Mom & Dad visit: Australia

My favorite day in Hamilton was spent sailing to Whitehaven beach. During the summer months in Queensland (the state Hamilton Island is located in) it’s necessary to wear stinger suits in the water due to the high number of jellyfish. Although this made my Mom nervous, she and Dad were both troopers and came snorkeling with me. It was definitely my favorite snorkel spot so far; I couldn’t believe all the different types of fish, rays, and turtles we saw! On Sunday we took a ferry to Airlie Beach and spent the afternoon eating an eight- course brunch at Deja Vue. We were so stuffed we didn’t even bother going out for dinner that night! The last day we were there it did rain a lot, but that didn’t interfere with Dad’s early round of golf or mine and Mom’s full body massages (ahh the perks of vacationing with your parents) so we had no complaints!

Sailing the Whitsundays.

Whitehaven Beach.

Unfortunately, not very many pictures turned out well from my underwater disposable camera, but at least I was able to capture this friendly sea turtle.

Dad helping out on the boat, what a natural!

The Yacht Club, where we had dinner our last night in town.

Cockatoos were everywhere on the island, here's one just chilling on our balcony.

Upon arriving at our hotel in Sydney, the receptionist told us we had been upgraded (Mom’s favorite word) to the penthouse. Not a bad way to end our vacation, eh? Our first day we spent walking around Sydney Harbour, eating lunch at a café in Circular Quay, taking a ferry ride over to Manly beach, and then having dinner with Brooke and Jay in The Rocks. I was so happy my parents could meet some of my friends! We woke up bright and early next morning and headed to Hunter Valley for a wine tour. If I remember correctly our favorite vineyard was called Iron Gates. Dad had them ship a dozen bottles or so back home; I made him promise he would save at least one bottle to drink with me. As a Christmas present I bought my parents tickets to a show and tour of the Opera House, which is how we spent our Saturday afternoon. We all loved the tour and enjoyed listening to the music during The Man In Black: The Johnny Cash Story. Our final day, Mom and I did some serious shopping at the markets before having a lovely Valentines day dinner in Darling Harbour. I couldn’t believe how quickly three weeks passed with my parents. I loved every minute of them being here. I would highly recommend my siblings going abroad, if only to have our parents to come and spoil them crazy during their visit!

The view from the penthouse... not too shabby.

Just a couple of beach bums hanging out in Manly.

Interior of the Opera House... We actually learned on the tour that due to some political issues, the Danish architect Jorn Utzon never saw his finished product.

They've had everything from operas, concerts, and wrestling matches take place in the main hall.

Thanks Mom and Dad for the best trip ever!

Sightseeing in Sydney

I had a few days off this week, so I took it upon myself to do more sightseeing in Sydney, thus the witty entry title. My first stop was the Sydney Tower, the top of which is the highest point in the southern hemisphere. The views were breathtaking and I would love to go back again one night to catch the city at sunset. Next, I took a stroll through The Rocks, one of the city’s oldest areas and ended my fun- filled day with a walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A piece of advice to anyone who might walk across the bridge in the future: wear pants, it tends to be quite windy up there and holding down your skirt while trying to take pictures proves to be a difficult task at times. I hope you enjoy the pictures, while I have visited many of these sites before it’s always fun to see them from a different angle.

Darling Harbour

There are parks all over the city, Hyde Park is by far the largest and most well known.

This is King's Cross, that Coca- Cola sign is said to be as famous in Australia as the Hollywood sign is in America.

The start of the pedestrian bridge walk.

Sydney Harbour from a different angle.

The north side of Sydney, how amazing would it be to live on the water and have the next two pictures as your view...

The front facade of the Opera House.