The Trek to Down Unda

Much has happened since I left The Lone Star State.


Jan 14-16
I packed my bags- all 3, bulging at the seams- and came up to the airport only to realize one of my bags was overweight.  My Dad was the one who took me to the airport, so I'm sure this was a fun little moment for him.  Just picture it- I  was that girl, rummaging through the bags, pulling out unnecessary items and handing them to the innocent father waiting patiently.  Poor guy. Then I went through security and headed off.  It was a night flight, so the airport was pretty empty.  I made a few friends in the terminal.  The flight to LA was a breeze.  Then, when connecting to my Sydney flight, I had to wait a bit, but met a wonderful family from New Zealand.  By the end of the bus ride to the Sydney terminal, the whole lot of bus riders knew who the "Texan girl" was.  Right then, I knew it was going to be fun.
The flight to Australia wasn't bad at all.  I slept for probably 6 hours since I had a going away party the night before. Unfortunately, my neck was bothering me a bit since the night before I danced to "I Whip My Hair"- probably not a smart decision.  But, the food was good and we had individual TVs on the back of the seats so I watched a few good movies.
I made it to Sydney, but a bit later than expected.  But, luckily, Granny, Wayne and Mama were waiting just outside security.  Then we headed off the our hotel.
We stayed at a quaint hotel close to the Sydney Harbour.  We like to call it a "vintage" hotel, since there were not elevators.  Lugging the bags up 3 flights of stairs was a joy.  We had fun teasing about it though.  Our hotel was just a block away from where our family friend, Ian Thomas, used to live.  That was neat to see his homestead still standing after 50 years.


After getting settled, we went to the harbor.  On our way, we walked through the botanical gardens.  There were hundreds of very fit men running on the trail. What an incredible view.  (I'm talking about the gardens of course.) Then we made it to a view of the bridge and Opera house.
It was stunning.  The Sydney Opera House is a "modern expressionist design" with a series of large concrete "shells".  It was designed and largely built by Danish architect Jorn Utzon.  The Opera House is a performing arts cetner for thousands of events each year.  It didn't open until 1973, after a long gestation starting with Utzon's winning design in 1957.  The original cost estimate was $7 million.  The original completion date set by the government was January 26, 1963, Australia Day.  However, the project was completed ten years late and over budget by more than fourteen times. 

The Sydney Harbor Bridge was amazing to see as well.  According to the Guinness World Records, it is the world's widest long-span bridge.  It is also the 5th longest spanning arch bridge in the world, and it is the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 440 ft from top to water level.  The pillars on each side of the bridge offer no structural significance and instead were built purely for looks.

Tuesday, Jan 17-

We didn't get enough of the opera house the night before, so we went back to take more pictures in the morning before our cruise headed for New Zealand.   While walking through the botanical gardens, we had our first encounter with Flying Foxes. 



The Grey-headed Flying-Fox is a large bat native to Australia.  There are over 60 recognized species, which include the largest bats in the world.  Adult grey-headed flying-foxes have an average wingspan of up to 1m and can weigh up to 1 kg.  (3 feet and 2.2 lbs) To the right you can see a mother and her young.

Then we boarded the Volendam.  This Holland America ship was docked in the Sydney Harbor, so for lunch, we ate with a superb view of the Opera House.  What a perfect beginning.