Our Journey Begins!
After 15 hours in LAX and 15 hours on a plane we made it to Sydney! There are very few things less enjoyable than sitting in a terminal at the Los Angeles airport for any length of time. I had slept very little the previous night due to having to be up by 4 am to catch the flight. As a result the day was mostly spent trying to catch up on sleep in some uncomfortable chairs and reading. I already mentioned my brother and I were flying standby, and the loads on the plane had changed over the past few days from wide open to very full. We had paid tickets - non-refundable - from Sydney to Auckland and could not miss this flight. In contrast to the lack of enjoyment in stressing about getting on a plane, the joy of hearing your name called is probably similar to winning the lottery. Fortunately my brother and I were able to sit next to each other with enough baggage space to not have anything in front of our seats. Sleeping on planes has never been something I am good at. However, when I’m tired enough sleep will come. I do remember that the dreams I had were somewhat bizarre - as most dreams are. One of them I dreamed the pilot wanted to test the plane’s ability to descend and ascend so while flying over the Pacific Ocean he took us down to right above the water and then up again. Down and up like a roller coaster. Fortunately I woke up and found out he wasn’t actually doing this.
As soon as we landed we both changed out of the clothes we had lived in for almost two days and brushed our teeth. It’s amazing how little things like this make such a big difference in how you feel. We took the train over to Circular Quay. It seems they either increased the price or I remember it being much cheaper. We spent about 35 AUD each for a “day return” (round trip) ticket. The price did not bother us much as we were ready to pay almost anything to get out of an airport. The train stops right on the harbor. It never gets old pulling up and seeing the Harbour Bridge or Opera House from the train. It was particularly busy there today with people from all over the world. All the cafes and restaurants were packed and there was almost no room to maneuver around the crowds. But none of that bothered us. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day in Sydney. The Opera House roof gleamed pearly white in the sun. The water teemed with boats of all shapes and sizes. It was another beautiful day in Sydney and nothing else mattered. We walked on for a bit and decided to make our way over to Mrs. MacQuarie’s Chair. This spot offers a wonderful view of the water and the surrounding coastline. We found a nice shady spot under a tree in the grass to sit down and just relax for a few minutes. The smells of plants and flowers and ocean filled the air. The sounds of families on holiday, of motor boats speeding across the water, and of the breeze blowing through the trees added to the ambience of the afternoon. It was a moment in space and time that you wish would never end.
We then proceeded to one of the best fish and chips places. Quay Seafood is right by the train station and somewhat reasonably priced (although they do like to charge $0.50 for a small packet of tomato sauce for your chips). We fought our ways through the crowds and enjoyed eating Dory on the steps of the opera house. We spent a good amount of time after that leaning against the building and people watching. If you take the time to just sit back and look around you you will be sure to see many interesting people, especially in popular tourist areas. We saw children with emoji pillows taking photos, a woman pretending to take a photo while her boyfriend took one of her, a security guard trying to explain to non-English speaking children what a sign in English says, a dad unconcerned with the safety of his children.
Once we decided we had seen enough we walked on through the Botanic Gardens and out into the city. Sydney’s downtown is very clean and easy to walk around. We made our way to Hyde Park and the ANZAC memorial. Each city in Australia has one and they are all impressive. They are not small structures. It has the names of battles and statues of warriors and nurses from the past. Inside is a flame eternally burning with a wreath of poppies below it with the simple phrase in a ribbon “Lest We Forget”.
We made our way back to the airport and learned that New Zealand requires an outbound ticket before they will allow you to enter the country. I tried to explain we did not know for sure what day we were leaving and so wanted to buy it in New Zealand. That is not allowed. No outbound ticket, no entry. We found some computers, bought the tickets, and made our way to the gate. We soon realized that due to not having seen much sun recently our skin is somewhat more sensitive to it. Sunscreen is your friend if you choose to use it. Another lesson learned.
I love Sydney and Australia. I am glad we were able to spend the day walking around before heading over to NZ. However, NZ has been on my list of places to visit for many years and I’m more than a little excited to experience the natural beauty so many have talked about.
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