let's do this
3 more days.. think I can fit them in one post? I'm going to try!
Friday morning- our last day in Sydney. So of course we decide to check out the iconic Harbour Bridge of course. :) There's a program called the "Bridge Climb" where you can pay $200 to walk across the top of the bridge- yeah over the actual arches. It looks AMAZING but 'Nee didn't want to do it and I was feeling cheap so we didn't do that. But, you walk across the bridge on the street level and go up in one of the towers, which is pretty great too. So we did that.
In the tower is a lot of history of the making of the bridge and the plans and all of the technical stuff they went through to make it happen. Pretty darn amazing stuff. I don't remember all the details of course- but they talked about this bridge for about 25 years before actually deciding to build it. It was built in 9 years- and finished in 1932. They were smart though-- they built it to keep up with traffic far into the future. There are 6 car lanes, a bus lane, a pedestrian walkway, bike path and 2 rail lines on this bridge. For some more specs on the Bridge- check out this link. The info in the tower and the diagrams and pictures are really cool. We enjoyed the "tour". Then there's a balcony you can walk on for a nice view- and you can go even higher and walk all the way around the tower to see the whole city and harbour. Awesome. :)
So we did that, then walked the rest of the way across the bridge to North Sydney. Under the bridge is a pretty park, we walked there a bit. Then we took the ferry back to the Sydney side to find some lunch. Ended up at a diner on the harbour called "City Extra". The decor was cute- a lot of newspaper and Superman motif going on and the food was delish. I had grilled bacon-wrapped shrimp with this weird but tasty red sauce that reminded me of coubion, a cajun fish recipe that my Mom used to make. And it was served with this crazy tasty rice- I guess it's short-grain rice. It was plain but totally tasty. And I don't usually like rice very much. I'm going to have to search this stuff out in the future. The lunch also came with a salad that had an amazing dressing on it. All around quite a delicious lunch.
Afterward, we bought a few more souvenirs and then picked up our luggage and took the subway to the central station to catch our train to Brisbane. We were traveling on CountryRail- basically an Amtrak sort of train service- the overnight train to Brisbane. It was a 15-hour ride. I love trains and they don't make me sick so it was cool. There were some slightly annoying folks around, but they moved to a different car- thank goodness. One interesting difference from Amtrak is that we had reserved seats- something I have never had on train rides- but then again, I've never done an overnight train here so maybe that was it. It was a nice ride.. I got some decent sleep.
We arrived at 6:30 AM in Brisbane. I slept okay but was kinda tired still.. and feeling a bit gross since we'd not had a shower and it was super humid in Brisbane. We decided to walk to the hotel- it was less than a mile so shouldn't have been a big deal. Of course we didn't know that it would be mostly uphill.. or that it would start raining halfway there. Or that my suitcase wheels would disintegrate before we'd gone halfway. I could not believe it! I was having trouble lugging my suitcase and was wondering what the issue was- thinking it was just catching on cracks in the sidewalk or something... then I look at it more closely and realize the wheels are just gone.. totally busted. It was a BRAND NEW suitcase! I was pissed.. not to mention really struggling with this.. so I literally dragged it the rest of the way to the hotel, uphill in the rain and 986% humidity and heat. It was disgusting.
So we finally find our place and are expecting them to tell us we can't check it but at least we could drop our luggage.. but we got lucky again! They let us check in at 7am! WORD. So that was great- I took a shower and a nap.. then we got on with our day.
We didn't really have any plans in Brisbane until that night- we were going to see the Top Gear live show but that wasn't till 8pm. So 'Nee did some looking and we find that Wicked was playing at a theatre there. I'd seen it but she hadn't and I wouldn't mind seeing it again so we decide to do that. We left the hotel and took another walk.. Allllll the way across town. Stopped for some lunch at a random sandwich place in a mall. It was yum. We walked through some gardens by the University and then across the river (which was very high, they had experienced some serious flooding not long before) to the Performing Arts Centre. The walk was good but long and the weather was ick. It didn't rain much, it was just really humid and hot. My hair was super frizzed out the whole time- no help for it. Haha. The show was excellent- we enjoyed it. But we both agree that we don't know why people think it's the BEST. THING. EVER. but hey- whatev. It was quality. :) Walked all the way back and just chilled till it was time for dinner and Top Gear.
We ate at this weird place- it was like a diner but with a twist- called "Meet Me at JoJos". You ordered from the menu but at a counter and they delivered it out to you- it was odd and they had food from all over the place- pizza, Thai food, Chinese food, burgers and fries, Greek food-- all kinds of stuff. I had a garlic pizza-- it was basically like garlic bread- yummmy- and 'Nee ate Pad Thai. It was good food and a really interesting sort of place. Then we hit the subway train to go to where Top Gear was. We picked out all the people on the train that were going there- and we were right.. hahaha.
Now I don't watch Top Gear, but 'Nee does. If you're not familiar, it's a British tv show (BBC) where these 3 or 4 guys drive, critique and build cars. They are always doing crazy stunts and weird contests and making fun of each other and everyone else. And on Top Gear Live they do stunt driving and make fun of people in the audience and play random games like "Car Football (soccer)" which was hilarious.
It was entertaining but a bit strange. 'Nee really liked it so that's what matters. Took the train back and I had been in the mood to maybe hit a bar and find some live music, but by the time we got back, I was tired and so was 'Nee so we just went to bed. We're such old ladies.
and finally Day 6- the last day in Australia..
We thought about trying to go to the beach- the Gold Coast is close to Brisbane and is supposed to be one of the best beaches around- but it's not easy to get to- takes a long time by bus or train. And 'Nee had to leave by 4 to get to the airport to head back to New Zealand so we didn't do the beach. :( We slept in and went to church at 10 at the Cathedral of St. Stephen right in the middle of downtown Brisbane. It was a great Mass- pretty much the same as one here.. and the Cathedral was pretty.
We ate lunch at an open-air cafe in the middle of this mall area downtown. I had a burger- it was quite yummy and 'Nee had some spring rolls and chicken-corn chowder. Lots of good food around and we each had a beer. :) Oh and the weather was beautiful that day- sunny and not too hot- around 80 with WAY less humidity and a nice breeze. Super pretty so it was a good day to eat outside.. and watch people. Hahaha.
We did a spot of shopping- 'Nee needed a travel size case for her lotion and then we hit a cheap bookstore. I bought a book called "Mary Poppins She Wrote" about P.L. Travers, the lady who wrote "Mary Poppins". I've read about the first third of the book- it's pretty interesting. (But I've never read Mary Poppins- so I got those from the library the other day and already read the first book and am into "Mary Poppins Comes Back" now. If you haven't read the books, you should- they are delightful!) So yeah.. then we just headed back to the hotel to hang out for a while.
Sadly, 'Nee had to leave at 3:30 to get to the train station. :( I walked her to the station, tried not to cry too much and said goodbye to her. I wasn't really in the mood for doing much else that night so I just walked to this pretty park by the station and chilled there for a bit writing in my travel journal so I'd remember it all. Then I ate some SUBWAY for dinner- I didn't know what I was in the mood for but I saw some ppl eating it and I wanted some "comfort food". Plus we had passed the Subway a zillion times over the past few days so I knew where it was and I was curious as to how it would be different. They have avocado!! YUM. I got a turkey sub with avocado and veggies and southwest sauce. It was awesome. :) Eat Fresh.
I went to bed that night at 8:30. I was tired and I knew I had to get up at 3:30 so I was trying to make sure I got an almost decent night of sleep. I didn't sleep well, of course but it was okay. Woke up on time, got out of there and to my 4am cab to the airport. (my flight was at 6am). The airport was fine.. and my flight to Sydney was smooth. I got to Sydney at 9ish and had to change terminals- what a pain. The check-in line for my flight took literally 45 minutes. It was nuts. But I had time, and then they tell us that the flight is going to be delayed in leaving. Ugh- not again!
I new I wouldn't have much time in LA but oh well- deal with it when I get there, ya know? It was odd though because they had the gate waiting area all closed off- I'm not sure what was up with that- never seen anythingn like it before- and we had to show passports and tickets JUST to wait in the gate area. And it was only our gate too.. I dunno what was up.
So we finally leave Sydney- about an hour late. Goodbye Australia! It's been real. :) The flight was okay. It was much more full than the way over, so no extra seats to spread out in, but at least I was on the aisle so I didn't have to bother people to pee every 5 minutes. They gave us some "lunch", which was pretty good- it was a salad with a yummy dressing, chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies with gravy, and a cheesecake. Pretty decent for airplane food and I ate it all. I wasn't feeling very tired since it was the middle of the day, so I watched some movies- I watched "The Social Network" which was good though wow- Mark Zuckerberg is just a jerk to his "friends". Brilliant computer guy though. And I watched "13 Going on 30" which was cheezy but cute enough- it helped pass the time. I tried to watch "Knight and Day" cuz I was feeling some Tom Cruise and it looked interesting, but the first scene with the plane was freaking me out so I stopped. Haha.
But the problem was that our flight was super bumpy. I don't know what was going down with the air but it was soooooo turbulent the whole way. It was kind of freaking me out but no one else seemed to be bothered so I was trying to keep it cool. It did make it hard to sleep though. yeesh not a fun 13 hours but I made it. I was feeling kind of sick by the end though- I think it was the long day, not much sleep and the meds were wearing off- it was the long-term stuff, but it had been like 21 or so hours since I took it so it made sense. I didn't get sick though- phew but now we were in LAX and had to do customs and then figure out where to go for my next flight.
Customs were pretty fast- and my suitcase made it! (go figure) My next flight was at 7:50 and it was 7:35 as I left customs. They said I might make it if I hurried- so I power-walked through the airport and jogged a little bit. I did stop for the bathroom really fast and to take some more dramamine- then busted through security and literally RAN to my gate because by then it was 7:40. I was literally the 3rd to last person to come down the jetway (the other 2 were from my flight). I was sweating like a beast and feeling like crap. Then they tell me they have to check my carry-on bag. SERIOUSLY? It was a 767 for goodness sake, not one of those little prop planes we fly from Buffalo! So clearly someone is abusing the rule. But whatev, I didn't really need anything from in there. I grabbed my pillow and sweatshirt and gave them my bag.. then I jumped back over to grab my cellphone since they had to check it to my final destination and I'd want the phone in ATL to keep folks apprised of my status. Phew.
So I finally get to my seat- in Row 46. I collapse in my seat and roll up my pants- still sweating up a storm. Tried to fall asleep as soon as possible. I did sleep for a while, then woke up SHIVERING- fell back asleep and slept most of the rest of the way to ATL. (only 3.5 hours there- funny since it took 6 to go from PHL-LAX) But I'm okay with it- the less time on airplanes, the better.
Get to Atlanta a little early which is good beacuse I had a tight connection there too. I was worried because they told me that I was on "standby" for that flight- and I didn't quite get that.. but I guess it meant I HAD a seat but it wasn't assigned yet. So I get to the gate and ask what to do because I really just wanted to be HOME and I didn't even have my carry-on anymore so if I got stuck there, I'd be screwed! But he said I was confirmed and to wait for a seat assignment. Phew.
Finally got on the plane- it was a bit late but whatev- I had no connection in Buffalo so it's all good. The flight was smooth and only took an hour and a half and I was finally, finally home! My luggage made it and my brother-in-law picked me up and I was back home that night by 8. YAY! :)
I hope you enjoyed this cruise through my NZ/AUS trip. :) Pictures are over on facebook if you haven't seen them yet. :)
Friday morning- our last day in Sydney. So of course we decide to check out the iconic Harbour Bridge of course. :) There's a program called the "Bridge Climb" where you can pay $200 to walk across the top of the bridge- yeah over the actual arches. It looks AMAZING but 'Nee didn't want to do it and I was feeling cheap so we didn't do that. But, you walk across the bridge on the street level and go up in one of the towers, which is pretty great too. So we did that.
In the tower is a lot of history of the making of the bridge and the plans and all of the technical stuff they went through to make it happen. Pretty darn amazing stuff. I don't remember all the details of course- but they talked about this bridge for about 25 years before actually deciding to build it. It was built in 9 years- and finished in 1932. They were smart though-- they built it to keep up with traffic far into the future. There are 6 car lanes, a bus lane, a pedestrian walkway, bike path and 2 rail lines on this bridge. For some more specs on the Bridge- check out this link. The info in the tower and the diagrams and pictures are really cool. We enjoyed the "tour". Then there's a balcony you can walk on for a nice view- and you can go even higher and walk all the way around the tower to see the whole city and harbour. Awesome. :)
So we did that, then walked the rest of the way across the bridge to North Sydney. Under the bridge is a pretty park, we walked there a bit. Then we took the ferry back to the Sydney side to find some lunch. Ended up at a diner on the harbour called "City Extra". The decor was cute- a lot of newspaper and Superman motif going on and the food was delish. I had grilled bacon-wrapped shrimp with this weird but tasty red sauce that reminded me of coubion, a cajun fish recipe that my Mom used to make. And it was served with this crazy tasty rice- I guess it's short-grain rice. It was plain but totally tasty. And I don't usually like rice very much. I'm going to have to search this stuff out in the future. The lunch also came with a salad that had an amazing dressing on it. All around quite a delicious lunch.
Afterward, we bought a few more souvenirs and then picked up our luggage and took the subway to the central station to catch our train to Brisbane. We were traveling on CountryRail- basically an Amtrak sort of train service- the overnight train to Brisbane. It was a 15-hour ride. I love trains and they don't make me sick so it was cool. There were some slightly annoying folks around, but they moved to a different car- thank goodness. One interesting difference from Amtrak is that we had reserved seats- something I have never had on train rides- but then again, I've never done an overnight train here so maybe that was it. It was a nice ride.. I got some decent sleep.
We arrived at 6:30 AM in Brisbane. I slept okay but was kinda tired still.. and feeling a bit gross since we'd not had a shower and it was super humid in Brisbane. We decided to walk to the hotel- it was less than a mile so shouldn't have been a big deal. Of course we didn't know that it would be mostly uphill.. or that it would start raining halfway there. Or that my suitcase wheels would disintegrate before we'd gone halfway. I could not believe it! I was having trouble lugging my suitcase and was wondering what the issue was- thinking it was just catching on cracks in the sidewalk or something... then I look at it more closely and realize the wheels are just gone.. totally busted. It was a BRAND NEW suitcase! I was pissed.. not to mention really struggling with this.. so I literally dragged it the rest of the way to the hotel, uphill in the rain and 986% humidity and heat. It was disgusting.
So we finally find our place and are expecting them to tell us we can't check it but at least we could drop our luggage.. but we got lucky again! They let us check in at 7am! WORD. So that was great- I took a shower and a nap.. then we got on with our day.
We didn't really have any plans in Brisbane until that night- we were going to see the Top Gear live show but that wasn't till 8pm. So 'Nee did some looking and we find that Wicked was playing at a theatre there. I'd seen it but she hadn't and I wouldn't mind seeing it again so we decide to do that. We left the hotel and took another walk.. Allllll the way across town. Stopped for some lunch at a random sandwich place in a mall. It was yum. We walked through some gardens by the University and then across the river (which was very high, they had experienced some serious flooding not long before) to the Performing Arts Centre. The walk was good but long and the weather was ick. It didn't rain much, it was just really humid and hot. My hair was super frizzed out the whole time- no help for it. Haha. The show was excellent- we enjoyed it. But we both agree that we don't know why people think it's the BEST. THING. EVER. but hey- whatev. It was quality. :) Walked all the way back and just chilled till it was time for dinner and Top Gear.
We ate at this weird place- it was like a diner but with a twist- called "Meet Me at JoJos". You ordered from the menu but at a counter and they delivered it out to you- it was odd and they had food from all over the place- pizza, Thai food, Chinese food, burgers and fries, Greek food-- all kinds of stuff. I had a garlic pizza-- it was basically like garlic bread- yummmy- and 'Nee ate Pad Thai. It was good food and a really interesting sort of place. Then we hit the subway train to go to where Top Gear was. We picked out all the people on the train that were going there- and we were right.. hahaha.
Now I don't watch Top Gear, but 'Nee does. If you're not familiar, it's a British tv show (BBC) where these 3 or 4 guys drive, critique and build cars. They are always doing crazy stunts and weird contests and making fun of each other and everyone else. And on Top Gear Live they do stunt driving and make fun of people in the audience and play random games like "Car Football (soccer)" which was hilarious.
It was entertaining but a bit strange. 'Nee really liked it so that's what matters. Took the train back and I had been in the mood to maybe hit a bar and find some live music, but by the time we got back, I was tired and so was 'Nee so we just went to bed. We're such old ladies.
and finally Day 6- the last day in Australia..
We thought about trying to go to the beach- the Gold Coast is close to Brisbane and is supposed to be one of the best beaches around- but it's not easy to get to- takes a long time by bus or train. And 'Nee had to leave by 4 to get to the airport to head back to New Zealand so we didn't do the beach. :( We slept in and went to church at 10 at the Cathedral of St. Stephen right in the middle of downtown Brisbane. It was a great Mass- pretty much the same as one here.. and the Cathedral was pretty.
We ate lunch at an open-air cafe in the middle of this mall area downtown. I had a burger- it was quite yummy and 'Nee had some spring rolls and chicken-corn chowder. Lots of good food around and we each had a beer. :) Oh and the weather was beautiful that day- sunny and not too hot- around 80 with WAY less humidity and a nice breeze. Super pretty so it was a good day to eat outside.. and watch people. Hahaha.
We did a spot of shopping- 'Nee needed a travel size case for her lotion and then we hit a cheap bookstore. I bought a book called "Mary Poppins She Wrote" about P.L. Travers, the lady who wrote "Mary Poppins". I've read about the first third of the book- it's pretty interesting. (But I've never read Mary Poppins- so I got those from the library the other day and already read the first book and am into "Mary Poppins Comes Back" now. If you haven't read the books, you should- they are delightful!) So yeah.. then we just headed back to the hotel to hang out for a while.
Sadly, 'Nee had to leave at 3:30 to get to the train station. :( I walked her to the station, tried not to cry too much and said goodbye to her. I wasn't really in the mood for doing much else that night so I just walked to this pretty park by the station and chilled there for a bit writing in my travel journal so I'd remember it all. Then I ate some SUBWAY for dinner- I didn't know what I was in the mood for but I saw some ppl eating it and I wanted some "comfort food". Plus we had passed the Subway a zillion times over the past few days so I knew where it was and I was curious as to how it would be different. They have avocado!! YUM. I got a turkey sub with avocado and veggies and southwest sauce. It was awesome. :) Eat Fresh.
I went to bed that night at 8:30. I was tired and I knew I had to get up at 3:30 so I was trying to make sure I got an almost decent night of sleep. I didn't sleep well, of course but it was okay. Woke up on time, got out of there and to my 4am cab to the airport. (my flight was at 6am). The airport was fine.. and my flight to Sydney was smooth. I got to Sydney at 9ish and had to change terminals- what a pain. The check-in line for my flight took literally 45 minutes. It was nuts. But I had time, and then they tell us that the flight is going to be delayed in leaving. Ugh- not again!
I new I wouldn't have much time in LA but oh well- deal with it when I get there, ya know? It was odd though because they had the gate waiting area all closed off- I'm not sure what was up with that- never seen anythingn like it before- and we had to show passports and tickets JUST to wait in the gate area. And it was only our gate too.. I dunno what was up.
So we finally leave Sydney- about an hour late. Goodbye Australia! It's been real. :) The flight was okay. It was much more full than the way over, so no extra seats to spread out in, but at least I was on the aisle so I didn't have to bother people to pee every 5 minutes. They gave us some "lunch", which was pretty good- it was a salad with a yummy dressing, chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies with gravy, and a cheesecake. Pretty decent for airplane food and I ate it all. I wasn't feeling very tired since it was the middle of the day, so I watched some movies- I watched "The Social Network" which was good though wow- Mark Zuckerberg is just a jerk to his "friends". Brilliant computer guy though. And I watched "13 Going on 30" which was cheezy but cute enough- it helped pass the time. I tried to watch "Knight and Day" cuz I was feeling some Tom Cruise and it looked interesting, but the first scene with the plane was freaking me out so I stopped. Haha.
But the problem was that our flight was super bumpy. I don't know what was going down with the air but it was soooooo turbulent the whole way. It was kind of freaking me out but no one else seemed to be bothered so I was trying to keep it cool. It did make it hard to sleep though. yeesh not a fun 13 hours but I made it. I was feeling kind of sick by the end though- I think it was the long day, not much sleep and the meds were wearing off- it was the long-term stuff, but it had been like 21 or so hours since I took it so it made sense. I didn't get sick though- phew but now we were in LAX and had to do customs and then figure out where to go for my next flight.
Customs were pretty fast- and my suitcase made it! (go figure) My next flight was at 7:50 and it was 7:35 as I left customs. They said I might make it if I hurried- so I power-walked through the airport and jogged a little bit. I did stop for the bathroom really fast and to take some more dramamine- then busted through security and literally RAN to my gate because by then it was 7:40. I was literally the 3rd to last person to come down the jetway (the other 2 were from my flight). I was sweating like a beast and feeling like crap. Then they tell me they have to check my carry-on bag. SERIOUSLY? It was a 767 for goodness sake, not one of those little prop planes we fly from Buffalo! So clearly someone is abusing the rule. But whatev, I didn't really need anything from in there. I grabbed my pillow and sweatshirt and gave them my bag.. then I jumped back over to grab my cellphone since they had to check it to my final destination and I'd want the phone in ATL to keep folks apprised of my status. Phew.
So I finally get to my seat- in Row 46. I collapse in my seat and roll up my pants- still sweating up a storm. Tried to fall asleep as soon as possible. I did sleep for a while, then woke up SHIVERING- fell back asleep and slept most of the rest of the way to ATL. (only 3.5 hours there- funny since it took 6 to go from PHL-LAX) But I'm okay with it- the less time on airplanes, the better.
Get to Atlanta a little early which is good beacuse I had a tight connection there too. I was worried because they told me that I was on "standby" for that flight- and I didn't quite get that.. but I guess it meant I HAD a seat but it wasn't assigned yet. So I get to the gate and ask what to do because I really just wanted to be HOME and I didn't even have my carry-on anymore so if I got stuck there, I'd be screwed! But he said I was confirmed and to wait for a seat assignment. Phew.
Finally got on the plane- it was a bit late but whatev- I had no connection in Buffalo so it's all good. The flight was smooth and only took an hour and a half and I was finally, finally home! My luggage made it and my brother-in-law picked me up and I was back home that night by 8. YAY! :)
I hope you enjoyed this cruise through my NZ/AUS trip. :) Pictures are over on facebook if you haven't seen them yet. :)