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Published: March 13th 2007
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Hello Everyone!
Our latest blog is from our trip to Australia, which took place a few weeks back in February. We had quite a nice long vacation in February due to Seol-nal (the Korean Lunar New Year), and so we got to spend a couple weeks traveling in Sydney and Melbourne. But, because we had SOOOO many pictures from this trip, we decided to do 2 Australia blogs....this one being the first: Our trip to Sydney!
When we arrived at Sydney's airport one Sunday morning, we were warmly greeted by Sophie and her "mum" (hehe) at the gate. Sophie was a friend and fellow "Ariel" performer with me at Tokyo Disneyland last year, and was a lovely hostess for us the whole week. After picking us up from the airport, we went to a fun picnic at Centennial Park where some of Sophie's other Disney friends were bidding eachother farewell, as some had resigned new contracts and were soon going back to Japan! Even though Larry and I didn't really know anyone, we really enjoyed the beautiful park and the PERFECT weather. And I slowly started to introduce my Snow White legs to the sun... 😊
That night
we had dinner at a steakhouse on the water in Darling Harbour. It was beautiful and the food was nice too. The highlight of the night probably should have been the fact that we were eating KANGAROO for dinner, but instead it was when Sophie got the phone number of our Canadian waiter!! What a night!
Day 2 On Day 2 we spent the bulk of the day at Toronga Zoo. I really wanted to see some kangaroos and koalas, and Larry wanted to humor me. It ended up being quite a nice zoo though... It was all the way across the harbour, and so we had to take a ferry just to get there. Once there, it kind of felt like we were in Jurassic Park because it felt like we were on a private little island of animals - except of course without the dinosaurs! We also had some great views of the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House from the zoo.
Once we started through the zoo, it wasn't long before we came to the touristy "Australian animals" section...where you could walk through a kangaroo & wallaby exhibit and see them in
their natural habitat. Well, once I saw a family on a private tour getting to take pictures with a kangaroo, I knew we had to have a private tour too!! So, we went all the way back to the entrance of the zoo, and started all over again with a private tour guide! As you can see by the pictures, it was well worth it though...as we got to take pictures petting a kangaroo!! Aren't they cute?!?
We also saw some "River Cooters" in the amphibian house....not quite sure what exactly they were, as there were MANY creepy crawlies in this particular exhibit...but I knew that Amy would get a big kick out of this sign!!! hahaha. 😊
For dinner we ate at a nice seafood restaurant, also on the water, appropriately named
Waterfront. This restaurant was between the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, and so once again we had some spectacular views. It was in an area of Sydney called "The Rocks"...one of our favorite places in the city. As you can see by the picture of me sitting in front of what looks to be the ocean floor...we had a very lovely seafood spread
for dinner that night!
Day 3 Day 3 started very, very early... We began our day with the popular "Sydney Harbour Bridge climb" at 7am! This is where you actually put on climbing gear, grab some equipment, and actually CLIMB to the top of the bridge with a small group of people and a guide! Quite an amazing experience, although some parts I thought were rather scary. Larry was fine, but when you're already not completely comfortable with heights, well, climbing along a narrow, grate-like catwalk with nothing but the traffic of the bridge way below you... it can be a little unsettling. But once we got to the top...COMPLETELY worth it. The views along the harbour were incredible, and we also had a special sight that morning...the Queen Mary 2! It was in the harbour for the first time since World War II...so we were very lucky to be in such a prime location on this historical day!!
After our bridge climb, we met up with another one of my Aussie friends from Tokyo Disneyland (also a former Ariel!), Larissa! Once we met up, we all went to lunch together and then went to get
a better view of the Queen Mary 2. It really is a HUGE cruise ship, and made the ship I used to work on seem like a little toy boat!! Afterwards we went on a tour of the Sydney Opera House, which was also pretty astonishing. My favorite part was when we got to go inside the main auditorium and watch the symphony practice for that evening's show. The acoustics in there were just unbelievable!! After the tour we headed back to Sophie's for a little BBQ get-together she had that night....very relaxing and nice!
Day 4 On Day 4 again, we got up early, for a full day tour of the infamous Blue Mountains (named for their bluish tint caused by the high levels of eucalyptus in the air)...about an hour's drive outside of Sydney. On the way to the Blue Mountains we met a lovely couple from the U.S. - the woman had graduated from the University of Maryland (where Larry went to school), and the man from the University of Michigan (where I graduated)....What a small world, huh? Anyway, once we got to the mountains, we had a morning tea, went on a couple
short hikes, and even saw some waterfalls. Then, we went to a place where we could get a great look at the
Three Sisters, 3 large rock formations apparently resembling women on the side of the mountain. Very beautiful to see! It was also fun watching Larry entertain me by dancing with the 'Three Sisters' sculptures' out in front! 😱 After all the nature, we had a nice Italian lunch in Leura Valley and then saw some kangaroos (in their natural habitat) before heading home via ferry. From the ferry, it was really nice to see the harbour during sunset...as well as from Sydney's Centre Point Tower where we had dinner in the revolving restaurant on the top floor!
Day 5 On our last full day in Sydney, Sophie FINALLY had the day off from all of her jobs, and so we were finally able to hang out with her this day. That morning, we picked up her friend Marty and drove to Manly Beach for a few hours...one of Sydney's most beautiful & popular beaches. Later, we headed back so that Sophie could get ready for her big game that night...cheerleading for a play-off game of
the Sydney Kings' basketball team...which of course we all went to! (Not quite like the NBA, but it had it's similarities!) It was great because Larissa was able to come out and meet us this night as well, and so we were all reunited on our last night in Sydney....a very nice way to end our time here.
NOW...Off to Melbourne... Love,
Larry & Melanie
AUSTRALIAN FOR THE DAY: "You're being
cheeky... " - You're being naughty...(but in a cute, sexy or smart-ass sort of way)!!
(Haha...thanks for the lessons, guys!)
P.S. - (To Mel & Gareth)....There ARE Baskin' Robbins in Sydney now! LOTS!! Hooray!! 😊
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Joby
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Looks fun
Man I need a vacation!!!