Sights of Sydney

A brief glimpse at some of the things we have done in Sydney...

At Bondi Beach looking and getting ready to do something absolutely crazy!

I did it. She chickened out!

Walking the Circular Quay (pronounced key) at night.

These are the sights of the Harbor Bridge and the city skyline.

More of the SOH (Sydney Opera House).

Beautiful! Lots of performances. Lots of stairs!

There is so much to see and do here. I can't wait to come back!

Figaro!

I am not sure where I first learned and became curious about opera or various forms of music in general. My guess is "Pretty Woman" or the "Cosby Show". Regardless, I grew-up taking private lessons from the age of 5 until 18. Was I some musical genius, no. A more than average player of piano and flute, yes. So, in coming to Sydney one of the "have to's" was the Sydney Opera House, a world renowned arts and theatre complex that is far more than opera.

We took in a concert, the Barefoot Fiddler, a violinist from Vienna who played Haydn and Vivaldi (two of my favorite composers). She literally played barefooted and stomped the majority of the performance. Following the performance, we took a guided tour at sunset and learned the history of a building that took nearly 15 years to build. I must admit that the Opera house is stunning from all angles and even more impressive up front. There are 5 performing venues within the hall and we were able to see 3 of them (but no pictures) during the tour. We climbed nearly 200 stairs in the process of completing the tour.

Only a few days left and still so much to do. More to come. Thanks for reading. I am getting emails from a few people that say they are having problems posting. You can post anonymously and leave your name at the end of your comment. Otherwise, I will look into the problem when I return.

The waters of Sydney, Australia

I love water and everything about it -- the look, the feel, and sound of it. As a port city, so much of Sydney focuses on water. We are staying at the Marriot in Sydney Harbor and upon check-in learned that we could get upgraded to a harbor view... lovin' it! Day one, we boarded a bus and took off around the city loop of Sydney consisting of 40 of the city's most popular sights. But, my favorite part of the trip began with day two, which was all about water. We boarded the suburban loop and headed out to Bondi beach, Darjling Harbor, and the Aquarium.

It's winter here. The temperature ranges from 45-65 degrees daily, there is always a breeze, and it is always sunny. People are wearing everything from jackets, scarves, and gloves to shorts and a t-shirt. I have really been confused by this! Clearly going to the beach during this weather is a stretch, but I am sure you also know that I am not a big fan of rules. How many times will I have the opportunity to go into the Tasmanian Sea? Well, there's no time like the present. So, off I went with my winter coat, scarf, and sandals.....nearly knee deep into the water. I am still trying to warm up, but wouldn't change a thing!

Next the world famous aquarium, which included a large focus on sharks and dispelling the myths that they are dangerous to people. I think we all know that despite a few casualties, we are largely more dangerous to them. We walked for hours in the aquarium. We moved from exhibit to exhibit, down long tunnels, into feeding tanks, nurseries, and nearly a mile of underwater tunnels.

Overall, it was a long but really enjoyable day. And yes, this journey ended like the last. I had fish for dinner.

NOTE: Sorry for the delay. I have been having some trouble uploading pictures. I hope to be posting pictures again soon.

Hello Sydney!

I always wanted to come here but never knew if I would. I am sitting in my room looking out my window at the Sydney Opera house. We arrived today and did the requisite tour around the city. This has been a long trip, not easily travelled, but well worth it for nothing more than this view. If you look closely you will see the harbour lit in the lower left corner of the picture. I have arranged a tour and will be going to a concert in two days. This has been a dream of mine since childhood and stems from my love of music and training growing up. For now, off to bed. Trips to the Bondi Beaches, Barrier Reef, and Aquarium tomorrow.

I'm in love with a shearer...

If you haven't heard the T-Pain song then I don't think you'll understand. Now, I hate the T-Pain song, it's just stupid. But it has a catchy beat and the concept of being infatuated with someone because of the work that they do "could" have some merit. However, the job in question is important and in T-Pain's version....we'll just say...really, if that's all you could get excited about then you need to seriously ther might be an issue!

Anyways, I digress... back to the concept. So, the shearer...

The shearer in New Zealand is the equivalent of the cowboy in the US. This is a labor intensive job, that requires a great deal of skill and the shearing of at least 350 sheep per day. Wow, right? I can't think of anything that I do 350 times a day other than breathe. Shearing involves removing the coat of wool on a lamb. There are 3 lamb for every one person in New Zealand. There is also the hearding of sheep and other work related to the ongoing maintenance and production of the farm for which this person is responsible. All in all I would say it's fairly demanding.




This love affair came about during my visit to a local New Zealand farm. New Zealand is rich with farm land (most of it man made) and is considered a top farming and agricultural producing country. We visited the farm, saw some of the most interesting animals (which I fed and stood amongst). I was shoulder to shoulder with a lama and was almost knocked down by two sheep running across a hitch.... still not sure how I feel about that. I witnessed the "cycle of lamb and wool" from the baby lamb to the lamb chop I had for dinner later that evening. I went into a store called the Wool Barn that was full of different types of wool and yarn from the floor to the ceiling (something I felt unprepared for and needed to channel my inner Jean Frank). I also saw an award winning hearding dog that was fierce (my mom wants one for her school...).

But, back to the love affair...... hardworking, handsome, and humorous. A great combination!

A picture of my dinner later that evening in honor of the shearer. And before everyone says "aww.....not the little lamb", I would like to remind you of all the hefers, chicken, and other animals you've likely eaten in your day. As my friend Paris says, "it was mmm, mmm good".

Kiwi: A fruit, a bird, and the wonderful people of New Zealand

This is a country of warm, friendly, beautiful people. It is so interesting to travel to a place where the history of a people is so much an obvious part of the present and in such a positive way. The Maori people, indigienous to New Zealand, are of a polynesian background. Kiwi's (as New Zealanders are commonly called), are a mixed society of Maori, European immigrants, and an increasing Asian population.

On a day trip to Rotorua and Waitomo we visited Te Puia, a former Maoiri village and cultural center frequented by visitors. We began with a welcoming ceremony where a male member of our group (brother George from South Carolina -- you know everywhere I go I must find my people) was welcomed by the chief of the Maori tribe. We then watched a traditional welcoming ceremony and dance.

Rotorua is situated on a volcano and several fault lines with frquent tremors. The volcano is dormant (really...?) but the mud pools, hot rocks, and geysers serve as "presure points" relieving the build up that could potentially cause the area to be active again. The region is known for it's homepathic therapies and geothermal treatments -- mud and water. Driving to the location the aroma was present nearly 5 miles away. The strong smell of sulfur and the low steam of geysers were obvious. The pictures below show the mudpools and geysers that are used at the facilities nearby. The pictures are great but don't do it justice. We stayed, breathed, sat, and enjoyed overselves for over and hour trying to "be healed". My mother even did her pilates moves on the hot rocks in honor of Pam! I was just trying to heal my right hip which has been aching since I arrived.

It was amazing. There are very few things this unique and it is one of the memories that I will cherish most.

So...you know we bought some mud. And, some water products from the geyser. We hope that the healing will continue but more specifically just want to have a special memory of something that we are unlikely to see again. My hip hasn't hurt since....

Kia Ora!

Pronounced "key-aura" and means hello, welcome, and thank you! We are finally getting to know the city and what a beautiful place! New Zealand is a country made up of three islands. We are staying in Auckland, the northern island and since arriving have made our way to Waitomo (pronounced wyatt-omo) and Rotorua (wrote-ur-rua). The history of the country is present everywhere-- from the acknowledgement, embracing, and celebration of it’s indigenous people—to the harbor and coastlines of boats that make this the “city of sails”. We’ve been busy, taking tours around the city and venturing off just about everywhere to cover the country in 5 days. It's a whirlwind...

On the first day (after recovering from jet lag) my father and I boarded this bus to get a quick glimpse of the city. 14 stops in one hour. This is the way I start every city. Of course, we checked into our hotel first, but here is some of the sights as we saw them on the route.

This is the SKY City Tower. The tallest building in Auckland. We will be having lunch today at the Orbit restaurant, which cirlces the city while you eat. We will then visit the observatory. I have a ridiculous fear of heights but am going anyway....my legs are already tingling and close to going numb just thinking about it.

This is the view from our hotel room. SKY City is adjacent to the convention center and the hub of media and technology for the city. That should explain the huge dishes seen on top of the buildings. Lovely...

And, this is our hotel, SKY City Hotel, in the heart of downtown Auckland.

These are pictures of the harbour and beaches. As a country of islands you can imagine that there are beaches and harbours just about everywhere. The beaches are a bit muddy and have no sand. Still, they are remarkably beautiful.

This is the hillside just outside of Auckland. Everything is so green and plush. Those who say they want to be a green city on blue water need to come here first to really learn what that means.


This is a bit random but is one of the busiest intersections that I have ever seen. People walk in all directions. 1 in 3 New Zealand residents live in Auckland. So, you can imagine just how busy someof the intersections get.

This picture doesn't do it justice.

Everything is really expensive here, including the internet $10 for 2 hours or $30 for 24 hours. Crazy, right? So, I will be going to the cafe across the street for future posts tonight. Stay tuned...

Code 10! Man Down!! Holla!!!

We have arrived! It was not nearly as challenging as I thought. But we are exhausted and trying hard not to waste this day because of jet lag. So, we are here in Auckland and I am trying to convince my parents to stay awake. Both of them came immediately into the hotel room and fell asleep. I unpacked, took a shower, and then started waking everyone up to do the same.

One of the things that I have learned is that you have to get adjusted to the new time zone as soon as possible. So, I will be staying up until at least 8pm, taking a magical sleeping pill, wearing my total blackout sleeping mask, and getting refreshed for a full day of sightseeing tomorrow. I have repeated this cycle every time I travel. I am generally pretty moody the first day but after that….no problem. It is worth the effort in the long run.

So far we haven’t seen much and it’s hard to take pictures when you can barely keep your eyes open. I wish I had a picture of my mother falling asleep eating at lunch... it was definitely a code 10. A few more seconds and she would have fallen out the chair…a man down emergency. We did manage to leave the room for a bit, walk around the area and find a place for lunch, registered for the IRC conference, pick up some toiletries and beverages that were in the lost luggage, go to the casino (A desperate attempt to keep my mother awake and even that failed. That is how you know she is really tired.), and head back to the room so that my mother could prepare for the opening session.

So far I am surprised at how urban Auckland is. We are staying at the SKY City Hotel, the largest building in New Zealand. Outside of the nearly 20 minute drive from the airport, there isn’t much green space. Okay…there were cows in a field across from the airport and I thought I was hallucinating. Also, the people don’t seem really friendly. I know I should never be on anyone’s welcoming committee but seriously these people have got me beat. I asked a women if she wanted to get in front of me in line for dinner. She scowled, moved ahead, but said nothing. I have already gotten the what are you question. I always struggle with this, although I have learned that people generally know fairly quickly that I am American. They just appear to be confused about my cultural/racial background. I still don’t really have a sense for the cultural dynamic here. The area around the hotel seems Asian inspired.

This is the first time I have been someplace and I don’t know what to expect or what to do. So, while the mice are sleeping, I am getting ready to head out and map out a plan for the next few days. Here is what I am thinking so far:

· Shopping. I know it sounds crazy. But they lost my father’s luggage and we need to go somewhere and find him a jacket. We hope it will arrive tomorrow but need to make some contingency plans. It’s chilly here and we can’t have him walking around not properly dressed and getting sick.

· On-and-off tour 3 hours tomorrow. This will allow us to get a brief overview of the city and determine what we want to do and see more of.

· Rotorua and Island Tours. These are full day tours into inland New Zealand. I have been told by many that this is something that we HAVE to do.

UPDATE: I managed to convince my dad to leave the room. We found a coat, are sitting in a coffee shop chatting and using free wi-fi, and talking about how European the country seems, and planning what we will do for dinner. Good stuff!!!

Blogging Neglect

It has clearly been some time since my last blog. Knowing me, I am sure you recognize that I have not remained in Cleveland the entire time. Don’t get me wrong, I love my city and would never desert it like the traitorous LeBum Judas (for those of you who don’t know, this is the person formerly known as LeBron James --- and yes, I am still a bit bitter --- and when his ankles break I will not be sad).

But, I love to travel, get antsy and need to spread my wings a bit. Since March, I have visited Las Vegas (which I will post about on my current trip), East Lansing (Michigan), and Concord (Ohio – Quail Hollow Resort). I will post about my Vegas birthday trip soon – stayed at a brand new resort, hung out with my crazy brother, and went to see Carlos Santana (The real reason for the trip. I LOVE Carlos Santana! He is a great musician).

Right now, I am on my way to Aukland, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia for a little less than two weeks. I will be travelling with my parents, attending portions of a conference (health promoting schools), and doing some great sightseeing in what has been described as one of the most beautiful places on earth. I am excited but anxious about the long trip ahead. I HATE airplane bathrooms and can say with pride that I have never seen or used one. The thought of them just gives me chills….YUCK! We leave Cleveland on a Saturday afternoon and arrive in New Zealand on Monday morning, with nearly 19 hours physically in the air and 6 hours of layovers.

Stay tuned, this should be fun…