I've been, I've been to the Land Down Under...
Aug 16th, 2012, 03:28 AM
#32
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Loving the report Amy, great turn of phrase you have, did you pick this up down under?? You haven't mentioned the great greeting "hair yu ghannn"?
I am so pleased you had a fabulous time, lived down under for 35 years and have only flown over The Rock, so you are one up on me.
Can't wait to hear about Sydney - (and you didn't come and visit me)
With you on the Caramello Koalas...
Schnauzer
I am so pleased you had a fabulous time, lived down under for 35 years and have only flown over The Rock, so you are one up on me.
Can't wait to hear about Sydney - (and you didn't come and visit me)
With you on the Caramello Koalas...
Schnauzer
Aug 16th, 2012, 06:51 PM
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Schnauzer! Hair YOUUUU gahrnn? (I did notice the "how you going?", as I kept mentally changing it to "how you doin'?"
On to <b>Sydney and the Blue (because they're ice cold) Mountains</b>
Swooping, swaying, sexy Sydney. Oh, my, what a city. I have to confess, however, that we really didn't see nearly as much of it as we could/should have, as by this point we were, um, taking things a bit more leisurely. (I think I wore my nieces out a bit.) But the parts we did see were delightful.
Our home for our final four nights was the astounding Sydney Harbour YHA in the Rocks, over top an (open air) archaeological dig. Whilst it never forgets that it's a hostel, it's got the most extraordinary location for $48pp per night that I've ever seen, and you get a bathmat delivered daily. (Towels are extra. The bathmat thing actually was kinda amusing.) Rooms are large, with high ceilings (yay!), individual bed lights, individual power outlets in the lockers, a table and chairs, ensuite...and the communal kitchen. Oh, yes, the kitchen. Huge, clean, with commercial see-through refrigerators and just about anything you'd want in cookware AND a humongous roll of plastic wrap. Which just goes to show that whoever designed this? Has stayed in hostels. And it's got views from the terrace of the Opera House and Bridge. So, yeah, pretty much all the raves on TripAdvisor are true. It is still a hostel, let me stress, and there was an incredibly noisy group of kids there the final night, but worth it? Oh, yes. Plus really great people at reception all the time, including one that looks like the tall version of Mr. Bean.
Our $70 (ouch) taxi from the airport swooped us through tunnels at sunset, and it was fully dark when we went out exploring, so we didn't get too far the first night; just down to a red brick pizza place down the hill. (Zia Pina, on George Street. Quite good, actually; thin crust pizza and garlic bread.) After another bout of laundry, we crashed in our bunks, happily deciding not to get up until we got up the next day, after our days of sunrise wakings.
So we got off to a bit of a late start next day, and compounded our sins by having breakfast/lunch at...McDonald's. Here I have to explain a bit: the McD's was actually my choice. I don't eat at them here, but, in a nod to irony and in a quest for fried apple pies, I visit one in just about every country I've been. (Usually on the 4th of July, but I didn't have a suitably appropriate date on this trip.) They have the fried apple pies in Sydney, just like they do EVERYPLACE BUT THE UNITED STATES. Harrumph. (Terribly bad for you, of course, but they're really, really tasty.)
Having done our Woolworths' run (helloooo, Caramello Koalas on special offer!) and some souvenir shopping, we spent our afternoon getting the amazingly picturesque ferry to Manly Beach.
Now, let me just say here that Sydney Harbour is ridiculously, over-the-top beautiful, especially in the sparkling sunlight and 70 degrees that we had that day. It just dances. My first glimpse of the Opera House was less than overwhelming, but the way it dominates and focuses the harbour area made me appreciate it more and more. (There are some buildings that have an immediate resonance with me, but this wasn't one; it's the context that made me connect, I think.) The stately green ferry pulled out past it and into the sun-sparkled waters that were dotted with sailboats. Who is out on all those sailboats on a Wednesday afternoon in the winter, anyway? Does somebody pay them just to be picturesque? (Because they do a mighty fine job of it.) We chugged across to Manly in about half an hour, then followed the "Corso" with its lovely pastel facades and varied/tacky souvenir etc. shops to the beach.
It was a bit cold for swimming--we dunked our toes in a bit--but we and kids in school uniform and others stayed on the beach for a while, then did some more shopping and >>TAH-DAH<< the best fish and chips EVER from Manly Fish Market on Steyne Street. (Take-out counter) I don't even really know how the chips were, to be honest, because I was having a holy experience of revelation with that fish.
On to <b>Sydney and the Blue (because they're ice cold) Mountains</b>
Swooping, swaying, sexy Sydney. Oh, my, what a city. I have to confess, however, that we really didn't see nearly as much of it as we could/should have, as by this point we were, um, taking things a bit more leisurely. (I think I wore my nieces out a bit.) But the parts we did see were delightful.
Our home for our final four nights was the astounding Sydney Harbour YHA in the Rocks, over top an (open air) archaeological dig. Whilst it never forgets that it's a hostel, it's got the most extraordinary location for $48pp per night that I've ever seen, and you get a bathmat delivered daily. (Towels are extra. The bathmat thing actually was kinda amusing.) Rooms are large, with high ceilings (yay!), individual bed lights, individual power outlets in the lockers, a table and chairs, ensuite...and the communal kitchen. Oh, yes, the kitchen. Huge, clean, with commercial see-through refrigerators and just about anything you'd want in cookware AND a humongous roll of plastic wrap. Which just goes to show that whoever designed this? Has stayed in hostels. And it's got views from the terrace of the Opera House and Bridge. So, yeah, pretty much all the raves on TripAdvisor are true. It is still a hostel, let me stress, and there was an incredibly noisy group of kids there the final night, but worth it? Oh, yes. Plus really great people at reception all the time, including one that looks like the tall version of Mr. Bean.
Our $70 (ouch) taxi from the airport swooped us through tunnels at sunset, and it was fully dark when we went out exploring, so we didn't get too far the first night; just down to a red brick pizza place down the hill. (Zia Pina, on George Street. Quite good, actually; thin crust pizza and garlic bread.) After another bout of laundry, we crashed in our bunks, happily deciding not to get up until we got up the next day, after our days of sunrise wakings.
So we got off to a bit of a late start next day, and compounded our sins by having breakfast/lunch at...McDonald's. Here I have to explain a bit: the McD's was actually my choice. I don't eat at them here, but, in a nod to irony and in a quest for fried apple pies, I visit one in just about every country I've been. (Usually on the 4th of July, but I didn't have a suitably appropriate date on this trip.) They have the fried apple pies in Sydney, just like they do EVERYPLACE BUT THE UNITED STATES. Harrumph. (Terribly bad for you, of course, but they're really, really tasty.)
Having done our Woolworths' run (helloooo, Caramello Koalas on special offer!) and some souvenir shopping, we spent our afternoon getting the amazingly picturesque ferry to Manly Beach.
Now, let me just say here that Sydney Harbour is ridiculously, over-the-top beautiful, especially in the sparkling sunlight and 70 degrees that we had that day. It just dances. My first glimpse of the Opera House was less than overwhelming, but the way it dominates and focuses the harbour area made me appreciate it more and more. (There are some buildings that have an immediate resonance with me, but this wasn't one; it's the context that made me connect, I think.) The stately green ferry pulled out past it and into the sun-sparkled waters that were dotted with sailboats. Who is out on all those sailboats on a Wednesday afternoon in the winter, anyway? Does somebody pay them just to be picturesque? (Because they do a mighty fine job of it.) We chugged across to Manly in about half an hour, then followed the "Corso" with its lovely pastel facades and varied/tacky souvenir etc. shops to the beach.
It was a bit cold for swimming--we dunked our toes in a bit--but we and kids in school uniform and others stayed on the beach for a while, then did some more shopping and >>TAH-DAH<< the best fish and chips EVER from Manly Fish Market on Steyne Street. (Take-out counter) I don't even really know how the chips were, to be honest, because I was having a holy experience of revelation with that fish.
Aug 16th, 2012, 10:17 PM
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Clifton I also have a Cherry Ripe version of the ice cream bar! That was the original recipe but my kids don't like cherry ripes so I thought I'd see how the violet crumbles might work mmmmmm they are good. I love cherry ripes as well.
Come to sunny Queensland for a visit and I'll make a batch!!!
Come to sunny Queensland for a visit and I'll make a batch!!!
Aug 17th, 2012, 12:55 PM
#38
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Not sure when I'll be back, margo, as the to-go list is so long and the vacation time is so short, but I do want to return and visit the West. (And revisit Sydney for some of the historic bits that I missed.) At the moment (seriously) I am looking into Cuba or Armenia for the next trip, but that won't be for a year or so.
Back to the Sydney story:
Next day we walked to and across (half-way) the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I understand that the climb over the top is marvelous, but frankly, $250pp was a bit much to contemplate, and, considering the wind on the day it would have been, I'm rather glad we didn't. Nice views just from the walkway, actually. Some of the afternoon was spent on straightening out the refund from the Postal Service referenced above, and then going to the GPO building on Martin Place. It's a great building with its clock tower, but the Post Office is now just one small bit of it. Worked for me, though! We went back down to Circular Quay for walking/shopping/Opera House stop; nice restrooms in the Opera House, by the way, all undulating lines and such.
Royal Copenhagen ice cream, whilst not, shall we say, entirely indigenous, is mighty good, particularly with the gratis hot fudge sauce.
Our final day was an excursion to the Blue Mountains. We bundled up and got our train at Central Station, paying for the Blue Mountains Explorer Hop-on, Hop-off bus ($48 for combo train tix/bus) and went on our way; lovely two hour train ride through some of the more, um, colourful bits of Sydney and on to the suburbs and mountains, blue from the effects of sunlight dispersed in eucalyptus oil or something. Quite lovely, really.
It was cold, really cold, as in snowing a few villages up, but our stop at Scenic World was quite interesting: the Skyway, which has a glass floor, takes you over the tops of the trees and past the Three Sisters formation; then the "world's steepest railway" is a claustrophobic fun ride down a former mine chute; and finally, after a walk around the rainforest with its lacy tree ferns and entwining vines, you get to the rather boring cable car ride back to the bus stop. (After a stop for hot chocolate, oh yes.)
Our next stop was in the lovely little town of Leura, not blooming yet but giving a lot of promise for the spring. Bygone Beauties, an OTT tea shop with the world's largest private collection of teapots, was our first stop there, and we walked up and down the quaint shops of the main street and into the art galleries. Quite lovely, really.
Back to the YHA at night for packing, as we left early the next morning. The shuttle picked us up and gave us a gut-wrenching ride to the airport, and we were off! No glitches except missing the connection in Dallas, but fortunately Expedia came through with a connection sooner than the first one offered, which would have been 12 hours away. We came back to Philadelphia and Baby E waiting for us in the airport: nothing like a loud happy baby at 1:30 in the morning to make you forget 25 hours of flying time.
Here are the Sydney/Blue Mountain pictures, heavy on harbour, of course: http://travel.webshots.com/album/583259028ppfSAF
Back to the Sydney story:
Next day we walked to and across (half-way) the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I understand that the climb over the top is marvelous, but frankly, $250pp was a bit much to contemplate, and, considering the wind on the day it would have been, I'm rather glad we didn't. Nice views just from the walkway, actually. Some of the afternoon was spent on straightening out the refund from the Postal Service referenced above, and then going to the GPO building on Martin Place. It's a great building with its clock tower, but the Post Office is now just one small bit of it. Worked for me, though! We went back down to Circular Quay for walking/shopping/Opera House stop; nice restrooms in the Opera House, by the way, all undulating lines and such.
Royal Copenhagen ice cream, whilst not, shall we say, entirely indigenous, is mighty good, particularly with the gratis hot fudge sauce.
Our final day was an excursion to the Blue Mountains. We bundled up and got our train at Central Station, paying for the Blue Mountains Explorer Hop-on, Hop-off bus ($48 for combo train tix/bus) and went on our way; lovely two hour train ride through some of the more, um, colourful bits of Sydney and on to the suburbs and mountains, blue from the effects of sunlight dispersed in eucalyptus oil or something. Quite lovely, really.
It was cold, really cold, as in snowing a few villages up, but our stop at Scenic World was quite interesting: the Skyway, which has a glass floor, takes you over the tops of the trees and past the Three Sisters formation; then the "world's steepest railway" is a claustrophobic fun ride down a former mine chute; and finally, after a walk around the rainforest with its lacy tree ferns and entwining vines, you get to the rather boring cable car ride back to the bus stop. (After a stop for hot chocolate, oh yes.)
Our next stop was in the lovely little town of Leura, not blooming yet but giving a lot of promise for the spring. Bygone Beauties, an OTT tea shop with the world's largest private collection of teapots, was our first stop there, and we walked up and down the quaint shops of the main street and into the art galleries. Quite lovely, really.
Back to the YHA at night for packing, as we left early the next morning. The shuttle picked us up and gave us a gut-wrenching ride to the airport, and we were off! No glitches except missing the connection in Dallas, but fortunately Expedia came through with a connection sooner than the first one offered, which would have been 12 hours away. We came back to Philadelphia and Baby E waiting for us in the airport: nothing like a loud happy baby at 1:30 in the morning to make you forget 25 hours of flying time.
Here are the Sydney/Blue Mountain pictures, heavy on harbour, of course: http://travel.webshots.com/album/583259028ppfSAF
Aug 17th, 2012, 03:14 PM
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Hi, Amy,
<Up close, the rock is, to me, more interesting than from a distance. The markings and indentations and caves provide rich ground for the stories of the Anangu>
Exactly my thoughts about Uluru. My DH and I have some amazing photos that are close-ups. I think Uluru and Kata Tjuta have intriguing surfaces. From a distance (I hear a song coming on!) I expected both U and KT to be smooth as driftwood and rocks exposed to the wind and rain are, but in fact close up they appear quite porous.
Kings Canyon (Watarrka National Park) is quite breath-taking, isn't it. My DH did the rim walk while I did the shorter but interesting walk to the creek bed. I got the impression you had a more leisurely stroll around the rim. We had three-and-a-half hours to complete the 'walk' which is why I didn't attempt it. The ascent looked pretty tortuous, and seemed to take most of our party quite some time to get to the top.
Thank you for sharing your photos and experiences / thoughts. You certainly managed to see and do quite a range of places and activities in your 17 days. Hopefully, at some later date, you will be able to explore the parts of Australia not included in this trip.
<Up close, the rock is, to me, more interesting than from a distance. The markings and indentations and caves provide rich ground for the stories of the Anangu>
Exactly my thoughts about Uluru. My DH and I have some amazing photos that are close-ups. I think Uluru and Kata Tjuta have intriguing surfaces. From a distance (I hear a song coming on!) I expected both U and KT to be smooth as driftwood and rocks exposed to the wind and rain are, but in fact close up they appear quite porous.
Kings Canyon (Watarrka National Park) is quite breath-taking, isn't it. My DH did the rim walk while I did the shorter but interesting walk to the creek bed. I got the impression you had a more leisurely stroll around the rim. We had three-and-a-half hours to complete the 'walk' which is why I didn't attempt it. The ascent looked pretty tortuous, and seemed to take most of our party quite some time to get to the top.
Thank you for sharing your photos and experiences / thoughts. You certainly managed to see and do quite a range of places and activities in your 17 days. Hopefully, at some later date, you will be able to explore the parts of Australia not included in this trip.
Aug 18th, 2012, 06:06 PM
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What a lovely report. I'm glad you wrote it. It sounds like a lovely holiday and the YHA was a great decision. I think I recommended it after my daughter who worked for YHA stayed there a few times.
