Today was very laid back, which is a great way to spend the last day. I woke up at 8am, which is the latest I've slept in this entire time. My parents went for a walk around the city, and I went for a jog across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The greatest part about my run, was that I passed by all the places we frequented on our trip. I started on the bridge overlooking Circular Quay and ran clear to the other side of the harbour, just taking everything in.
We had breakfast at the hotel and got ready for the beach because the sun was out! We took a ferry over to Manly beach and spent a little over 5 hours lounging in the sand. It was very windy today, so were covered in sand by the end of it all. We were going to eat dinner on the beach, but decided to get cleaned up and have our final meal here on Circular Quay where we spent a lot of our time.
Before we went to eat we went on the bridge over the Quay and took a few final pictures of the bridge and opera house with the sun setting. We then found a restaurant that sat right by the water's edge. My parents both got Burgers for dinner, because they had been craving them the entire time and couldn't wait even one more day. We watched the sun set behind the buildings and reminisced about some of our favorite moments. I ended the night with one final scoop of Lychee Gelato. I decided I'll miss the lychee the most since we can't really find it in the U.S.
We just finished packing up and will go to bed in the near future. I can't believe we leave in the morning. Australia is so amazing, I wish I could spend more time here. And I'm definitely not excited about coming back to the snow.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Hunter Valley Wine Tour
First of all, I was told their were some problems viewing the pictures from my first album. I believe I fixed the problem, so please let me know if you are still having trouble seeing the pictures.
Today we went on a wine tasting tour in Hunter Valley. The morning started off rainy and gross again, but the sun came out eventually and stuck around for the rest of the day. We went to three different wineries (we ate lunch at one), a Smelly Cheese Shop and a chocolate shop. We were encouraged to at least try every wine, but when you try 8-12 different kinds of wine at each place and you take a couple sips of each you can end up feeling a little wobbly by the end of it. For me, the wine tasting just reinforced the fact that I prefer red wine to white. We also tried several dessert wines which are very sweet. I liked them, but one or two sips was plenty. I couldn't imagine drinking a whole glass of it.
On our tour there were two other American couples and two girls visitng from Hong Kong. The American couples were an older couple from Pasadena, CA and a young couple from Kansas City, KS (of course). We have now on three occasions met a person from Kansas. The girl we met today actually knows our old neighbor Stacey Buck. It's a small world.
We got back around 6:30pm and had a dinner "booking" at Peter Doyle's for 7:30. Doyle's is a famous seafood restraunt that sits right out over Circular Quay (pronounced "Key"). We were seated on the outdoor patio, and I had the Harbour Bridge Directly in front of me and the Opera House on my right. It was pretty incredible. I ordered the Crocodile tail for dinner! It was very very good. I wanted to be a little adventurous considering our days here are numbered, and I'm sure crocodile in the states isn't quite the same. We wandered around a little after dinner taking it all in.
Tomorrow we plan to spend the whole day at the beach. The forecast is sunny and in the high 70s to low 80s. I know it will be my final dose of warm weather for a while, so I'm going to take full advantage. For those of you who live in Indy, I'll see you soon.
Today we went on a wine tasting tour in Hunter Valley. The morning started off rainy and gross again, but the sun came out eventually and stuck around for the rest of the day. We went to three different wineries (we ate lunch at one), a Smelly Cheese Shop and a chocolate shop. We were encouraged to at least try every wine, but when you try 8-12 different kinds of wine at each place and you take a couple sips of each you can end up feeling a little wobbly by the end of it. For me, the wine tasting just reinforced the fact that I prefer red wine to white. We also tried several dessert wines which are very sweet. I liked them, but one or two sips was plenty. I couldn't imagine drinking a whole glass of it.
On our tour there were two other American couples and two girls visitng from Hong Kong. The American couples were an older couple from Pasadena, CA and a young couple from Kansas City, KS (of course). We have now on three occasions met a person from Kansas. The girl we met today actually knows our old neighbor Stacey Buck. It's a small world.
We got back around 6:30pm and had a dinner "booking" at Peter Doyle's for 7:30. Doyle's is a famous seafood restraunt that sits right out over Circular Quay (pronounced "Key"). We were seated on the outdoor patio, and I had the Harbour Bridge Directly in front of me and the Opera House on my right. It was pretty incredible. I ordered the Crocodile tail for dinner! It was very very good. I wanted to be a little adventurous considering our days here are numbered, and I'm sure crocodile in the states isn't quite the same. We wandered around a little after dinner taking it all in.
Tomorrow we plan to spend the whole day at the beach. The forecast is sunny and in the high 70s to low 80s. I know it will be my final dose of warm weather for a while, so I'm going to take full advantage. For those of you who live in Indy, I'll see you soon.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
I climbed it!
First of all, I realized I forgot to mention that eardrum did NOT perforate on our flight from Cairns. Both of my sisters asked about that, so I thought I should let you know.
Today we started off with the Sydney Bridge Climb. We did the discovery climb which gave us a little more information about the building of the bridge and the structure while we climbed it. We all had to put on gray jumpsuits so we wouldn't distract drivers on the bridge, and we also had to leave everything behind. No cameras, watches, wallets, jewelry, etc, were allowed. Anything that could be thrown from the top had to be put in a locker. We were secured in the entire 2.5 hours it took us to climb up and back. We were very fortunate to have a small group of only 5 climbers compared to the usual group of 14. Also, we saw a wedding take place at the top which made it a little more exciting. Overall, we really enjoyed it, and we came back in one piece.
The weather was pretty good up to that point, we only had a slight drizzle on our way down the bridge, but by the time we reached the bottom it was a steady rain again. We went to Manly Beach despite the forecast and walked around the beach and shops for a while. The beach isn't the most fun when you're carrying an umbrella, but we enjoyed the views. Hopefully we'll go back to Manly beach on Tuesday before we leave for the States.
This evening we had dinner with one of my Dad's friends from work. We went to a little Moroccan restaurant and had their Valentine's Day menu. It was a six course meal including scallops, chicken, salmon, veggies and dessert. We enjoyed every bit of it. We're heading to bed now so we are nice and rested for our Hunter Valley Wine tour tomorrow, and then only one day left :(
Have a wonderful Valentines Day.
Today we started off with the Sydney Bridge Climb. We did the discovery climb which gave us a little more information about the building of the bridge and the structure while we climbed it. We all had to put on gray jumpsuits so we wouldn't distract drivers on the bridge, and we also had to leave everything behind. No cameras, watches, wallets, jewelry, etc, were allowed. Anything that could be thrown from the top had to be put in a locker. We were secured in the entire 2.5 hours it took us to climb up and back. We were very fortunate to have a small group of only 5 climbers compared to the usual group of 14. Also, we saw a wedding take place at the top which made it a little more exciting. Overall, we really enjoyed it, and we came back in one piece.
The weather was pretty good up to that point, we only had a slight drizzle on our way down the bridge, but by the time we reached the bottom it was a steady rain again. We went to Manly Beach despite the forecast and walked around the beach and shops for a while. The beach isn't the most fun when you're carrying an umbrella, but we enjoyed the views. Hopefully we'll go back to Manly beach on Tuesday before we leave for the States.
This evening we had dinner with one of my Dad's friends from work. We went to a little Moroccan restaurant and had their Valentine's Day menu. It was a six course meal including scallops, chicken, salmon, veggies and dessert. We enjoyed every bit of it. We're heading to bed now so we are nice and rested for our Hunter Valley Wine tour tomorrow, and then only one day left :(
Have a wonderful Valentines Day.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Back Home again in Sydney
We started our day in Cairns. We had a little time before our flight left, so we ate breakfast on a patio looking out over the Marina and shopped around for a few little souvenirs.
Traveling domestic in Australia is very different than in the States. Security is extremely lax. We never showed an I.D., when going through security you can't tell which bag belongs to each person, so anyone could easily walk off with your bag, you can bring as many liquids as you'd like, and you get to leave your shoes on. My dad said that when we go to board our flight back home, there will actually be American officials that do their own security check because our country doesn't trust other airports. Which after my experience, I'm glad to know we double check the flights entering the U.S. We also flew back with the entire Sydney Roosters team again. They won their game in Cairns so the local passengers were excited to have them on board.
When we arrived back at our Marriott hotel in Sydney, it felt kind of like we were home. The sights and streets all seem very familiar after our 5 days here last week. We went to church at St. Patrick's Church Hill which was a very decorative little church. I love that we sang some songs I know even though we're on the other side of the world. That's the beauty of the Catholic Church.
After church it was raining again, so we found an indoor place called the Belgium Bier Hall for dinner. Half of the menu was a beer list, so I got a Hoergaarden, and my mom actually ordered one too! Anyone who knows my mother knows that is unheard of, but she actually drank most of it without my help.
The evening was pretty low key overall. We are currently sitting in the Lounge at the hotel (where internet is free). We brought some Tim Tams and milk at a convenience store for dessert. Tomorrow we do our Bridge Climb in the morning and were heading to dinner with some of my Dad's friends from Lilly. Hopefully if it's sunny we can head to the beach too.
Traveling domestic in Australia is very different than in the States. Security is extremely lax. We never showed an I.D., when going through security you can't tell which bag belongs to each person, so anyone could easily walk off with your bag, you can bring as many liquids as you'd like, and you get to leave your shoes on. My dad said that when we go to board our flight back home, there will actually be American officials that do their own security check because our country doesn't trust other airports. Which after my experience, I'm glad to know we double check the flights entering the U.S. We also flew back with the entire Sydney Roosters team again. They won their game in Cairns so the local passengers were excited to have them on board.
When we arrived back at our Marriott hotel in Sydney, it felt kind of like we were home. The sights and streets all seem very familiar after our 5 days here last week. We went to church at St. Patrick's Church Hill which was a very decorative little church. I love that we sang some songs I know even though we're on the other side of the world. That's the beauty of the Catholic Church.
After church it was raining again, so we found an indoor place called the Belgium Bier Hall for dinner. Half of the menu was a beer list, so I got a Hoergaarden, and my mom actually ordered one too! Anyone who knows my mother knows that is unheard of, but she actually drank most of it without my help.
The evening was pretty low key overall. We are currently sitting in the Lounge at the hotel (where internet is free). We brought some Tim Tams and milk at a convenience store for dessert. Tomorrow we do our Bridge Climb in the morning and were heading to dinner with some of my Dad's friends from Lilly. Hopefully if it's sunny we can head to the beach too.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Journey to the Rainforest
We took a long trip to the rain forest today. We were picked up at our hotel at 7:10am by a shuttle and traveled throughout the day with 10 other tourists. Our driver, Mario, drove us all the way up the eastern coast of Australia to Daintree National Park which is up in the mountains. The drive itself was very scenic as we had the ocean to our right and mountains on our left. We passed a few very small towns along the way (they even put Haubstadt, IN to shame), and tons of sugar cane fields.
We made several stops in the rain forest, the first being Mossma's Gorge which includes small river that flows down from the mountains. We walked through the trees, took some pictures, and then swam in the river. Well, dad and I swam in the river. My mom's job was to hold up towels for us to change clothes since there were no changing rooms nearby. Who knew we were so adventurous? :)
Our next stop was the Daintree River. We cruised along this river for about an hour. Out tour guide explained a little about the plant life and helped us look for crocs, although we didn't see any. It was all beautiful, and extremely humid. After our cruise we took one more walking tour through some other parts of the forest and then rode to our lunch destination. We arrived at a roofed area, in the midst of the trees, overlooking a creek. It was right out of a storybook. "Mario the tour guide" became "Mario the Chef" and grilled us some Baramundi steaks for lunch. We also had salad and fresh fruit including papaya, guava and watermelon. While looking around the creek after lunch, we saw a turtle, a freshwater eel and some other fish.
From lunch we traveled even further north to Cape Tribulation which is a large beach just off the rain forest. While walking through the trees we spotted a bird that is native to the area. I think it's called an "orange-footed something"? But I'm sure my dad remembers if you'd like to know the real name. Our final stop was in a region of Mangrove Trees. There we saw the coolest tree I've ever seen. This tree was actually a network of vines that had suffocated its host tree. The host tree died and disintegrated, leaving behind only the vines and a hollow space. I have a picture of it if you'd like to check it out.
Also, on that last walk we saw a spider called a Golden Orb. Now I'm terrified of spiders, but my dad got a picture of it. The spider we saw was a baby, but this species can grow up to the size of a baseball hat (basically as big as your face). AND it spins a we that is so strong it catches birds to eat! Mario said that a human can push against a golden orbs web and it will spring back instead of breaking. This is why my fear of spiders is rational.
We got back to our hotel around 7pm and were pretty worn out. We grabbed some dinner (Mom ate Indian food for those who can appreciate that) and another round of Gelato, and we headed in for the night.
HOWEVER, my ear has really been bothering me ever since our plane was landing in Sydney. It hurt really bad during our descent and since then has been a little uncomfotable. Tonight it started hurting really badly again, and I thought it may be infected (since I have a sinus infection I'm currently not treating). We went to a 24 hour med check and found out my eardrum is very red and swollen, but the doc thinks it's just too much pressure built up behind my ears. He gave me some drops with an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medicine, but warned me that MY EARDRUM MAY PERFORATE WHEN WE FLY TO SYDNEY TOMORROW!! I kind of wish I didn't know that might happen, because he said it will be painful, but we're hoping the drops will prevent it, so keep your fingers crossed.
Happy Friday!
We made several stops in the rain forest, the first being Mossma's Gorge which includes small river that flows down from the mountains. We walked through the trees, took some pictures, and then swam in the river. Well, dad and I swam in the river. My mom's job was to hold up towels for us to change clothes since there were no changing rooms nearby. Who knew we were so adventurous? :)
Our next stop was the Daintree River. We cruised along this river for about an hour. Out tour guide explained a little about the plant life and helped us look for crocs, although we didn't see any. It was all beautiful, and extremely humid. After our cruise we took one more walking tour through some other parts of the forest and then rode to our lunch destination. We arrived at a roofed area, in the midst of the trees, overlooking a creek. It was right out of a storybook. "Mario the tour guide" became "Mario the Chef" and grilled us some Baramundi steaks for lunch. We also had salad and fresh fruit including papaya, guava and watermelon. While looking around the creek after lunch, we saw a turtle, a freshwater eel and some other fish.
From lunch we traveled even further north to Cape Tribulation which is a large beach just off the rain forest. While walking through the trees we spotted a bird that is native to the area. I think it's called an "orange-footed something"? But I'm sure my dad remembers if you'd like to know the real name. Our final stop was in a region of Mangrove Trees. There we saw the coolest tree I've ever seen. This tree was actually a network of vines that had suffocated its host tree. The host tree died and disintegrated, leaving behind only the vines and a hollow space. I have a picture of it if you'd like to check it out.
Also, on that last walk we saw a spider called a Golden Orb. Now I'm terrified of spiders, but my dad got a picture of it. The spider we saw was a baby, but this species can grow up to the size of a baseball hat (basically as big as your face). AND it spins a we that is so strong it catches birds to eat! Mario said that a human can push against a golden orbs web and it will spring back instead of breaking. This is why my fear of spiders is rational.
We got back to our hotel around 7pm and were pretty worn out. We grabbed some dinner (Mom ate Indian food for those who can appreciate that) and another round of Gelato, and we headed in for the night.
HOWEVER, my ear has really been bothering me ever since our plane was landing in Sydney. It hurt really bad during our descent and since then has been a little uncomfotable. Tonight it started hurting really badly again, and I thought it may be infected (since I have a sinus infection I'm currently not treating). We went to a 24 hour med check and found out my eardrum is very red and swollen, but the doc thinks it's just too much pressure built up behind my ears. He gave me some drops with an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medicine, but warned me that MY EARDRUM MAY PERFORATE WHEN WE FLY TO SYDNEY TOMORROW!! I kind of wish I didn't know that might happen, because he said it will be painful, but we're hoping the drops will prevent it, so keep your fingers crossed.
Happy Friday!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
A Day on the Reef
Today we traveled to the Great Barrier Reef! Wow was it amazing. It was an all day event. We met our boat at the Marina with about 50 other tourists at 8:00am. It took us about 2 hours to get to the reef, but this time flew by. My dad and I had signed up to Scuba Dive, so we spent part of the morning going through an instructional class. We also took some time to "hire" a underwater digital camera for the day(which means we rented it).
The boat slowed down near the smallest island I've ever seen. Literally you could have walked all the way around this island in about 10 min. My dad and I were in the first group to dive. There were three first-time divers and one instructor. We suited up in our "stinger suits" which protected us from jellyfish, put on some fins and goggles, and headed toward the beach. In the shallow water we put on our air tanks and tested out some skills we had talked about on the trip. It is really weird to breathe through a tube like that. And my instincts kept telling me to take a deep breath before going under even though I knew I'd still have oxygen underwater. The four of us linked arms and began our adventure.
We linked arms the entire time so no one got lost. The water wasn't as clear as we thought it would be, and it would only take a few seconds to lose the group in the water. I was on the end so I could take pictures, and at first I was clinging to my Dad's arm, terrified of the unknown. I kept reminding myself to breathe (which takes some thought when you're underwater), and eventually I got into a steady rhythm. As we swam through the coral I loosened my grip to the point where I almost lost my dad's arm. The sights were amazing! The fish were swimming right next to us. We saw giant clams, sting rays, anemones and clown fish just to name a few. We stayed under for about a half hour and then returned to the boat.
Once on board we met up with my mom again, who had taken a submarine ride to check out the reef. We ate lunch, and then my dad and I went snorkeling along the shore for almost an hour. Snorkeling was neat because we were closer to the surface and the colors seemed brighter in the sunlight.Around 2:15 all the passengers boarded the ship and we headed back to the coast of Cairns. It was a very relaxing ride which included champagne and music like "Enya."
We went back to our hotel and cleaned up for dinner. We should have been exhausted, but I think we were still on a high from the day's experiences. We ate at Outback Jacks. As an appetizer we tried the Kangaroo and Crocodile plate. Both meats were a first for me, and I have to say the Kangaroo I could do without, but I really liked the Crocodile. It's a little like chicken, but it also has a seafood-like texture that's hard to explain. After dinner, we walked around the nighttime shops in Cairns and got some Gelato.
It was a pretty amazing day to say the least. It's on my bucket list to see the Reef, so it feels very good to cross that off my list.
Just a note, I have a new favorite fruit. It's called "lychee." I don't think I can ever get it in the States, so I'm just trying to soak in as much as possible while I'm here. Let me know if you've every heard of it or know where I can get some at home.
Again, all of our pictures are on a different site and if you'd like to see them, please don't hesitate to email me. mnruberg@gmail.com
The boat slowed down near the smallest island I've ever seen. Literally you could have walked all the way around this island in about 10 min. My dad and I were in the first group to dive. There were three first-time divers and one instructor. We suited up in our "stinger suits" which protected us from jellyfish, put on some fins and goggles, and headed toward the beach. In the shallow water we put on our air tanks and tested out some skills we had talked about on the trip. It is really weird to breathe through a tube like that. And my instincts kept telling me to take a deep breath before going under even though I knew I'd still have oxygen underwater. The four of us linked arms and began our adventure.
We linked arms the entire time so no one got lost. The water wasn't as clear as we thought it would be, and it would only take a few seconds to lose the group in the water. I was on the end so I could take pictures, and at first I was clinging to my Dad's arm, terrified of the unknown. I kept reminding myself to breathe (which takes some thought when you're underwater), and eventually I got into a steady rhythm. As we swam through the coral I loosened my grip to the point where I almost lost my dad's arm. The sights were amazing! The fish were swimming right next to us. We saw giant clams, sting rays, anemones and clown fish just to name a few. We stayed under for about a half hour and then returned to the boat.
Once on board we met up with my mom again, who had taken a submarine ride to check out the reef. We ate lunch, and then my dad and I went snorkeling along the shore for almost an hour. Snorkeling was neat because we were closer to the surface and the colors seemed brighter in the sunlight.Around 2:15 all the passengers boarded the ship and we headed back to the coast of Cairns. It was a very relaxing ride which included champagne and music like "Enya."
We went back to our hotel and cleaned up for dinner. We should have been exhausted, but I think we were still on a high from the day's experiences. We ate at Outback Jacks. As an appetizer we tried the Kangaroo and Crocodile plate. Both meats were a first for me, and I have to say the Kangaroo I could do without, but I really liked the Crocodile. It's a little like chicken, but it also has a seafood-like texture that's hard to explain. After dinner, we walked around the nighttime shops in Cairns and got some Gelato.
It was a pretty amazing day to say the least. It's on my bucket list to see the Reef, so it feels very good to cross that off my list.
Just a note, I have a new favorite fruit. It's called "lychee." I don't think I can ever get it in the States, so I'm just trying to soak in as much as possible while I'm here. Let me know if you've every heard of it or know where I can get some at home.
Again, all of our pictures are on a different site and if you'd like to see them, please don't hesitate to email me. mnruberg@gmail.com
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Pictures
If you'd like to see my album from this trip, email me at mnruberg@gmail.com and I'll add you to the list of people who have access to the album.
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