Australia - Part 3

Sorry for the delay in getting part 3 of our adventure out on the blog.  We were away this past week-end for a homeschool conference and to visit some sweet friends of ours in North Carolina.  (Can you believe we actually packed up and went away again?  We're ready to stay home for awhile now.)  We also semi-retired our old workhorse Dell computer and upgraded to a fancy new Mac.  Wow, couldn't believe how quickly I was able to download the pics to the blog!  What am I going to do with all of my free time?  (In theory, of course.  Ever set up a new computer?  I still can't send e-mail. I can only receive... very frustrating.  I have a new help line to call tomorrow.  Can't wait.)

I left off Part 2 with the end of the GFA conference.  One story I can't believe I forgot to relate as it was one of the highlights for the kids:  During a bit of free time, Rich and the 3 big kids (Ellen, Caleb and Logan) went for a bushwalk (a.k.a. hike) around the conference centre while the little girls napped.  About a stone's throw away from them in a clearing sat a big ole kangaroo just staring at them.  I guess it's like us seeing a deer on a hike here in America, very common, but it sure fascinated them.  Unfortunately, no one had their cameras with them.  They rushed back to the room to tell me and pointed in the direction where it was.  Sure enough, I peered out the window to see it!  We certainly weren't in Kansas anymore.

Another funny story:   One of the first things the kids did when we settled into our room at the conference site was fill the sink up with water only to pull the drain to see if the water really did swirl clockwise below the equator.  (Actually they tried flushing the toilet first, but Australian toilets are quite different than American toilets and don't actually fill with water the way ours do.  They were briefly disappointed that they couldn't conduct their much anticipated experiment, but thought quickly and moved on to the sink.)  Conclusion:  Below the equator, water does indeed swirl clockwise.  Very exciting to them.  Next question:  how does the water swirl AT the equator?

Day Ten

We said many good-byes, collected e-mail addresses, took pictures and hugged a lot before leaving the conference.  Next GFA conference is in January 2012 in Victoria, Australia.  The kids looked at us with questioning eyes when they heard the announcement.  They had loved the past 4 days and the new adventures, experiences, and friends.  They were digging this faraway travel stuff.

Peter and Michelle F. graciously lent us their car complete with a GPS system and turned us loose, agreeing to meet back at their house in Sydney for dinner.  Yikes!  Driving on the left side of the road.  Rich did great as we all chanted, "Wide right, tight left" every time he prepared to turn.  The hardest part was every time he went to put on his turn signal (on the right side of the steering wheel), he accidentally turned on the windshield wipers which were on the left side of the steering wheel.  That was a hard adjustment for him which he finally mastered 3 weeks later only to come home to America and get it mixed up again.  Habits are hard to break.

The previous 4 days had been a wonderful introduction to the people of Australia and now it was time to combine the people with the sights.  We first ventured just south Stanwell to take in some of the magnificent Pacific Ocean scenery.

Check out the highway in the distance, that's hugging the coast.

That's the Sea Cliff Bridge below from the opposite direction as the photo above.  The highway was built around the cliff and extends over the ocean.

Incredibly, after wandering around for a few hours to see many gorgeous sights, we set the GPS north to Peter and Michelle's home in Sydney during peak hour (rush hour) and made it! Rich was a bit tired from having to think so hard to drive, but also felt victorious.  Peter and Michelle were very generous and very brave.  They were absolutely incredible.  After being in charge of organizing and running this massive conference, they invited our family of 7 to invade their home for the next 4 days.  They gave up their beds for us, fed us, minded (babysat) our kids for us (you'll read about that incredible day on Day 12), gave us their car to use, toured us all around Sydney to see the sights... the list goes on.  We are so thankful to them and their servant hearts.  They truly modeled the love and generosity of Jesus and we loved every minute of it.  We are hoping that we can return the favor some day over here in America!

Day Eleven

Darling Harbour, Maritime Museum, Shopping downtown Sydney, walking around taking in the sights of the harbor, including the Opera House...  very fun day!  I kept telling Michelle all day, "I can't believe I'm in Australia!"  She laughed every time I said it.  Isn't she sweet?  Gary and Anne Marie E. (from America) and Wayne (the Qantas pilot I mentioned who had his friend welcome us on our flight as we left L.A.) and Danielle S. (of Sydney) joined us as we explored Sydney.

Darling Harbour

Gary, Anne Marie, me and Rich with the famous Sydney Opera in the background.

This is why Anna is often not in the picture.  Zzzzzzzzz...

Australia's coat of arms with a kangaroo and an emu - 2 animals who cannot go backwards, representing the fact that Australia is a country always moving forward.

Day Twelve

Each day just kept getting better and better.  Peter F. dropped Rich and I off a short distance from their house to catch a river ferry to downtown Sydney while he and Michelle watched our kids (and theirs - that's 9 kids ages 11 and under) for most of the day.  Not only did they watch our kids, they were brave enough to take all 9 to the Sydney Aquarium!

We caught the ferry below and enjoyed a 45 minute ride down the river to...

... Circular Quay.

From there, we met up with Gary and Anne Marie for one of the highlights of the trip for both Rich and I.  We climbed the Sydney Bridge!  To the very top where the flags are!

The whole process was very precise.  We had to suit up and couldn't take anything with us that could fall below onto the passing cars.  No cameras, no phones, no jewelry.  Sunglasses had to be tethered, hats had to be tethered.  We had to take a breathalyzer test to make sure we were in our right frame of mind and we even 'practiced' what climbing would be like.

The views from the top were breathtaking - downtown, the harbour, Fort Denison, the Opera House with views all the way out to the harbour entrance to the ocean.  1400 steps in all that left me quite sore for several days.  You can read more about the bridge climb at the official Sydney Bridge Climb website here.

 

All that exercise (most I've gotten in way too long) left us ravenous!  We made our way to the Sydney Fish Market for some very authentic and delicious fish 'n chips.

It's a lot of work to travel as far as we had with a bunch of little ones and Rich and I were thoroughly enjoying our 'date' in Sydney.  It was quite relaxing.  We kept praying for brave Peter and Michelle whose day wasn't quite as relaxing as ours... although, from what our kids reported, it was quite fun.

Next stop on our date was a harbour tour with Wayne and Danielle by boat where we saw some beautiful sights...

The Prime Minister's Sydney house.  (He lives it the capital city of Canberra, but often visits and stays here.)

Opera House and bridge we had just conquered in background.

I lost count of how many Opera House pictures I took, but it's just so beautiful and uniquely Sydney!

Fort Denison

2 full days in Sydney weren't nearly enough to see all that we would have liked to, but it gave us a wonderful flavor.  There was so much more of Australia to see.

Part 4.  Coming Soon...