Thanks for being patient with me. Unfortunately, this is the first available time that I’ve had to sit down and write about my recent adventures. A lot of has happened in these last few weeks. Let’s start with my parents’ visit to Australia …
My dad finally convinced my mom to make the great trek to Australia. It took some pleading at first, because as most people know … there are few things my mother loves more than a trip to an all-inclusive Mexican resort. Australia might not offer the ease of free drinks and lounge chairs, but I personally think there is no place better on Earth.
They spent their first couple of days in Cairns touring the area and doing some excursions. And, as stated previously, my father rented a motorcycle and, by some act of God, my mother joined him as he biked throughout the northeast coast of Australia.
They arrived into Newcastle on a Sunday in the late afternoon. I was extremely excited to see them. It’s not everyday that I get to see a familiar face from home – unless I’m using the all-too-wonderful Skype. But, as we all know, that’s just not the same. We hugged it out and headed to the harbor for a sunset dinner.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate during their stay in Newcastle, so we were unable to spend a day at one of Newcastle’s famous beaches. But, on Monday, we took a long walk around town and they got a close-up view of my current home city. That night, Mom and Dad treated the girls to a divine dinner at Scratchley’s, my favorite restaurant along the harbor. Delicious.
Tuesday was eventful, to say the least. We booked a wine tour through the Hunter Valley region. Hunter Valley is the oldest wine region in Australia and we joined about 8 other people for a tour, filled with numerous wine tastings. Luckily, we spent the day with a great group of people and we had some laughs in between the constant wine intake. We visited 4 different wineries, stopped for some cheese tastings, sampled numerous dips and chutneys and had lunch at the beautiful Hunter Valley gardens. It rained all day …but the rain didn’t dampen our spirits. Maybe it was the overdose of wine, but we had a great time. If you ever make it to Australia, put this on your list! Oh, and make sure you book through Tex Tours. He’s the man.
The rest of their visit in Newcastle was relaxed. We shared pictures and stories and I got caught up with what’s going on back in America. On Wednesday night, I brought my dad to the bars with me. My goodness that man can dance! Sorry to out you, Dad. We had a great time and my friends thoroughly enjoyed his company. I think he was a little disappointed when it was time to go home. Haha … if anyone wants pictures, I’ve got some great ones J
We left for Sydney early on Thursday and spent the first afternoon wandering around Darling Harbor, where I had my first encounter with fish and chips. That night, we had an unconventional dinner at Max Brenner, a delicious chocolate café. To me, there are few things better than having chocolate crisp pizza and chocolate fondue for dinner. Decadent.
We had a lot of things to accomplish while in Sydney. We visited the Sydney Aquarium (where I found Nemo!) and the Toronga Zoo. Amanda’s parents were in Sydney during the same time so we met up with them one night for a harbor dinner cruise. It was a showboat so we got to see a Vegas-style cabaret show after dinner. Once again, maybe it was the unlimited amount of wine, but we had a great time together.
Some of my favorite highlights of Sydney were the Blue Mountains, the Sydney Bridge Climb and the Opera House. We signed up for a tour of the Blue Mountains. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s gorgeous! I would compare it to the Grand Canyon, but covered with lush tropical greens. On one of the sunnier days, Dad and I climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge. AMAZING! After an hour of ‘training’ and briefing, were hooked to the side rails and began our journey to the top of the bridge. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. The view was enough to take away and nerves. While Dad and I climbed, my mom found her own sense of heaven shopping through all the markets in the historic ‘Rocks’ district. And, my all time favorite part of Sydney was the Opera House. We saw Rita perform. We’d never heard of her before, but we were all amazed at her voice. She sang most of her songs in Hebrew, but they were amazing. If you have the chance, look her up. She’s got a great voice! It was almost surreal to be seated inside such an icon.
I had to part ways with them eventually and as I got into the back seat of a taxi, I felt a wave of homesickness as I waved through the rear window and drove off. I’m definitely not ready to go home – I’m not sure I ever will be ready. But, I sure do miss my family and friends. It’s bittersweet. But, I wouldn’t trade my experiences here for anything and I thank God that I had the strength and courage to walk away from the familiarities of home and jump into a new environment. I’m glad I took the risk. I hope everyone has the opportunity to ‘leave it all behind’ sometime in their life. You learn who you are and you learn a lot about where you fit in the world. In a sense, you find yourself.
Miss you, Mom and Dad. Thanks for visiting J Your little girl will be home someday.
XOXO, Jennifer Lynn
(Stay tuned for a recap of my 18 day trek up the east coast of Australia!)
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