Saturday

It was our last full day here..wow...

We spent some time this morning souvenir shopping in Manly, then headed into Sydney. It was very windy today so the JetCat (the faster of the two types of ferries) was quite a ride. It's built for speed, sitting high in the water and we were really feeling the big waves...too bad Lynette gets a little motion sick (not that Jenn particularly enjoyed the ride either, but we did get there in one piece!) We should have known what we were in for when Mark wished us "good luck" as we left for the ferry this morning...

Bondi Beach

We took the bus out to Bondi Beach, which was absolutely beautiful. The weather made for really big waves, so big that the surfers weren't even out, a real rarity for this area. In Manly at least they typically start surfing just before sunrise and the last ones leave the water when it's too dark to see the waves anymore.

Ticketmaster and taxis and Cirque, oh my!

We ate lunch at a great little cafe right on the water, sitting down just as the rain started - great timing! Then we had to high-tail it to (we thought) the center of the city for our big vacation finale: Cirque de Soleil Dralion. We were running a bit late and grabbed a cab when we were only (we thought) a few blocks from the venue so we wouldn't miss the opening. Thanks goodness, because the taxi driver informed us that in fact that was NOT where the show was, instead it was in an entirely different part of the city - yikes!

Turns out Ticketmaster is just as annoying and unreliable in Australia as in America, but with slightly lower fees. Taxi drivers typically don't get tips in Australia like they do in the US (in fact, no one does, even waiters), but this guy definitely got one since we have no idea how late we would have been had he dropped us where we asked to go, instead of where we NEEDED to go!

We arrived to the show about 15 minutes late. The show was awesome, but since they don't allow photography you'll all have to imagine it for yourself. :)

We went to the show with Lynette's sister Heather and afterwards we all headed back to Manly where she took us to one of their family's favorite restaurants (Jellyfish). The food was excellent, and after an appetizer, 3 entrees, 2 desserts and a bottle of wine, we're all ready for bed.

Thank you!

We really can't believe our trip is basically over, we've had SUCH a wonderful time! Thanks so much to our fabulous husbands who agreed to take on the kid duties so we could come and to all our friends praying for a safe journey and peace at home for the families! We leave at 2:30pm Sunday Sydney time (9:30pm Saturday Seattle time) and should land in SeaTac at 2:40pm Sunday. See you soon!

Cultural Note

Australians, by and large, may have never realized that butter melts. If one of them happened up on this knowledge, he must have either kept it to himself or figured there is nothing useful one can do with melted butter. Twice now Lynette has ordered mussels in a restaurant (at the French restaurant Sel et Poivre and tonight at Jellyfish). Both times she asked for some melted butter. Both requests were met first by blank looks, then by confusion.

The Sel et Poivre waitress brought it, once we explained again what we wanted, but then asked what we did with it, and waited for a demonstration of Jenn dipping a mussel in the butter, explaining in French that this is very typical in America. Even the comment that we do this with crab too resulted in another odd look from her.

The waiter tonight brought Lynette a slice of butter in a dish and asked her if it was soft enough. When we explained again that she wanted MELTED butter he first said "We don't have that." We then asked if he could take that very same slab of butter he had just brought and MELT IT he said "We don't really do that." However, he then took the butter away to the kitchen, where they must have quickly scoured the internet for a melted butter recipe because sure enough, two minutes later, Lynette was happily dunking mussels in melted butter for what must have been only the second time in Aussie history.