Walking Sydney

The day started early.  We had a 5:45 date with the Sydney Harbour Bridge to do the Bridgewalk.  This is a tethered walk along the top of one of the most famous bridges in the world.  They don't allow you to take your camera (so no photos - sorry) for two obvious reasons: 1. to sell you pictures that they snap, and 2. to make it harder for criminals to get strategic views of a potential terrorist target.  The whole bridgewalk processes takes quite a while, since you have to gear up in special suits and harnesses and then get trained on walking on the bridge prior to making the trek.  Once you factor in gearing up, followed by almost and hour up and another hour back down, you have been at it for almost 3 hours.  Our tour guide, Mitch, was hilarious and kept us constantly entertained thru a walkie-talkie/radio system.  It was kinda scary walking exposed like that, but we all made it.  After making it back safe and sound, we purchased one good photo which is on a CD up in my room (free wifi in the lobby).  The Bridgewalk was memorable.  It was a crystal clear day and the Sydney Harbour is magnificent from that height.

Coojee has 1 million people on it.

Always time for a family selfie.

We had crepes for breakfast  before stopping by the hotel to get into our beach gear.  We don't have a car here in Sydney.  Just like Melbourne, we are dependent on the public transit system.  We wanted to get farther away from our hotel and the "old town"part of Sydney known as The Rocks, where we have had most of our meals.  So we purchased bus passes to a place called Coogee (pronounced Koo-Jee), which is a part of the Sydney metropolis to the South and East on the Pacific coast.  Coojee has a bustling beach and was to be the launch point for a nice hike.

The whole walk was like this.

Before we got too far into our planning of this trip, we purchased several books to help us out.  Two of them we brought with us to Australia.  And yet the hike we did today - from Coojee beach to Bondi beach - was in none of the literature.  The books on Australia have not impressed us, to be honest.  This hike, however, was the number one rated activity in Sydney according to TripAdvisor.  We have tried to leverage everything we can to maximize this trip and, so far, the apps and social media universe has outshined the paperback universe.  Too bad Rick Steves doesn't have a book for Australia…

The Pacific coast near Sydney is like a warm version of Monterey.  The big difference being that the Aussies have very neatly balanced the concepts of conservation and utilization for the beautiful land they have.  The same is true of the Sydney Harbor, I might add - the blend of parks, commercial, residential, natural and man-made is near perfect.

See, if you can, all the people laying on the rocks.
We probably saw 6 coves like this.

Half a dozen beaches just like this on this walk.

Even a cemetery is integrated into the coastline and the walking path.

A and G messing around.

This little walking path we took was integrated into the beautiful coastal views and leveraged roads and neighborhoods while winding you down to a dozen or so beaches/swimming coves.  It was close to 4 miles when all was said and done, and with several stops in order to enjoy God's beauty, we covered it in well over 3 hours.

Bondi pool.
Yup, those are ocean waves.

By the time we settled in at the famous Bondi Beach, which is a total madhouse, the sun was no longer at it's lab-rat-level-UV-index levels.  And with a stiff breeze off the ocean, it felt sublime.

We stayed on Bondi Beach until about 5:30 before we explored a bit around that area.  Not our favorite.  The Bondi area is world famous and, thusly, attracts the world.  I rarely heard English spoken.  And with so many non-Aussies in one place, you start to feel like you are no longer in Australia.  Bondi felt like a Mediterranean town to me (even tho I have never been to a town on the Mediterranean).  The people were a little more rowdy, a little louder, and seemed less happy.  Remember, the Aussie happy-thing is addicting, so we wanted out of Bondi after just a few blocks of exploration.

Furthermore, we decided we had had enough of eating out so we found a nice grocery store, purchased some salami and turkey (YES!), along with enough fruits and veggies to round out a healthy meal, and bussed our way back to the hotel for our first "home cooked" meal in a long while - sandwiches.  We pounded down some tasty food and looked for our beds.  A great, but long, day.

12 days is a long time.  Not complaining, that is for sure.  But we are looking forward to some of our comforts-of-home.  Not the least of which is Janna's home cooking.

The Bondi Beach madhouse.  

Little Shelby tuckered out.

Getting our Bearings in Sydney

   Looking at the bridge from the Opera  House. 

Today we wandered all over Sydney on this overcast day and oriented ourselves with wide eyes. 

We walked the length of the Harbour Bridge and then back again as we looked for the ticket office to make a reservation for the bridge climb experience (tomorrow at sunrise). There is so much to take in that none of us minded retracing our steps. 

We even saw a brightly colored bird squawking in a tree one that normally we would only see on the Tropics Trail at the zoo in MN. but, there it was just off the staircase to the bridge living it's free and easy life. 

See the bird hiding in there?  Beauty!

After exploring the bridge well we walked back over toward the Circular Quay (pronounced key) and mounted the grand steps to the Opera House. We all snapped a billion photos. Shelby kept saying what we've all been thinking this whole trip, "We can't believe we are here."  All the pinching in the world still makes it seem like a dream, but here we are. 

We were all a little tuckered out after all our morning walking (plus we hit another Sunday market and met some artists and looked at all the trinkets, soaps, paintings and jewelry...bought nothing but a feast for the eyes).  So we all came back to the hotel around three and just swam and relaxed a few hours. It felt lovely. 

Dinner late and to bed right away so we can make our tee time at the bridge. We made the girls lay out their clothes and commanded Gillian to put her contacts in extra quick in the morn early. We are prepped and a little tiny bit nervous. It's a long way up and back down. 

More excitement tomorrow. 

Not Leaving

Well, we wish it were an option but I suppose we have to go home sometime even though it doesn't seem right at all to leave now that this place has captured our hearts. 

The Harbor Bridge in the background. 

I don't have much to report tonight. We arrived in Sydney at around 7:30 pm after strolling around Noosa one more morning. It truly was hard to drive away from that little paradise. Who knows when we will be blessed enough to return?  

Jeff drove us all back to the Brisbane airport where we flew through security and settled in for our flight. 

We took the beautiful modern train from the airport and got off two blocks from our hotel on the Circular Quay right near Sydney Harbor. As we stepped from the train, there it was, the Bridge, the Opera House. Too good too amazing that we are here.  

It's not just the breath-taking sights but it's the people here, too. They are this country's best asset which is saying a lot since the sights--they are spectacular.  Warmth, friendliness, humor:  these are the standards amongst the people down to each and every one.  I guess we've hammered this impression pretty well by now on this blog. But it's true. 

We are in Sydney now as I said. It is nearly midnight. The city is humming and getting ready for New Year's Eve. 

We walked around the area called The Rocks and stumbled upon a German Restaurant up a street that looked as if it were in Disney World (the only thing missing besides Mickey was the fake rocks with music playing out of their hidden speakers). The Lowenbrau Munchen restaurant was delicious but even more fun. Music and singing and yodeling all for our entertainment. Quinn couldn't wipe the smile off her face. 

The table behind us were other tourists from Texas and we exchanged quick notes with them on our mutual travels. We all have caught the happy bug from this place. It is a good disease to have, I think. 

More tomorrow but in the meantime lets all put our heads together and think of a way we can all come back to this enchanted place. Everyone's invited. 

Why are Australians so happy?

A nice little tourist-town to walk.  A lot of fun shops and bistros.

Today we did more of the same: coffee and breakfast at a bistro, sit by the beach, takeout lunch from a bistro, sit by the pool, dinner at a pizza bistro, gelato for dessert, stroll Noosa Heads.  Each of us is sunburn in at least one vulnerable area.  Each of us is loving life.

So the question has come up, by you and by us, just why are the Australians so happy?  And let me try to effectively reiterate, we have not met a single Australian who is anything but happy.  That is their outward presentation, anyway.  More than that, and this is even more shocking, I have yet to find a single Aussie who is the least bit annoyed.  Imagine that for a minute.  We have encountered probably 100 people who are dealing on a daily basis with idiots like me.  It is probably not hard to imagine how annoying the Northrup clan can be on vacation.  Whether it is the littlest one talking to the waitress with a mouse-quiet voice, or a party of 6 constantly trying to squeeze into restaurants that are better suited for 2, or Jeff and Janna both forgetting our wallets at the 7-11.  Heck, even I have gotten annoyed.  Tonight at the gelato shop I was, in full Yankee arrogance, trying to get close to glass to get a look at the flavors when a nice, well meaning Aussie mom said to me helpfully, "Oh, the line staats back hea."  I quipped back immediately, "Yeah, I know, I was just trying to get a look at the flavors.  Is that okay."  She was, unsurprisingly, unfazed.  "Oh, yeah.  No worries!"

I could be a scrooge and say how much I hate how happy everyone here is, but that is ridiculous.  The happiness here is contagious.  It is bordering on joy.

But why?  Why are Aussies like this.

Let me start by saying what everyone already knows.  I am not a sociologist.  Nor am I a psychologist.  I am not overly well familiar with cultures and I have not read much about this phenomenon (apart what was readily available in a google search this morning).  I am not qualified to really know why Aussies are happy.  And I doubt that my thoughts will be even remotely profound.

Furthermore, I won't try to address all the millions of things that could be attributing to this happiness.  Things like religion (or lack of religion), the awesome weather, the beautiful beaches, economics, political environment, personal well being, or education.

What is past is prologue.  Shakespeare wrote that hundreds of years ago.  It is from the play the Tempest.  The phrase suggests that all that has happened up until this time has lead to the current reality and what is to come.  In the play, Antonio uses is to justify that he and Sebatian will be committing murder - the past has set the stage for their next act.

Happiness is a choice on an individual level.  But when all individuals are similarly happy, it is cultural.  And this culture is happy, to a certain degree, because of it's past, or lack-there-of.

Again, I am only guessing here.  But tying Aussie's happiness to their benign past is probably not too far fetched.  Check out this simple timeline of major Australian historical milestones and consider the American equivalents:

• 1606 - first European sighting of Australia
• 1770 - James Cook maps the East coast of Australia
• 1788 - penal colony established as first European settlement
• 1851 - Gold discovered near Melbourne and spawned a massive gold rush
• 1907 - The Commonwealth of Australia established
• 1914 - Australians fought in WWI (ANZAC Day is a huge deal for Aussies)
• 1942 - Australia adopts severing constitutional links with the UK and leverages the US as its new military ally and protector.
• 1973 - the last of the White Australia policies were abolished
• 1986 - final constitutional ties between Australia and UK (Australia Act)

It isn't hard to see how different their past is relative to basically every other civilization on the planet.  Even when compared to the US, Australians never had to fight for their own independence, they have never had to fight themselves in a civil war, they have never had their national security threatened (Pearl Harbor or 9-11), they had others do the leg work for them in regards to women's right and civil rights.  Heck, the whole world has seemingly snow-plowed a path for them.  I mean no disrespect.  On the contrary, there are several countries that have never been able to learn from others mistakes or learn vicariously (South Africa with apartheid or Cuba or Brazil).  It is as if the Australians have been learning form other peoples mistakes while keeping a generally low profile.  It doesn't hurt that the British sort of got smart after losing the United States to Independence.  But, again, it was the US's dirty work that set the stage for Britain's better relations around the globe.

Would Australians be less happy if they had had to fight for their freedom or were the world leaders in civil rights?  It sounds like a crazy question, but maybe.  Australia has a very short  and bland history.  Maybe they would need some seasoning in order to be less happy.

The reality is, there are probably dozens of major reasons why the Aussies have this awesome demeanor.  Selfishly, I hope no one ever figures it out and that it never changes.  Because I like being here with these happy people.  And I will relish the opportunity to come back some day.  I hope it stays the same.  

My hostess at dinner last night, when she learned I was from the US, said her friend had just traveled across the United States for a full month and "loved it!"  I said that there were a lot of similarities between our two countries, except that Australians are much happier.  She replied back immediately with a smile, "Well you just gaat to roll with it then!"

I don't even know what that means or how it applies.  But she was super happy when she said it. 

Having Ourselves a Merry Little Christmas

It goes without saying that for most of our lives Christmas and snowfall go hand in hand.  I hear that there is no snow back home this year, though, so perhaps you all back that way feel a little like us Northrups...it doesn't feel much like Christmas here in Queensland, Australia.

But, to ease our sorrow over missing a white Christmas, we planted ourselves in the sand on the beach and gazed at the surf, the mountains in the distance and the blue, blue sky and water.  The girls caught waves and body surfed most of the day.  Shelby got sucked under a couple of waves until she finally figured out that she needed to dive into the waves and let them wash over her, Aubrey and she kept at it the longest.  Quinn and Gillian were in and out of the water, feeling torn between fun and sun.

The waves are smallish, but there are plenty of people on boards and enjoying the waves.  It was great fun to watch.  There were lots and lots of young children being taught by parents to surf, so I suppose that this beach we are on is a good one for training future surfers.

We also, most of us, have sunburns as a result of our Christmas day activities.  As noted numerous times on this blog, Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world.  There is a depletion of ozone that sits right over this piece of land and the result is incredibly powerful sunbeams.  Quinn saw that the UV levels were "10" today...highest they can be.

We are slathering on copious amounts of SPF 30 sunscreen...normally at home, Quinn turns her nose up at 30 and goes more for like SPF 8, and doesn't burn.  Today I witnessed her putting sunscreen on no less than five times, and her arms and back are burned.  Shelby is the worst.  Jeff and I were putting sunscreen on her, so we probably should be fired.  Let me just say that Northrup sunburns are pretty mild compared to some of the poor British skinned folk we saw on the beach today.  For that, we are thankful for us and cringing sympathetically for them.  We have decided tomorrow to sit in the shade during peak sun hours (10am-2pm) to keep the burns under control.

Later in the afternoon, Jeff and I went on a little walk and made our way to a 7-11 (fancy that) about a mile from our hotel.  We were hot and went in to get some drinks.  Jeff opened his lime juice concoction and started guzzling it in the store and I grabbed a sparkling water and made my way to the counter.  I opened my little purse to realize that I had no money at all, and there was Jeff chugging his drink in one of the aisles of the little convenience store.  "Uh...Jeff," I said and I looked over at the man behind the cash register, "Do you have any money?"  Jeff stopped mid-swallow, put his hand on his pocket of his swim trunks and shook his head.

I only felt like throwing up just a little, I imagined hiking all the way back to the hotel, leaving Jeff at the store as collateral and trying to make it back to collect him and get my own drink all without dying of thirst and in less than 20 minutes.

I told the man at the counter my plan.  Jeff looked helpless and guilty with half a bottle of stolen lime drink now churning in his belly.

But, nice guy that our new best friend at the 7-11 was, he told us to take both drinks and just bring the money back later.  Whew!!  We hoofed it back to the hotel (did I mention that it was up and down a steep steep hill?) and got the car and some cash and drove back to the shop.  Thank goodness we also remembered in our haste that people still drive on the left side of the road here, that would have been a total bummer to get in an accident and be wanted for stealing drinks at the local 7-11.  How would we explain it all to the kids?

It all turned out well, though and we came back, had a lovely sweet dinner all of us together and just talked and got to be together.  These memories we are making are such a treasure.  Quinn tried new foods tonight (all seafood:  oysters, raw ahi tuna, scallops, and shrimp) and was just as proud of herself as I was of her, what a fun time.  The others were less adventurous, but we had a nice Christmas dinner together, not traditional, but so lovely all the same.

We really do wish all our friends and family were here with us, of course, you all are in our thoughts and part of our conversations.  We feel incredibly blessed, what a wonderful Christmas it has been.

XOXO from us all.

Getting to Noosa Heads

Brisbane by the river.

Well, we probably made our first tactical error of the trip - we mis-timed our departure from Brisbane and, hence, delayed our time in Noosa Heads.  Let me explain.

Banyan fig trees are cool.  

This morning we woke up to hot sunshine in Brisbane so we walked to a river-side bistro and had a tidy little breakfast.  Breakfasts have been, far and away, the best meals we have had in this country.  I had read prior to coming that Australians like their breakfast.  I had expected a super sized version of American breakfasts, but, instead, what I have found is a more elegant version.  Lots of poached eggs.  Lots of yogurts.  Lots of berries.  And the eggs here have never had even the hint of a sulfur taste to them.  The granola is always unique to each restaurant/bistro/cafe and always fresh.  The fruit is fresh too.  There is always something unique on the menu that will catch your eye too - some kind of pancake or muffin or egg bake.  Breakfast has yet to disappoint.

We strolled down the river farther until we felt it was time to head back to the hotel.  For some reason we felt like we needed to kill some time in Brisbane due to a 2pm check-in in Noosa Heads.  Brisbane has a different vibe then Melbourne.  If Melbourne is San Francisco, then Brisbane is Epcot.  It seems fake - almost like it is too well planned or was created instead of evolved.  As you walk down the city streets one building will look like it belongs in the New Orleans Square at Disneyland while the next building is Tomorrowland.  Even the trees seem too perfectly grown and tidy to be anything but part of a manufactured, fake place.  It is not fake, of course, but it just has that feel.  I am not complaining, just making an observation.  It is a nice, clean city - it just lacks charm.

Surely this must be the inspiration for the "Go Dog Go" party tree.

Finally got Aubrey to interact with the animals.

Anyway we hopped in our rental car and headed South - the opposite direction of Noosa - to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary to hold Koalas.  By the way, driving is kinda crazy here.  Left side of the road, obviously.  But the hardest part has more to do with where in the lane one places their car while driving.  You see, with years of driving on the right side of the street while in the left side of my car, I tend to hug the left side of the lane (probably because I see better and can gage the left side of the lane better).  I assume most Americans do the same.  What has got me all out of whack down here is not the driving on the opposite side of the street (while sitting on the opposite side of the car), but that, even tho I am sitting on the right side of the car, my brain still favors the left side of the lane.  What this means is that the car is often over the lane on the left.  Whoa.  Not good when you are up against a guard rail or something.

Anyway, the Sanctuary was nice, but somewhat similar to what we had done previously on Philip Island, with one big benefit - holding Koalas.  We snapped some good photos, enjoyed the animals and the warm sun, and headed North to Noosa Heads.

Traffic was terrible.  Not sure why, maybe everyone leaving on Christmas Eve (remember, we are a day ahead)?

Anyway, we didn't get into Noosa until 3:30, even tho we left the Koala park around 12:30.  And now that we are here in Noosa Heads, we kinda wish we had just bailed on the Koala joint and headed up here right away - this place is beautiful.

I plan on learning more about this place tomorrow, but it has a Maui feel to it.  And the sand is as fine as I have every seen or felt.  Somewhere between sugar and powdered sugar.  It is so fine that it squeaks when you walk on it.

We decided to quickly slip into more of a typical beach-vacation mode.  We put on our trunks, went to the pool, walked the little town, ate takeout (delicious, by the way), scored some gelato, walked the beach, and looked up at the stars once the sky darkened.

It's Christmas Eve.  Tomorrow is Christmas here.  It doesn't feel like it.  In Minnesota, as evening approaches, the radios slowly change over to almost all Christmas music with little-to-no interruptions.  The streets empty.  It gets quiet.  Peacefully quiet.

Here it is hot.  There are some Christmas lights, but not many.  The radios have little but their normal menu to offer.  Some stores closed early tonight and a couple restaurants had closed their doors.  But what was open was packed.  People were out and about - eating, laughing, playing on the beach.  It felt like any other night out there.

It probably doesn't help that I am watching "The Godfather".

But I sure do miss Minnesota Christmases - they are special.

Merry Jesusmas, everyone!

Australian Lessons

Goodbye, Melbourne

Shelby the convict.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was our last day in Melbourne and while we are excited to see what else Australia has to offer (and at that, we know we are only getting a glimpse), we will miss this city.  The cool Euro vibe is addictive and I could hang out any of the café’s that line so many streets without ever getting tired. 

Here’s what I have learned about while in Australia so far:

We spent yesterday morning
at the Melbourne Gaol (Jail).
Very "Shawshank."

Our friend at the St. Kilda café taught me how to order coffee appropriately here in Aussie country. He told me that if I wanted my coffee with milk,  I should ask for it “flat white”  and if I wanted my coffee black, it would be a “long black.”  I have been going for the flat white and haven’t looked back. 

Still on the coffee theme: I have yet to have a bad cup of coffee.  No kidding, the Melbournians take their coffee very, very seriously. Not bitter, smooth, perfectly delicious.  I’m crossing my fingers that the coffee will be as good in other parts of this country.  It might be too much to hope for.

Australia only became a country 113 years ago.  That’s 1901 when the separate states of Australia decided to join together…New Zealand was almost in, but then changed it’s mind. 

The Gold Rush in Australia made the Gold Rush in California look like child’s play.

Quick…what is the capital of Australia?  No way you know, even maybe if you have been here.  It is Canberra.  Betcha’ didn’t know it.

They drive on the left side of the road here, and people walk on the left side of the sidewalk, too.  I wish I could explain how they make right hand turns in Melbourne.  If you see me on the street at home, ask me to draw a diagram, no way to explain it in words, and it makes almost no sense to me.

Alexander was right, if you’re having a no good terrible awful horrible day, it makes perfect sense to move to Australia.  No one is having a bad day here.  As a matter of fact, I have heard the phrase, “No worries!”  more than almost anything else.  Because that is the theme of the whole country…no worries.  Life is good.

Typical sidewalk-style 7-11.

There are a million 7-11’s here.  They are not attached to gas stations.  They sell bicycle helmets and Krispy Kremes, among other sundries.  There are more 7-11's here than there are coffee shops in an American downtown.  Nearly on every corner. 

In our hundreds of miles walked, I’ve only seen TWO Starbucks.  One in Melbourne and one this morning in Brisbane.  Hudsons Coffee looks like the ubiquitous chain here.  Haven’t tried it, though, too many other coffee shops to choose from.

There is a lot of graffiti here.  Almost every wall has graffiti on it, whether it is in the city or in the country.  Stranger yet, there is really no obvious "slums" or ghetto, so the graffiti does not fit the typical urban theme, despite the fact that it has the typical artistic look to it.

Orion is upside down.  The southern hemisphere presents a whole new array of constellations, including the elusive "Southern Cross (see CSN).  However you can still see Orion.  And, it he is upside down from how we see him normally.  Weird.

This is the only country I have been to in which Jeff has no one to talk soccer/football with.  Don’t get me wrong, the people here are crazy about sports, just soccer isn’t one of them.  But, get them started on Cricket, Australian Rules Football and they are passionate.  Apparently, they love Basketball, too.  Some of them.  On tv the other day, I found Jeff and Shelby watching a heated game of darts (woah) and then, the night before we left Melbourne, I asked Jeff what he was watching and he told me it was something called “Net Ball”  a women’s sport in which women run around holding a ball and then throw it up into a basket with no backboard, instant tranquilizer for me, I was out in two seconds.  Today, Jeff was sucked in to a TV station dedicated to "Footy" (AFL, or, Australian-rules football).  He said he loved it because it reminded him of the politically incorrectly named playground game referred to as "smear the queer" growing up.  The player with the ball is hunted, tackled, hit, kicked, scratched.  And you can throw or kick the ball in any direction.  Why this game hasn't caught on in the US, is beyond me.  

We are in Brisbane now.  We will head to Noosa Heads this afternoon after visiting with some Koala Bears.  There will be more to share for sure tonight.  Merry Christmas Eve!