Goodbye Gold Coast Hello Sydney (for a minute)

Well, hello to Sydney for a day.  We caught a flight to Sydney to be ready for our cruise to New Zealand that leaves tomorrow.  We've only been here six hours or so and we already know we are going to like it when we come back to stay a week.  We're in a very nice place in the China Town area of Sydney tonight and will actually return to this condo after the cruise.   It's a safe area with a lot happening on a Friday night.  And good sake.  At least I think it was because it didn't burn going down or cause me to shudder.

Let's back up a couple of days. 

We wanted to see Brisbane before we left that area so took a drive (about an hour) into the city.  We went to the city center and it was a busy, happening place!  It's a very alive city during the day -- full of business people and shoppers.  Just what you'd like Cinci to be.  They have the biggest shopping area I have ever seen (over 1,000 stores and restaurants, including farmer markets and anything else you can think of) in the heart of the city with several blocks paved for pedestrians only.  Where are my girlfriends when I need then??  We listened to carolers singing actual Christmas songs.  It was the hottest day we've had so far -- somewhere in the high 80's -- so the carolers were in red t-shirts and white shorts.

We decided to take what they call the City Cat which is a system of motorized catamarans that transport people up and down and across the river surrounding Brisbane.  It's not just a tourist attraction but actual working public transportation.  Imagine that!  Using a river to bring commuters, shoppers, visitors, and locals on a night out into a downtown area.  And it doesn't even require trolley tracks.  We were feeling kind of lazy so just stayed on the Cat and cruised the river.  Kind of like an outdoor bus ride without the fumes.  It was our lucky day because the ticket machine on board wasn't working so we had a two hour free ride.  That kind of made up for the $45 we had to pay for 4 hours and 15 minutes of parking!










On our last full day we followed the call of nature and explored another rain forest and hiked to a waterfall. It was another beautiful drive through lush green mountains and valleys.  We are suckers for the natural beauty of an area.  We learned more about the local flora and fauna.  There was a three foot eel in the pool beneath the waterfall.  That didn't make sense to us until we read that they swim in from the Coral Sea when they are young and stay until they feel like seeking a mate -- up to 16 years.  Now, I know that info will come in handy when I appear on Jeopardy.  By the way, I learned that we are staying by the Coral Sea though I'm not clear on when it changes from the Pacific.  Whatever it is, it is beautiful.

 

 

 

 

And this is where we ended our day.  We needed one more dose of our new favorite beach (Coolangatta) before we went home to pack.  Ernie got in some water time dreaming of wind-surfing while I made myself comfortable backed up to a lava rock reading while the sun was still shining.  We could have spent another day just beaching it, but it was not to be.  We grabbed some post cards to send to the grandkids and today I stopped at a post office to get stamps.  I cavalierly said, "oh, give me 3 for these post cards and 8 more for later".  Sure.  I paid my $28 Australian (which is about the same as American $).  Why don't I ask questions first??  Like, "how much is it to send a post card to the U.S.?"

 

It's now the morning we jump ship -- jump ON.  If you never see me again it means I had an overboard "accident" at sea.  (all evidence leads to Ernie -- even in my death I will have the last word).  I don't know how much we'll get on-line for awhile but we have some fun stuff planned so hope we can stay in contact.

Ohio people -- enjoy the weather :)  Here the sun is shining and the windows are open and the bad weather at home makes this trip tall the more wonderful.  Oh, Lord forgive me for rubbing it in.

Australia - 4 Days In . . .

Be patient while I catch up (or just look at the pictures and skip the reading altogether)

I'm sitting on the balcony of our condo, looking out at the lagoon that rests off the Coral Sea.  Ernie is out there somewhere having a late afternoon swim and will hopefully return some time before --  well, sometime. 

Ernie's out there somewhere!

He's had much trouble getting his blog out to people (though he's written faithfully every day).  We can't figure out which wrong settings choice was made but apparently most people are disallowed access.  It must be all those government secrets he's spilling.  So, I decided to resurrect my blog from a few years ago.  If you get bored with noise about Australia you can go back in time and read about some other foreign places. 

Though I'd hardly call Australia foreign.  It was so easy to slip into feeling at home here with English signs and speech. However, I did have to ask the front desk to repeat a phone number three times until I understood.  I figured out that "brekky" is breakfast but I still don't know what "pokies" are.  Oh wait!  I just googled it.  They are poker machines.  That's where I'd go brokey.  The only problem here is driving on the wrong side of the road.  I have never been so alert as a passenger before.  Ernie has done well, just a few incidents of honking, yelling, and gestures when we are heading down the wrong side of the road.  (The honking from frightened drivers; the yelling and gestures from me).

Airport Turkey Sandwich for Thanksgiving

The flight out would not have been so bad had I not developed a migraine. Blame it on Christmas lights.  The night before we left we drove the grandchildren through Pyramid Hill's Christmas light display.  Very impressive.  But, I discovered a new brain trigger or me -- passing under arch after arch of flashing LED lights.  Remember when Forest Fair first opened and people had seizures because of the flashing lights at the Dollar Saver Cinema?  Just so you know I'm not making this stuff up.  And, I discovered I forgot my anti-depressant meds.  I e-mailed my doctor to ask if my heart was going to stop, or if I would become maniacal, or if I would crave carbs until sesame seeds came out of my eyeballs.  I got instant reply 13b which addressed none of my concerns.  Either I see a doctor here or go without.  There may be only one of us returning from this trip.

It was pouring rain when we got to Brisbane early the first morning.  When you feel crappy nothing is as welcome as a day when you can't enjoy your long-awaited vacation.  We got our car and drove to the Gold Coast (Labrador), found out how much food costs (lots), and how nice the people are (very).  The day was only good for sleeping which was a good excuse to not force ourselves to adjust to AU time. Which, by the way starts with sunrise at 4:30 a.m.  It's not dark until after 6:30.  So far I've barely made it past 9 p.m.

The following day we hit the coastal roads and headed to Surfer's Paradise and Coolangatta.  The beach side of the coastal road is undeveloped (no businesses) -- just parks and miles of beautiful beaches. 

Surfer's were out in pods.  There is surfer etiquette -- they know who goes next and who gets out of the way but it all looks like an inevitable accident to me.  It was fascinating to watch the surfers of all ages out there.  Even a couple of 9ish year old kids were jumping off huge rocks straight into the surf to get out to the best waves.  

The surfers were out there paddling like crazy just to keep their spot and not be pulled back by the strong current.  It must feel amazing to ride a wave because it's a lot of work and waiting to catch one.  Watching them made us tired so we found a spot with a great view to sit and drink a beer.

Yesterday was our hiking in the rainforest day.  It was our turn for a work out and the scenery was worth all the climbing and descending.  We heard unfamiliar birds calling to each other in the tree canopies; and saw trees, ferns, and bushes that were new to us.  I'm sure the birds were Kookaburras because my old Blue Bird camp song kept repeating in my head.  (Forget that statement if you are under 60 and not from California). The trail was rocky and steep at times, and so very peaceful with no one else around for the majority of our two hour hike.  After running into several spider webs along the path, I  handed Ernie an official de-webber tool (soon to be available on QVC) and gave him the lead.

My Hero
 

After lunch in an artist- winery- green & gluton-free-new age-village where Ernie ate the biggest  hamburger he's ever seen (I guess it was OK because it had beets and a range-free chicken egg on top of the hand-fed beef) , we went to another spot and hiked down to the base of a waterfall.  Ahhh.  It doesn't get better than soaking your feet in a pool at the bottom of a waterfall after a long day of hiking.  Just forget that we had to put our shoes on and hike back up to the car.

On our scenic drive back to the condo we stopped at a recommended spot to see the view and drink a beer.  Sound like a theme? This bar was called St. Bernards -- because there were two resident St. Bernards (as in dogs).  The view was amazing and it was so nice to see all the flowers blooming in December.  Unfortunately, you can't see them in this picture so I probably shouldn't mention them.

And, today.  It was another lazy day laying at the beach feeling sorer than we should have from hiking the day before.  I proved today that sunscreen really does work by neglecting to cover several spots that will keep me warm tonight.  It was a good feeling summery and carefree.

So, you are up to date. 

Fortresses and Fleas

(Monday, 9/26) Ernie and I are sitting in the Munich airport waiting for our flight to Berlin that is already 1-1 2 hours late.  Is it us?

Meanwhile, back to our chosen adventures . . .

The day after our train trip to the castles we once again boarded a train for Austria - Salzburg to be exact.  No problems with the trip this time -- just a little long (2 1/2 hours).  It was still better than driving a car; not only much cheaper but also more relaxing.  The train ride itself was like a tour through the Bavarian Alps.  We passed villages, farms, the rolling foothills with everything looking a rich green.  The mountains were impressive.  Nice ride.

View of Salzberg

  Old Salzburg is a walled city that survived intact through many wars until WWII.  Some of the buildings were destroyed but many were remaining.  Salzburg is Mozart's birthplace so the shops are all things Mozart, including Mozart square with a huge Mozart statue.  We ran into a festival that was going on in the square and local families were having a fun day.  The old church (also at the square) was having a flea market where the guys all found something to buy.  It was cool being with the town people.  I wish we could have taken pictures of the older men we saw dressed in fine quality Bavarian clothes and looking so classic (and classy).  There is a fortress overlooking the town.  We climbed a daunting number of steps to reach the fortress then decided we didn't want to pay to go in.  But the view from there was worth the climb.  Nick found the cutest sweater for Iliana with a big eidelweiss knit into the front.  Nick found a Bavarian hat for Collin just like grandpa's.   I was glad Nick got to see Salzburg because it really had the feeling of old Europe.

The train ride back was not as relaxing as the ride out.  There was an extremely loud group of Germans drinking beer and playing Uno, of all things.  It must have been the best game of Uno ever because they cheered and laughed at everything (with gusto).  It was kind of nice seeing people having such a good time, but not in our ears for two hours please.

Nick and Gnome



Flea market hats -- rejects (the hats not the men)



Climbing the many steep stairs to . . . .

. . .  this fortress

Princesses and Pizza

The church bells are tolling out the window.  The bells must be coming from several churches because it is a pleasant cacophony of sound.  We are about to set off to enjoy our last day in Munich.  Maybe I can get in a few words about previously seen sights before we leave.

The only thing on my don't miss list was a visit to a castle in the Bavarian Alps ... specifically, the Cinderella/Disneyland castle that is the epidomy of castles.  It was going to require a two hour train ride to get there and the guys graciously said they wanted to see it too.  The night before we found out which train to take & bought a special family discount ticket.  Early the next morning, we stopped at our now favorite pastry shop for coffee and pastries to go and headed to the station.  On the way we realized we never checked what TIME the train left.  We hurried to the station holding our hot coffee and bag of pastries, searched for the track, and discovered that the train was leaving NOW. We ran-- not just a little run but about two train lengths at full speed--holding our hot coffee as it shloshed out of the lid.  The conductor saw us running and took pity (the white hair has its advantages) so we actually got on board.  Breathless--at least me and Ernie--but we made it.  It was only 8something in the morning and after our heart rates returned to normal we decided we were off to a great start.  After traveling several miles on the train, drinking the 1/4 cup of coffee that was left, and getting pastry crumbs all over ourselves the conductor came by to punch our ticket.  It's wonderful to have our own translator in events like this.  Like when the conductor says your special discount ticket is not valid until 9 am and you can either pay 40euros each (the original ticket was 29 euros for all 4 of us) or get off the train at the next stop and wait for the next train which will come an hour later and therefore will be after 9 am.  Guess what choice we made?  Here is a picture of us after we got off, asking ourselves "whot happen?" (reference Christopher Guest). 

When we arrived at the little town below the castle we could see that our travel woes were worth it.  We could see Neuschwanstein Castle up on the mountain looking perfect.  The castle was built Ludwig II ("Mad" King Ludwig) over a period of 17 years, but he only lived in it 172 days before he mysteriously drowned in the lake.  He had been declared mentally unfit to rule, seemingly due to spending so much of the coffers on the castle and hobnobbing with artsy types -- particularly the composer Wagner.  Many of the rooms of the castle have themes relating to various Wagner operas.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_II_of_Bavaria.  It's all amazing to see.  Before we visited  Neuschwanstein, we visited a smaller castle built by Ludwig's father.  Also very cool and very different. 

There was a crystal clear lake in the town below the castles and Nick and Chris were determined to jump in for a swim.  It was getting late and cool after we stopped and had pizza, but they decided to give it a try anyway.  We found a spot off the beaten path and they stripped down to their skivies and made a dash into the water -- promising each other they would actually go in and not chicken out.  They did it!  A swim in a Alpine Lake -- what a memory.

Chicken Strips and Carriages

Nick and Chris left us the day after our Salzburg trip.  They arrived in Berlin for a couple of days of brother time.

Ernie and I did what any good parents would do after spending so much time with their kidsBwe slept in.  It felt good and I could have easily given in to a day of reading and sleeping.  But, I can do that at home so we headed out to see another sight on our list.  We went to Nympemburg Palace.  It was in a more residential part of Berlin we had not yet seen. 

The palace itself was interesting, but not terribly exciting.  What was exciting were the grounds, gardens, and transportation museum.  The grounds and gardens were as impressive as Versailles and surrounded by a small fairy-tale forest.  I thought the transportation museum would be dull, but it was fascinating to see the amazingly ornate carriages used by King Ludwig.  Each was carved on every possible place on the carriage frame, the coaches and frames were gilded,  the cabs painted with scenes or portraits and topped with some kind of statue announcing the arrival of the important person inside, even the driver had a special place to sit and Aslippers@ to set his boots into.  The museum also had contained sleighs like nothing I=ve ever seen.  The sleighs were made for hunting or pleasure riding and were decorated with carvings of mythological characters so large I don=t know how the passenger saw around them.  We couldn’t use a flash so didn’t get the best pictures, but you can get an idea.  You must also picture the horses covered in silver embroided blankets and wearing headdresses!

Our last day in Munich brought us to the 20th century.  We took a trip to see the Olympia Park where the 1972 summer Olympics were held.  We stopped for some Kentucky Fried Chicken on the way and it was definitely finger-lickin= good after all that German food.  The park was huge and really gave us a feel for where the athletes compete during the games.  The venues are being used by the community B the pool was filled with pleasure and fitness swimmers and children.  The high dive looked HIGH and I will appreciate it, and the length of the laps, much more when the next Olympics come around.  On the lake kids were floating around in giant bubbles, trying to stand up and get them spinning.  Looked like fun!

We felt that we had to visit the famous Hofbrauhaus which was founded in the 1500's.  It was as full of happy beer drinkers as the Oktoberfest.  I guess when Oktoberfest is not in session, the Hofbrauhaus is the place to be.  It was a big, two story building with a center courtyard and several different large rooms. We didn=t want to sit in the boisterous courtyard and were happy we found a perfect seat on the second floor overlooking the courtyard.  The best part was that I was able to order a salad!  I=d eaten heavy food and potatoes in many forms throughout the week and my body was crying out for greens.  The salad was so good B full of healthy stuff.  But wouldn=t you know it B it came with a warm potato dressing.  I just couldn=t escape the almighty Bavarian potato.  I=ll admit that the dressing was good, and the apple strudel we ended our meal with was perfect.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Munich and surrounding areas.  Ernie was ready to come back and stay for a month or two.  That ain=t gonna happen, but it would be nice to see what the city is like when all the Oktoberfest tourists are gone.  I wonder if they wear the dirndls all year long? 

Bikes and Bratwurst

A few days later and it's already hard to remember what we did on Wednesday.  I think it was Wednesday?

We decided to go on a bike tour of Munich.  Mike's Bikes was just around the corner and the guys that ran the business all spoke English and wanted everybody to have a good time.  They also told me they had never lost a rider.  All these qualifications were good enough for me.  While we were waiting for our tour time we checked out the famous glockenspeil and managed to be there at one of the three daily chime times.  The king and queen watched the court entertainment while dancers twirled.  Just like you would imagine.

Once it was bike time, I got off to a more wobbly start than I normally would after a year off two-wheelers because I had a cool touring bike with wide handlebars which felt like I was steering a chopper.  We followed the leader stopping at various points of interest 1) the plaza where Hitler was almost shot early in his "career", 2) a beautiful church with more plasterwork than I've ever seen, 3) a park that had a few very out-of-place naked male sunbathers, 4) a fun beer garden where they ran out of the chicken Ernie was eyeing just before he ordered, and various other historical spots.  Other than almost veering into a serious rider coming in the opposit direction, all was well.




Plaza

 
  

Church

 

Chubby Naked Guys

 

After the ride we all came back and had a little rest.  I continued to have a little rest while Ernie, Nick and Chris went back to Oktoberfest.  One crowded night was enough for me so I stayed behind and tried to watch BBC news because that was the only program in English.  I actually ventured to the little market to get something for dinner.  After about 30 minutes in the store I was able to understand enough labels to come home with a can of tomato soup, a yogurt, and of course a candy bar (which needs no translation).  I was so proud of myself.  The guys came home after having had a great time.  They actually were able to sit at a great table and were joined by a couple of other men that were good company. 

I think they got the sense of the camaraderie behind the beer garden concept.  It is a community atmosphere with all ages coming together and celebrating their heritage.  I know my guys had fun because Ernie came home wearing a Tyrolean hat, feather and all.

Some Catching Up Needed

 

 

So tired.  We've had three days of walking, biking, and running (literally).  By the time we get back to the apartment all four of us want to use the one computer that doesn't pick up the internet half the time - even though we are paying extra for it.  Grrr.  So, blogging has not been fitting in as planned.  I'll catch up on this blur of touristing later today (I hope).

Nick and Chris left today for Berlin.  We planned the schedule so they could have brother time alone.  And, it turns out that Ernie and I are ready for old folks time.  Having our "boys" with us on this trip has added a level of pleasure that makes this trip extra-special.  It's a throw-back to the old days before all the major life changes.  And though I would never want us to have remained stuck in a little foursome family, it's a comfortable feeling to re-visit that place.  We've done well together.  I like the adults my sons have become and they are people I just like to hang around with.  I'm so proud of them.

We'll join them in a few days.  The next apartment is in east Berlin up six flights of stairs.  No elevator.  Dang Communists.