Day 21 – November
7, 2018 – The Blue Mountains and More of Sydney
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| Beautiful parrot enjoying the seeds and flowers in the park |
We split up today, as Richard and Mary
Jo, Glenn and Trudy explored more of Sydney via the hop-on, hop-off
bus, while Bob and I had an opportunity to see the famed Blue
Mountains west of Sydney. Scott and Carol, who live a bit south of
here and whom we met on a cruise in the Mediterranean three years
ago, picked us up and we headed westward, first to stop for a
delicious cup of coffee. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I'm told, by
a reliable expert, my husband Bob, that the coffee in both Australia
and New Zealand is excellent … don't ask me why. And both Aussies
and Kiwis LOVE their coffee!
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| Three Sisters Blue Mountains New South Wales, Australia |
The weather started out nice; but
eventually the 100% forecast of rain was realized. It was pouring
rain when we first got to Three Sisters; but after meandering through
a souvenir shop, it settled down to a nice drizzle, making it easier
to see the entire vista of the Jamison Valley. The unusual rock
formation of The Three Sisters towers above the Jamison Valley.
Created by the erosion of the sandstone, the names of these sisters
are Meehni, Wimiah and Gunnedoo. The Aboriginal legend has it that
these sisters lived in the valley with their Katoomba tribe but fell
in love with three men from a neighboring tribe. Marriage between
tribes was forbidden, so the men tried to force the issue. To
protect the sisters, the elder turned the sisters into stone; but
since the elder was killed in battle, no one was able to turn the
sisters back!
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| The Valley of Wentworth Falls |
The Blue Mountains are 10 times older
than our Grand Canyon, with the rocks underneath the mountains
estimated to be over 470 million years old. While it seemed to me
these mountains are more like our Appalachian Mountains in the
eastern US, though with many sandstone cliffs, deep valleys, swamps,
plateaus above the cliffs and rain forests. This range gets its name from
the blue haze which lingers over it. Created by the tiny droplets of
oil from the eucalyptus forests, when mixed with water vapor and
sunlight, the distinctive blue haze results. The Blue Mountains
National Park was established in 1959 and declared a World Heritage
Site in 2000.
Of course the weather could have been
more cooperative, but we did recognize the beauty of the area as we
gazed over the cliffs and valleys, the rock formations and Wentworth
Falls. But the best part of the day was spending a lot of quality
time with Scott and Carol, catching up on their lives. Of course,
getting a glimpse of life in Australia from an Aussie's point of view
is always interesting! We had a scrumptious lunch at The Boiler House
Restaurant overlooking the beautiful Megalong Valley of the Blue
Mountains. This place has a fascinating history of the retail baron
Mark Foy opening this Hydro Majestic in 1904 as the country's first
health resort. With a steam-driven generator from Germany, the resort
had electricity even before the City of Sydney had it! Scott and
Carol are a beautiful couple, and we are forever grateful they took
the day to be with us!
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| Carol and Scott |
The others also thoroughly enjoyed
their whirlwind tour, enjoying the sites and smells of Sydney, saying
they did and saw a lot but there's still so much more to see! The
zoo provided an opportunity to see the many different and unique
animals and reptiles found this Australia, and the aquarium provided
insight into the aquatic life surrounding the country. Richard was
hoping he had another day to continue exploring Sydney! But, alas,
all good things must come to an end.
We met up with everyone at the best
burger restaurant located close to our condo where we all enjoyed the
wonderful dinner and libations. Once back in the condo, it was time
to repack suitcases to get ready to leave for home tomorrow!
Day 22 – November
8, 2018 – The Longest Day
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| Home from half way around the world! |
The almost 14-hour flight from Sydney
to Los Angeles was grueling for those of us who couldn't sleep on the
plane, but we all made it! Luggage in tow, we go through customs,
maneuver a last-minute terminal and gate change, then flew the other
3 hours home. Leaving Sydney at 12:44 p.m., passing through 17 time
zones and arriving home at 4:44 p.m. means we went back in time 18
hours and our day was almost 40 hours long!!! Don't they make movies
about this stuff??
Overall, I think we'd all say that the
entire trip was a wonderful adventure. We learn so much about other
cultures, life styles and history when traveling. We see and
experience marvelous land formations from the snow capped mountains
and fjords, the farm fields and black sand beaches, the steaming
geysers and thick forests to the bush country and eucalyptus forests.
While both countries lean toward socialism with very high taxes; and
both experience issues with immigration and foreign nationals
purchasing chunks of their land; and while New Zealand lives with
constant earthquakes and Australia lives with the constant worry of
drought – people overall were extremely friendly, welcoming and
helpful. This meandering adventure had been on my bucket list for
years, though I never actually thought it would happen. The lesson
here is … never give up on your dream! Enjoy all He has provided,
learn from it and share it. So many Beautiful Blessings discovered
as we meander all over the world …
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| Cold and snow welcomed us home! |
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