Posted in Updates on 03/29/2009 07:29 pm by JP
On Saturday we headed back to the East Suburbs to a place called Bondi Beach. It happened to be in the same neighborhood as Bondi Junction and the Westfield Mall, where we had been the previous day. If downtown Sydney is located well into the Sydney harbor, Bondi Beach is out around the end of the harbor. The 20 minute bus ride paid off with a beautiful beach and blue ocean. Dave and I headed straight to the beach while Alissa and Sara shopped the mall. We met up a couple hours later and headed back to town to prepare for the Sydney Symphony that night at the Opera House. The symphony was perfect! A wonderful mix of Beethoven, Hayden, and Bartok. The acoustics in the concert hall were unbelievable. Even with a smaller concert orchestra, the sound filled the venue from low to high. It was fun to just close your eyes and listen to every part and every instrument.
Because we didn’t get much time together at Bondi Beach, Sunday brought us back to the beach… no mall, just beach! The girls laid out and did a little Sunday Market shopping, while Dave and I rented surf boards and hit the waves. Well, Dave hit the waves. I just got hit by the waves.
Sunday night, our last night in Sydney, happened to be the same night Hillsong Church recorded their annual live album (releases July 2009) at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, located a few blocks from our hotel. Hillsong is a HUGE church in Sydney with an incredible music program and school. They write many songs sung in churches across the world. Hillsong is also home to our favorite Brooke Fraser, seen in the video below.
It’s currently Monday morning, and we’re packing up to fly home this afternoon. It’s been a wonderful trip, but we’re looking forward to being home and seeing you all. Thanks for coming along!
Click here to see Pictures from AUS Day15-16
Click here to watch Video Update #6
Posted in Updates on 03/28/2009 09:23 am by JP
We arrived in Sydney on Wednesday afternoon. After figuring out transportation, we boarded a train, bags and all, bound for City Center. 3 flights of stairs, 2 city blocks, and 4 crosswalks later, we arrived at our hotel, located just south of Museum Park in downtown Sydney. The room is on the small side, but the location is prime! We ate out Wednesday night in Darling Harbor and walk the city to get acquainted.
Thursday morning we headed straight to the opera house to see what all the fuss is about. AMAZING! We all drooled over the engineering (more so Dave and I) and architecture. The incredibly original design is a sight to be seen. It most definitely lived up to the hype. Did you know that the curvature of the sail-shaped shells all have the same radius? Me neither. We spent the remainder of Thursday shopping. Sydney has lots of shops, few I liked. We ate again in Darling Harbor, but at a different restaurant. And enjoyed the view of the city reflecting off the water. Quite beautiful.
On Friday, we headed again for the opera house, this time to change the date of our symphony tickets. We were scheduled to attend that night, but changed them to Saturday so we could instead go to a RUGBY GAME! Wests Tigers verses East Suburbs Roosters. It was a battle of East Sydney against West Sydney. It was definitely an authentic Australian experience. Watch the video to see what I mean.
Click here to see Pictures from AUS Day 12-14
Click here to watch Video Update #5
Posted in Updates on 03/25/2009 09:47 am by JP
The Queensland and Great Barrier Reef leg of our trip was amazing! Ben and Krissy Pye were incredible hosts. They packed an adventure into 3 days that was equal to a lifetime of experiences! Check out the video and pictures to see what we mean. Thanks Ben and Krissy!
Click here to see Pictures from AUS Day 9-11
Click here to watch Video Update #4
Posted in Updates on 03/21/2009 08:22 pm by JP
Friday morning, after a dose of Starbucks and McDonalds (you can take the American out of America, but you can’t take the American out of the American… wait). Anyway, after our good ‘ol American breakfast, Dave and I were picked up by a Kiwi in a huge Land Rover with bikes strapped to the top. Friday was Heli Biking day! We went straight to the airport and loaded onto a helicopter (with the bikes). We took off and flew 15 minutes up to a mountain peak to mountain bike down. It was our first helicopter ride and was the coolest sensation. The best part was when the helicopter ride was over, the mountain biking was only just getting started. After a 4 hour ride which involved a bit of carrying and hiking, we were exhausted.
Sara and Alissa spent the morning shopping and have little to show for it. Apparently women’s sizes are much smaller here and the girls couldn’t bring themselves to buy clothing 4 sizes bigger than they actually wear. Whatever.
On Saturday we packed up and headed to the airport. Queenstown > Christchurch > Brisbane > Townsville. We are now in Australia! Warm, sunny, humid. We love it!
Click here to see pictures from NZ Day 7-8.
Click here to view Video Update #3.
Posted in Updates on 03/20/2009 01:27 am by JP
Wednesday brought more clouds than sunshine, so we decided to rent a car and take a road trip to a neighboring “township” called Wanaka. The rental car was a 90’s model Subaru Legacy… with the steering wheel on the right side. We decided to leave Dave with the driving and he spent the better part of the trip focusing on staying on the left side of the road. Everything is opposite except the gas and break pedals, which are setup the same as US cars. So when Dave went to turn on his blinker, we saw the windshield wipers. It was entertaining… and a little scary. Wanaka was is similar to Queenstown, but much quieter. It was nice to see the countryside and we visited a beautiful winery called Amisfield along the way.
Thursday brought even more showers. Luckily, we had scheduled a coach/boat tour of the Fiords, namely Doubtful Sound. Lots of green and deep blue. Amazing mountains dropping straight into the water. The rain and low clouds added a mystic feel… right out of Lord of the Rings! The tour trip got a bit old as we’d stop at EVERY little trickle of a water fall to unload the bus and take pictures. 23 stops later, we reached a hydro dam plant… minus the dam. They used the change in elevation between a lake and sound to create electricity. The engineering was really cool. Dave and I may have liked it better than the scenic stuff.
Click here to see pictures from NZ Day 5-6.
Click here to view Video Update #2.
