Geo: -27.4676, 153.028Here we are, all settled in a new location. Our airport shuttle picked us up in Sydney where we caught our flight to Brisbane which lasted and hour and a half.On the train to our hotel we befriended a couple from Australia. They were getting off at our stop and offered to head us in the right direction before catching their connecting train. We had an informative conversation about government and news in America which he follows daily on TV. When we arrived at our stop his wife waited for him while he walked us out of the station and headed us in the direction of our hotel. He advised us to use certain streets to avoid some hills. It's always great to meet nice local people to converse with. We soon arrived at ... read more

Geo: -33.8671, 151.207Today was our last day in Sydney. We had a only a couple of sights we still needed to see so we set out first thing this morning for Hyde Park. We viewed the Anzac War Memorial and the Pond of Reflection which were built within the park. The park itself is beautifully landscaped and well maintained. The flower beds were still in full bloom and quite colorful. From the park we could see our next stop which was St. Mary's Cathedral. The church is massive taking up an entire block. It was open to visitors so we went inside. The morning sun shining through the stained glass windows was breathtaking. There was a lot of activity happening inside of the church. Preparations were under way for a funeral for the CEO and founder ... read more

Geo: -33.8671, 151.207The majority of our day was spent in Manly, a suburb of Sydney. We took a 40 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay to reach there. It was a scenic ride on the water of the Sydney Harbour past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Once docked in Manly we headed down the promenade to Manly Beach on the Pacific Ocean. We walked the beach from one end to the other. It was a bright sunny day for beaching. Along the way we often stopped to watch the surfers. It was so calm here compared to the hustling going on in the Central Business District. There are many walking and biking trails in Manly and they were being put to good use today. We followed along one of the walking trails for ... read more

Geo: -33.8671, 151.207Another beautiful sunshiny day took us down to the water. We spent several hours walking around Darling Harbour, Cockle Bay Wharf and Harbourside Wharf. All of the boardwalks and promenades along these waterfronts are lined with restaurants and shopping. In many instances these are multi level establishments with food, coffee bars, drink bars and shopping on each level. The atmosphere around the water is very festive. Also in this area of the city we visited Paddy's Market which was closed today so we plan a return visit. Our wanderings took us through China Town, again lined with stores and restaurants. It was pretty early in the day so the majority of these businesses were just preparing to open. It takes some of them a while to set up since their eating areas are outdoors ... read more

Geo: -37.8143, 144.963We set out early this morning to begin our last day in Melbourne. The streets were not nearly as crowded and we thought it was because of the early hour. Soon enough we realized it was because it is Saturday. It's easy to lose track of the date and days of the week when you are on vacation. It wasn't long before the crowds grew to the numbers of the previous days. After a relaxing breakfast where there was even time to read a newspaper we headed over to Southbank along the Yarra River. The area again has it's share of restaurants and shopping. The shops here were high end. Southbank is also home to the Crown Hotel which houses the local Casino. The interior was truly sparkling. Everything is mirrored and glass. At ... read more