A Night on the Reef

Our tour bus picked us up at 7:40 this morning to take us to the dive shop.  Unfortunately because of my ears I can't dive, but I am able to snorkel.  We got on a boat that drove for about an hour and a half to the reef.  Dan had his intro dive instructions and I just hung out on the deck.  While Dan did his first dive I did a reef tour with a snorkel guide.

The Great Barrier Reef definitely lived up to the hype.  It is absolutely amazing!  I saw trumpet fish, puffer fish (including a baby puffer fish!), clams, angel fish, sea cucumbers, huge parrot fish, trout, and so much more!  The reef is so shallow at parts that I was literally swimming within inches of the coral.  I've never been snorkeling somewhere where the view is so clear and everything is so close.  Although Dan had an amazing time during his dives, the view he saw wasn't much different than mine.  Later in the day he did see a whaler shark and a sea turtle though!  I've just never seen so many colors of coral and of fish.  The water is spectacular--bright blue with perfect visibility; the pictures do not do it justice. We got so lucky with the weather.  It's gorgeous!  Hot--but gorgeous.

After a couple more snorkels and dives, we transferred to our overnight boat.  After dinner a few people did a night dive and the boat turned on a bright light out of the dive deck.  All sorts of huge fish came out, including four sharks!  They were whaler sharks so they are harmless, but it was definitely an impressive sight.  We got to watch them and the jelly fish and other fish for about an hour.

It's Purim today, so Dan and I read the Megilla and called it a night.  Dan's doing an early morning dive (6:00 a.m.) so we can snorkel together in the afternoon.

Read more about our trip to Australia:
Sydney-Bound
Off and Running
Blue Mountains and Wildlife
We Are Now a Hostel-Free Family
Day Two on the Reef
Travel Day
Great Ocean Road!
To Kangaroo Island
Eating Our Way Through Kangaroo Island
Flinders Chase, Vivonne Bay and Little Sahara
Last Day in Australia
Longest Day Ever

We Are Now a Hostel-Free Family

We didn't have too much time this morning before catching our flight to Cairns, but we made the most of it.  Our airport shuttle was going to pick us up at the hotel at 12:40.  We wanted to check the Internet and call home and see the harbor bridge.  I'm shocked that we were actually able to do it all.

We basically ran our way through the streets of Sydney.  I'm so in love with this city.  It is so walkable.  We walked straight up George Street and made a quick detour to Darling Harbor.  They were celebrating Chinese New Year with a dragon boat race.  We stayed for a couple of minutes to watch the first heat of the race.  It was so energetic.

We made our way to the bridge and decided not to do the $200(!!) bridge climb.  Instead, we paid around $10 each to climb the pylon to a fantastic lookout of the harbor and the opera house.  The view was really incredible.  And it was just the perfect day for it too--bright blue skies!  We were short on time so we raced back to our hotel in time to catch our shuttle to the airport.

We caught our flight to Cairns with no problem.  The Sydney domestic airport is really nice.  Tons of stores and food shops and very clean.  The weird thing is we didn't have to show our ID even once between Sydney and Cairns.  Not to check in bags, not to check in, not through security, not to board our plane.

We got to Cairns and were picked up by our hostel.  Dan and I have decided we are a hostel-free family from now on.  We're just too old to be staying in a backpacker's den.  The first room they showed us had four bunk beds.  Obviously it was a mistake, but our double-with no TV and a bathroom door that didn't close--wasn't much better.

On our way to dinner we walked along the esplanade, which was really beautiful.  Cairns has these big gas grills every few feet, it seems, and they're free for public use.  There was also a huge public swimming pool right next to the ocean.  It was so cool!

Dinner was cheap, but terrible.  We turned in early because we have an early morning tour of the reef tomorrow.

Read more about our trip to Australia:
Sydney-Bound
Off and Running
Blue Mountains and Wildlife
A Night on the Reef
Day Two on the Reef
Travel Day
Great Ocean Road!
To Kangaroo Island
Eating Our Way Through Kangaroo Island
Flinders Chase, Vivonne Bay and Little Sahara
Last Day in Australia
Longest Day Ever

Blue Mountains and Wildlife

Today we did a tour of the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney.  The bus picked us up outside our hotel at 7:40 a.m.  Our first stop on our tour was to Featherdale--an animal sanctuary.  This place was amazing and so fun!  We got to pet kangaroos and koalas!  They weren't in cages so we could just walk up to them.  They are so cute!  We took tons of pictures, of course.  We spent an hour there looking at all the other Aussie animals (dingoes, wallabies, wombats, birds, etc.).

Our next stop was the mountains.  They are really hills, but they are beautiful.  They're blue because of the eucalyptus oil interacting with sunlight.

We did some walks and scenic lookouts.  We also went to a place called Scenic World which has two cable cars and a rail road.  The first cable car was glass bottomoed so you could see all the way down to the bottom.  We were pretty high up and the view was amazing.  Then we took another cable car further down to the rain forest bottom.  It was only a couple of minutes, but again the view was great.  We took a walk around the forest, but it wasn't that exciting.  The trees were gigantic though.  Especially the ferns.  They were huge!  The cool thing is we took a railroad car back up.  It is left over from the coal mining days and is the steepest rail in the world.  It's at a 52 degree angle!  It was crazy going up that.

To end our tour we did a quick drive-through of the Olympic Park and then hopped on the ferry to the Circular Quay.  We got to see a great view of the Opera House and Harbor bridge as we pulled in.

The quay (pronounced key) was a cool part of town, but way too expensive.  We were looking for a decent place to eat and ended up spending a couple of hours walking around Darling Harbor.  It was beautiful.  Each part of Sydney feels so different but I love it all!  I could definitely see myself living here.  It's a great mix of urban and beautiful scenery.

We eventually found a restaurant that turned out to be quite a hot spot.  We had fantastic home-made pasta and brick-oven pizza, and a couple of well deserved schooners of beer.

Read more about our trip to Australia:
Sydney-Bound
Off and Running
We Are Now a Hostel-Free Family
A Night on the Reef
Day Two on the Reef
Travel Day
Great Ocean Road!
To Kangaroo Island
Eating Our Way Through Kangaroo Island
Flinders Chase, Vivonne Bay and Little Sahara
Last Day in Australia
Longest Day Ever

Off and Running

I made it!  My flight from LA to Sydney was actually very nice.  It was pretty empty so I had two seats and was able to get some good rest.  It was a long flight, but it really wasn't too bad.  My ears hurt at the beginning and the end, but were fine in the middle.

Once I got to Sydney I made my way to Dan at our hotel.  My husband is the best husband in the whole world!  He surprised me with two tickets to see Wicked that night!!  I have been wanting to see this show forever!

We got ready to hit the beach for our first Aussie adventure--surfing!  We took the city bus to Bondi beach but took a quick detour before finding the surfing lesson place.  There is apparently a pretty big Jewish community here so they have a few kosher restaurants.  We got two big, fat, juicy hamburgers and ate them on the beach!  Wow!  What a way to start the trip.

We found the surfing place and got really lucky.  They only had one more lesson that day and only two more spots.  It was pretty expensive ($95AUS) but it was two hours and included a wetsuit and the board.  I did not have high hopes for getting up on the board, but I did it!  And Dan did too!  The instructors showed us how to do everything on sand first and then we went in the water for individual instruction.  It was so much fun!  It's hard to stay balanced up there, but I did it a few times.  It was exhausting going back and forth from the beach to the waves--definitely a good workout.

After surfing we walked around Bondi cliffs for a while and then headed back to the hotel to shower and change before Wicked.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat before going to the theater for Wicked!  The theater was right next to our hotel so it was really convenient.  The theater was gorgeous!  I mean really, really beautiful.  The set was so intricate and it changed every scene, pretty much.  The acting was great and I loved the story!  Staying up until 11:00 when I hadn't slept in who-knows-how-long was tough, but totally worth it.  Great first day!

Read more about our trip to Australia:
Sydney-Bound
Blue Mountains and Wildlife
We Are Now a Hostel-Free Family
A Night on the Reef
Day Two on the Reef
Travel Day
Great Ocean Road!
To Kangaroo Island
Eating Our Way Through Kangaroo Island
Flinders Chase, Vivonne Bay and Little Sahara
Last Day in Australia
Longest Day Ever

Sydney-Bound!

DCA-ATL

Shorts?  Check.  T-shirts?  Check?  Eustachian tube dysfunction?  Check.  Lucky me!  It turns out the slight earache I've been having for the past two weeks is Eustachian tube dysfunction.  Normally it is not a big deal and clears up on its own.  However, today is not just a normal today.  Today I am flying to Australia!  I have around twenty-two hours of flying today.  My ears have never given me problems before, but they really have great timing, no?

After frantic calls and visits to my doctor, I was able to get into the ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist at 10:30 this morning.  I was supposed to go to work before leaving for the airport at 1:00.  I am so thankful I was able to see the ENT!  He confirmed what my doctor has already told me and gave me additional nasal sprays and sterroids.  So now I am taking three kinds of nasal spray, Sudafed, Aleve, and steroids.  Not exactly what I want to be doing before and during a day-long flight.

I was at the doctor and pharmacy so long that I wasn't able to make it to work at all.  I went straight to the airport for my flight to Atlanta.  This flight was a nightmare for me.  I was really in incredible pain.  I actually cried during the middle of the flight (and at the end, and when I got off the plane).  I am really nervous about my next flight which is more than double the duration, and, of course, the flight after that which is more than seven times as long as the first.  (I actually wish I had not done that calculation in my head--now I am even more nervous!)

But, I am trying to remember that a) I'm doing this to myself--I don't HAVE to go to Sydney, and b) that at the end of it all I'll be in Australia.  That is totally worth it!  

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ATL-LAX

Right now I'm sitting on the plane on my way to LAX.  The plane is nice and big and I have a window seat.  Hopefully my next journal entry will say how much better this flight was than the last.

************************************************************************************

ATL-LAX

I'm happy to report that my second leg of the trip was infinitely better than the first.  I didn't cry once :)

I was able to take the ear plugs out after about half an hour and I didn't have to put them back in for another three hours.  I think the ear plugs are helping, but they also hurt a lot.  My next flight should be even better then with 12+ hours of no ear plugs.

I'm on a Boeing 777, which is really nice.  I have the row to myself on this next leg and I plan on taking advantage of it.  That's all for now.  I'll write again from Sydney! 

Ok, I lied.  One more detail: the pilot from my Sydney flight just came out to talk to the passengers before we board.  He says he knows that traveling can be impersonal so he wanted to introduce himself.  It was a really nice touch.

Read more about our trip to Australia:
Off and Running
Blue Mountains and Wildlife
We Are Now a Hostel-Free Family
A Night on the Reef
Day Two on the Reef
Travel Day
Great Ocean Road!
To Kangaroo Island
Eating Our Way Through Kangaroo Island
Flinders Chase, Vivonne Bay and Little Sahara
Last Day in Australia
Longest Day Ever

Relaxing in Rome

After putting our bags away at our new B&B we went to find a nice spot for lunch before our 2:30 Vatican tour. Again, we went to a place recommended to us by Rick Steves, and again we were impressed. It was a 9 euro lunch buffet that had everything from pizza, pasta, lasagna (veggie!), cheeses, meats and more. TONS of veggie options. We had that along with some wine, and again we were happy campers.

After a leisurely lunch, we walked a short distance to where our Vatican tour started. It was a 3 hour tour, and it was great!  We saw so much it's hard to keep it all straight. Aside from the Sistine Chapel, the thing I am most impressed with is the method of frescoing. I always just thought fresco was a style of art, not a method. But it is when you take plaster and color it while it is still wet. This means no layering of colors to shade or anything. Every color you see on a fresco was mixed beforehand and applied directly to the plaster. And since plaster dries so quickly you can only do small sections at a time. That's what makes the Sistine Chapel even more impressive!

It started raining a little when we were done with our tour, so we went to an Internet cafe to kill some time. I got to see a few wedding pictures!  So exciting!  I think they turned out great!

For dinner I really wanted to find some good gnocchi. We haven't had any yet and I wanted to try the fresh local pasta. We stumbled upon a little family owned restaurant that was fantastic!  The couple sitting next to us were at a table for four and it was completely covered with food!  Tons of salads and veggies and fresh cheeses and foccacia bread. They turned to us and asked us if this was a typical Italian meal. Ha!  Not like we've seen.

Apparently their hotel recommended this place and told them to tell the owner he sent them. After that, the waiters just brought them food without them ordering anything. They had so much food they literally couldn't eat it all. So we helped them with their mozzarella :)  Turns out they were also on our ship. Small world. Either way, my gnocchi was among the best pasta I've ever had!  I'm so happy we found that place.

Eating our Way Through Naples

Today was our last port--Naples. We booked an all day tour before we came on the cruise. The morning would be spent in Sorrento and the afternoon in Pompeii. I'm so happy we booked this trip!

We started out very early (7:30) and got on our bus heading toward Sorrento.  Before we got to downtown, we stopped at a farm. This family operated farm produces olive oil and wine. They also grow tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, lemons, hazelnuts, and they have pigs, cows, horses, ducks, quails, goats, peacocks, cats, and dogs. It is a beautiful farm!

When we got there, our host--one of the daughters-in-law of the owner--gave us a demonstration of how olive oil is pressed. She had a huge machine behind her and walked us through the steps. Then she showed us how they make soft cheese like mozzarella. She showed us what happens 30 minutes after milk and rennet are combined (the milk starts to curdle). Then she put the curdled milk in boiling water and pulled it out of the water, put it in cold water and then formed a little ball. And there you go. You have mozzarella!

We got a great plate full of bruscetta, cheeses, and roasted veggies. All drizzled with olive oil. We asked for vegetarian, but everyone else had home-cured meats. It was such a great experience.

After looking around the farm and sampling their limencello, we got back on the bus and went to downtown Sorrento. Even though we had just eaten all of those antipasti, we knew we had to have a pizza from the Napoli region. We made our way to a pizzeria that was recommended to us by the guidebook. I'm so glad we did! This was true pizza. Crispy flat bread, gorgeous bubbling cheese...what more could you ask for?  We had a carafe of wine to make the meal complete and just enjoyed life.

After that we headed toward Pompeii. I've been looking forward to Pompeii since my last trip to Europe. We were supposed to make it down here, but then Leah, unfortunately, sprained her ankle pretty badly. It all worked out in the end as we spent the remainder of our vacation in Greece instead. Anyway, the point is that I was really excited about Pompeii. I am happy to report that it did not disappoint me. I loved every second of it!  Our tour guide was pretty good. He showed us many of the sights and told us what the significance was and who lived there, etc. But really, most of the spectacular sights spoke for themselves. The plaster cast bodies showed the fear and surprise of the citizens of this ancient city. The brothels, in particular, were amazing to see because of how well preserved it was. The one we saw (only one of about 20) still had the pictures above each room describing what would take place behind closed doors. It was like a menu for all the foreigners who didn't speak Italian. It was awesome!

The rest of the city was great too. It just really gives you an insight as to what living in Pompeii in 79 AD must have been like. After Pompeii we did a quick stop at a cameo shop where we learned how they're made and saw a master at work. I didn't know they were made out of shells. They were so beautiful, but way out of my price range--damn euro!