The great Oz adventure - Part II

Sydney

Our next stop. Sydney. When we visit a city, we must never miss their icons…
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Post-card perfect shot.

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The Sydney Opera House. Smaller than what I had imagined

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No, we didn’t climb the bridge. It cost a whopping AUD220 per head!

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A wedding ceremony going on. Caught it from the bridge. What a nice place to get married.

To market, to market…again
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The Eveleigh Market, farmer’s market. Love it! http://www.eveleighmarket.com.au/Eveleigh-Farmers-Market/

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Baskers, fun group.

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Homemade chocolates. Yum!

Oh, I also met my virtual friend at the market for a short meet-up. We have known each other virtually since US days. When I told the kids that I was meeting my internet friend. They were shocked. “Mummy, you said cannot make friends from the internet, right?” . “Yes, but when you are my age, acquired wisdom from life’s experiences, it is ok to meet them.”
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The famous Paddington Market

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Beautiful silver. Sugar, mustard and pepper holder. Real silver for AUD20. I thought it was a steal.

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That night, we caught the fireworks display from our hotel room. What’s the reason? The arrival of festivities!

Another weekend market – The Rocks http://www.therocks.com/things-to-do/the-rocks-markets.aspx
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I salute the Australians and most of all the Australian authorities who chose to listen. If only some myopic leaders could do the same.

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Rows and rows of stalls selling quirky stuff.

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More baskers. The lady is really funny.

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Nice little cafes. We had lunch in one of them. Very enjoyable!

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This colicky baby is now a fine young gentleman.

Scenes from the harbour

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Artist at work

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They live simply. Yes, live simply.

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The Invisible Man. Read about him and now, we see him!

That night, we had dinner at a friend’s place. Sydney sure has posh condos!

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Does this look like a condo?

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View from her home. Can you spot all the icons of Sydney?

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Yummilious dinner, million dollar view of the city. I am blessed beyond description. In everything, give thanks!

Next, I will share with you one of the beautiful masterpieces of God…The Blue Mountain
The great Oz adventure - Part I

Melbourne
Our great Oz adventure started with Melbourne. By the time we arrived, check-out, bought our phone card, check into the hotel it was close to 10pm. Thankfully, there were hard-working Asians, we managed to get a nice Korean dinner at a Korean restaurant.
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Citadines at Bourke Street. Nice, clean and comfy hotel. My only complaint, no laundry in the apartment.

Melbourne is known as a city with four seasons within a day. It was 9 deg C when we were there for summer! Thankfully, we had jeans, light jacket and a rain jacket and of course, heat pads from the chemist. Heat pads for summer?

Nevertheless, Melbourne remains a nice city for us. The people are nice and friendly even in the city center. The environment is very pleasant.

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Our first lunch appointment with the spouse’s ex-colleague. We were treated to real Italian food.

Then we roam the streets of Melbourne.
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Christmas in the air

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Nothing can stop the shoppers

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Moving Christmas story outside Myer. They do this every year. Each display window shows a chapter of a Christmas story with narration. You move along to enjoy the display and listen to the story.

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That night, we had a fun dinner with the Leishman family. Friends are important in our lives. I have known some of them for 20 to 30 years. We had so much fun that the boy cried when we went home. Precious.

Visit to Melbourne is not complete without a visit to the Victoria Market.
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The kids love markets. Even if there is nothing to buy, browsing around and enjoying the atmosphere are good enough.

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Hot coffee and hot chocolate kept us nice and warm.

The final dinner was with my ex-colleague. She brought us to a Vietnamese restaurant. The best in Melbourne. The food was superb. Sorry, no pix as we were too engrossed eating and talking.

Our fourth visit to Melbourne but never a dull moment.

Our next stop, Sydney. We flew via Tiger Airways. Daredevil pilot and lousy airport staff. Budget, what was I expecting?