Good Morning Sydney!

 

Good Morning and welcome to Sydney Harbour!  Our last breakfast onboard was to take in the sight of the Opera House as we awoke at Circular Quay.  We confess to not waking up at 5am to watch the cruise ship enter the harbour although it's supposed to be a spectacular entrance.  It would have been before sunrise and  . . . we're not ones to wake sleeping children.

 We hauled our bags off the ship and took a bus to the hotel and took the bus and ferry back to Circular Quay to head to Taronga Zoo - the zoo with a view as you'll see the harbour shots interspersed with the wildlife shots.  Loveliest zoo we've seen, set on a hillside overlooking the harbour. 

 Sleepy koalas (they wanted $20 to "meet" one up close . . . )

 Jackson petting a wallaby . . . and the kookaburra singing in the old gumtree!

 Spot the cruise ship!

 The boys had a calipso push pop (freezie / Popsicle kind of treat) after lunch while we waited for the seal show to start - thanks Paterson family for the Aussie coins!!

 yes, that's a military sub making it's way through the harbour - put a smile on Dave's face!

Up  close and personal with the pelicans - they are huge!

Great first day in Sydney!  We made it back to the hotel in time for a McDonald's dinner - our new "home away from home" because they have free WIFI and most hotels in Sydney charge for WIFI.  And also they have this great family deal for $19.99 with 2 Big Macs, 2 hamburgers, 4 fries and 4 drinks that feeds the family.  Why don't they have that in Canada?  

Day 2:  Darling Harbour was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel and realistically, all we could hope for in a playground for the boys.  A huge slide, climbing structures, a wading water feature and of course  . . .  A FLYING FOX!  The boys had never seen anything like it and spent at least half an hour taking turns. 

Yep, you guessed it - McDonalds for lunch again!  Apparently in Sydney, these birds are a bit of a pest . . . they are everywhere!  

I've got the boys sitting next to me on the wharf area looking at jellyfish in the water.   The weather was beautiful too.  

 Dave's choice of attractions was the Nautical Museum.  They have a replica of Captain James Cook's  "Endeavour" which you can board and view the artifacts and ask questions of the guides. 

 Next was the destroyer . . .

spot Dave . . . 

 and now to the submarine (please notice how often the camera catches me holding Xavier at railings!  LOL!) and down the hatch!  You can see how they would launch the torpedos and where the sailors would sleep and the vast array of dials and knobs . . . apparently the Australian government is building a bunch of new submarines, but the problem is that even by offering prospective sailors $100,000 a year, they don't have enough crew for more than 1 new submarine yet.  Hmmm:  Don't get any ideas Dave! 

 and the museum even had a pirate zone for the children where they had to decode a map to find the treasure chest!   It really was a great day to spend at Darling Harbour.  

For those of you who have been following the blog you may remember our attempt at a photo in Whistler with the Olympic rings.  Well, here's attempt number 2 in Sydney, see how well Xavier continues to follow instructions?  At least we've got Jackson trained, only 2 more years to go, X-factor! 

 Day 3:  Manly Beach  - took the ferry again out to Manly beach, got a great view of the harbour along the way.    Just for you Dad - if you want to be pulled out of retirement that is . . .

 Change of pace from McDonalds???  Not really, but when your kid's name is in the restaurant title it's really hard to say no, even when it'll be your 3rd burger meal in 3 days!  And there was free WIFI of course! 

Finally made it past the "strip" of beach stores and restaurants and the water was warmer than we thought it would be!  Kids in the distance starting their surfing lessons after school - can you imagine?  

 Recap:  Great beach day, Xavier gets all tired out and falls asleep on the beach, Jackson looses another tooth as the ferry is docking back in Sydney, and we managed to find a genuine Italian little restaurant for pizza for dinner. 

 Last night in the sharing a bed for awhile boys - got to love the pillow barrier that goes all the way down the bed - they don't sleep with pillows anyways!

Goodbye Sydney!  We dressed the boys in their NZ gear, fed them a donut for breakfast (from the patisserie bakery outside the hotel) and headed for the airport for the final leg of our journey to the intended destination via the "scenic route".   (Yes, Dave & I had to repack again for an hour or so to balance out the bags for weigh-in and flight, but it was much less messy than leaving Vancouver)

(Summoning the enthusiasm:  The boys looking totally unimpressed by the sheep shearing statue and bucket of wool)

The customs / immigration officer says to us:  you could have at least bought an Aussie t-shirt while you were here!   I think I mumbled something about there not being enough room in the suitcases for souvenirs . . . but since the boys are traveling on newly acquired NZ passports, and Xavier has never even entered NZ before so it's actually quite appropriate that they are dressed in black and silver to go to their new "2nd home".