Monday October 6, 2008
Oh my goodness I don’t even know where to start!!! I just had a wonderful, wonderful weekend, by far the most exciting since I’ve been here! I’m now on the train again heading back down to good ole Nowra - haha. Not even sure what I could compare Nowra to at home. Possibly some place down the Eastern shore. I don’t know. Just one of those small towns that when you tell people you are working down in Nowra they are like “oh . . . Nowra . . . right . . . what are you doing down there?” lol. Then I explain I am doing outdoor education and camps for school groups and I get another “oh.” Haha. It’s great though and I don’t think I even mind being a 2-5 hour ride from Sydney – depending on your mode of transportation and whether or not there is track work going on – uggg..
So Friday was a late night as I didn’t end up getting to Sydney until about 12:30. I had looked up the train time table but didn’t account for track work, which meant an hour wait for a bus that would take us around the section being worked on to another stop.
Allison had arrived just a bit before I did as her flight came in at 10:30 then she caught a train from there. So I met up with Allison and Fiona when I got of the train at 12:30ish! It was sooooooooooooo good to see Allison and Fiona as well.
How We Know Fiona (the long version)!!
Allison met Fiona while playing tennis in “Uni Games” down in Adeliade when we were at Bond in 2006. Then later in the semester we went to Sydney and stayed with Fiona in Manly (just a ferry ride from the Sydney Harbor). THEN (we are still going here folks) in January 2007 Fiona and two friends stayed with Allison as part of their US tour and we all went to DC!! So it was pretty cool to be with her again in Sydney almost exactly two years later and also having had the chance to see her “on our turf” if you will!!
Oh my goodness I don’t even know where to start!!! I just had a wonderful, wonderful weekend, by far the most exciting since I’ve been here! I’m now on the train again heading back down to good ole Nowra - haha. Not even sure what I could compare Nowra to at home. Possibly some place down the Eastern shore. I don’t know. Just one of those small towns that when you tell people you are working down in Nowra they are like “oh . . . Nowra . . . right . . . what are you doing down there?” lol. Then I explain I am doing outdoor education and camps for school groups and I get another “oh.” Haha. It’s great though and I don’t think I even mind being a 2-5 hour ride from Sydney – depending on your mode of transportation and whether or not there is track work going on – uggg..
So Friday was a late night as I didn’t end up getting to Sydney until about 12:30. I had looked up the train time table but didn’t account for track work, which meant an hour wait for a bus that would take us around the section being worked on to another stop.
Allison had arrived just a bit before I did as her flight came in at 10:30 then she caught a train from there. So I met up with Allison and Fiona when I got of the train at 12:30ish! It was sooooooooooooo good to see Allison and Fiona as well.
How We Know Fiona (the long version)!!
Allison met Fiona while playing tennis in “Uni Games” down in Adeliade when we were at Bond in 2006. Then later in the semester we went to Sydney and stayed with Fiona in Manly (just a ferry ride from the Sydney Harbor). THEN (we are still going here folks) in January 2007 Fiona and two friends stayed with Allison as part of their US tour and we all went to DC!! So it was pretty cool to be with her again in Sydney almost exactly two years later and also having had the chance to see her “on our turf” if you will!!
The three of us at Fiona's in 2006!!
So back to the wonderful weekend . . . Fiona is dating a really nice guy from work named Rob that lives pretty much on George Street, which runs straight up to Circular Quay (pronounced key as we learned on our last visit!) and the opera house. His place was just a short walk from the train station so he let us stay with him the first and last night and we stayed with Fiona Saturday night. Both places were amazing with awesome views: his of the city and hers of Collaroy beach.
Saturday
involved sleeping in on my and Allison’s part but poor Fiona woke up at 4:20am for ocean rowing! Wow! Talk about intense. She showed us some videos on utude.com and wow. Talk about dangerous. They row out past the surf, using oars almost identical to those used for “flat water rowing,” as she called it. Their seats don’t move but are splashed with water so the rower can slide back and forth, often on their bear bum, as this has been proven to work most efficiently! Once they get past the surf and around a bouy they catch a wave back in, which can have some wicked consequences – phew. All of the boats are designed for four rowers and a sweep, I think she may have called it, who does makes the calls and does the steering from a standing position using a large rudder. Wow!
-Walked around Sydney city with Fiona
*Max Brenner – “chocolate by the bald man” – café with everything chocolate!!
*”The Rocks” – shops and restaurants near the base of the harbour bridge
*Sydney Information Centre
-Drove to Collaroy Beach / Fiona’s place
-Dinner in Manly at a German restaurant – soft pretzel appetizer ?German?,
mango beer, crazy Melbourne Storm fans in the street excited about the NRL (National Rugby League) Grand Final on Saturday night – Manly Sea Eagles vs. Melbourne Storm.
Sunday
Another leisurely morning
-Coffee from a café right on the beach on our way to the store
-Store to get stuff for the bar-b-que and Grand Final Party
-Bar-b-Que at Andrew’s (Fiona’s housemate from the last time we stayed with her)
*Andrew taught Allison and I how to cook on the bar-b! We did onions, capsicum (peppers), and sausages! He even had an Australia apron!
-Bus to the city to Rob’s
-NRL Grand Final Party at Fiona’s boss’s
*She is doing an internship with some financial company or something
*So psyched about catching the rugby grand final!!! Allison and I were both bummed when “our team” the Brisbane Broncos got knocked out of the running but naturally we would support the Sea Eagles since we were pretty much in Manly and it was the Storm who rivaled, and lost to, the Broncos in the grand final in 2006! I’m happy to report the Sea Eagles swept the Melbourne Storm 28 to Nil – phewwweee. I’m pretty sure I’ve actually found a sport I enjoy watching!
-Celebratory visit to the pub across the street
-A Late dinner in China Town before heading back to Rob’s for the night
The view from Rob's balcony
Monday
-Attempted an early start but left around 9:30 heading down George Street towards the opera house.
-Stopped in Maccas (McDonalds) for a coffee!
-Reminisced our sprint down George Street to catch the last ferry to Manly and Fiona’s house two years ago after the Tri Nations rugby final
-Walked around the outside of the opera house before realizing the place to inquire about tours is actually under the steps!
-Signed up for a tour and browsed the gift shop until 10:30
*A really neat, educational tour!
*learned a lot of the history and interesting facts
*Got to go into and sit in three of the five theaters including one with a huge huge organ with over a thousand pipes if I remember correctly – so cool!
-Wandered back through Circular Quay and back to the rocks, stopping in gift shops and searching for an affordable lunch as well as the entrance to the bridge tower lookout, which we never did find – next time I guess.
-Lunch in an Irish pub / restaurant where we were asked if we were Canadian!
-Walk back down George Street to meet Fiona and Rob
-Cheap souvenir shop!!
-Grocery store to get lychee
*an interesting fruit that we had never heard of: almost like a peeled grape for lack of a better way to describe it.
-Back to Rob’s to pick up my bags
-Back on the train at 4:20pm, arrived in Nowra 8:44pm hummmm another loooong train ride. Totally worth it though!!!!!! :) :)
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