Today we took the ferry out to Manly Beach. It is a gorgeous beach full of surfers. We strolled the beach. Stopped at a nice wharf side restaurant for lunch. We ended up sitting next to 2 Aussie women who loudly gossiped and made disparaging comments about their so called 'friends'. It was very uncomfortable.....as Paul and I had to crane our necks so as not to miss a word.... We spent the afternoon reading and relaxing on the beach. We ended up watching lifeguard training school. The group surged into the surf and vigorously paddled and kicked far out into the ocean in simulated rescue attempts, then vigorously paddled back in and finished by racing down the beach. And they did this ten times in a row. We felt mildly guilty about our double scoop ... read more

Got to Sydney without a hitch. We figured we'd try out some sleeping pills to make the 14 hr flight bearable....when we woke up, we realized that we had slept for almost 10hrs! Took the train into Sydney and hit the ground running. We fueled up with some long blacks (that's coffee) and went out exploring the harbor and the opera house. We also walked across the harbor bridge and climbed the pylon for a magnificent view. Saw a few weddings occurring with great harbor views. We both commented on how good-looking the Aussie men are....well, maybe Janet said it more than Paul. Note to Caroline....strongly consider this country for any future study abroad programs! Heading out to check out the fruit bats at dusk in the botanical gardens.... read more