Today we flew to Sydney! Getting through the international terminal in Christchurch was a breeze. One of the agents at the security after we had passed through the metal detector asked us if we were from the States. We hadn’t spoken to him so he couldn’t have heard our accents. We responded affirmatively and asked how he knew. He laughed and said everyone from the U.S. takes off their shoes to go through security. Apparently they don’t do that in New Zealand. Good to know for next time! : ) The flight to Sydney was about 3.5 hours and was a quick flight. We got our rental car and zipped off. Well, I should say tried to zip off. The traffic was horrendous! As we drove through the areas between the airport and our apartment, Matt and I were a little underwhelmed. We suddenly realized that our expectations of Sydney were probably a little off. In our minds, it was going to be like New Zealand with just a little more cosmopolitan flair. As we drove in the traffic, saw the graffiti on buildings, and passed the hurried pace of mobs of people, we realized that this is a BIG city!! I am not sure why I didn’t have that mental image in my mind. Expectations are huge so I think we have to readjust ours. We were expecting SF and got NYC. I know this place will be great because millions of people can’t be wrong! : ) Once we got settled into our apartment, we headed to the Sydney Harbor so we could be overwhelmed by the greatness of Sydney. Carolina was on pins and needles! We have been pushing these kids to the max with our crazy busy itineraries and no set schedules. They have been beyond awesome with all of it!
It was a stunningly sunny day at the harbor. We ate at a cafe facing the Harbour Bridge and with our backs to the Opera House. We had fun watching people, seagulls, and boats while we ate. It was so fun getting to see the Opera House in real life. Connor and Carolina loved playing on the steps of the Opera House. I liked getting to see one of the spots that my parents have talked so fondly about from their honeymoon almost 40 years ago. We walked all along the harbor and ended up walking on the Harbour Bridge, which gave us a beautiful view of the Opera House. Then we headed to find a place to buy groceries, which ended up being quite the feat. Finding a grocery was hard enough, but finding parking was even harder. We were all glad to be back in the car and headed home after buying some essentials and then trudging back to the car with multiple bags on each arm down several city blocks.
No comments:
Post a Comment