

Vancouver layover

December 2

Broken molar in the Newark airport (while eating granola?!) and off to find a dentist in Vancouver.  While perhaps a bit unlucky in breaking my tooth, there seem to be dental clinics everywhere near our hotel.  First holiday expense is $318 for an emergency fillings and repair … ouch in more ways than one.

New uses for the neck pillow

Our travellers begin at the New Haven train station