Time to Go (December 22, 2010)

After a few days in Sydney, Connor decided it was time to go home. The trip was cut short by about 10 days. Australia was fun. However, life has a way of taking priority.

I, Michael, have decided to stay behind and complete the journey. The rest of the trip will be detailed at http://whereintheworldismichaelt.blogspot.com.

The Sydney Opera House (December 21, 2010)

The Sydney Opera House has an hour long tour you can take. The tour is quite good. You get to see several of the inside theaters, learn the history of how it was made, and see a special new room dedicated to the architect.

The story of how the Opera House was made is quite interesting and involves slipped schedules, budget overruns, and politics.

Bus Tour (December 20, 2010)

After climbing the bridge, we took a bus tour of Sydney. The tours are very touristy but you do get a quick overview of the city in an easy ride. The bus was an open roof double decker. We sat on the top deck and had a great time.

Climbing the Harbour Bridge (Part 3) (December 20, 2010)

Mary was waiting for us on the way out. She was actually good enough to see us on the hike up the bridge and get a few pictures also. It was quite an experience. One that we will likely not ever do again.

Climbing the Harbour Bridge (Part 2) (December 20, 2010)

We spoke to a lot of people about the bridge climb before we did it. The bridge is very high. Everyone we spoke to said, it was not scary at all. If there was any part that was scary, it was the first part before you get onto the bridge.

The bridge climb is open in all kinds of weather. The only thing that will shut it down is a heavy electrical storm. Opra Winfrey was in town a few days earlier and made the climb. Heck, if Opra can do it we should be able to also.

On the day we decided to climb, there were very high winds. The winds were 50 kph with gusts higher. The climb was scary. We were fully equipped with climbing gear and were attached to a metal wire that runs the length of the climb.

The first part of the climb is actually below the bridge. You walk along very narrow pathways until you get to the main pylons. At the pylons you climb up 4 flights of stairs until you are out on the bridge. This was supposed to be the scary part. It was a cake walk compared to the rest.

Once we were out on the bridge, you could really feel the winds. Everyone was wearing a very baggy climbing suit that caught the wind very well. As we walked, we were being blown by the wind towards the edge. We never really lifted up by the wind, but we did have to fight the wind to stay upright.

We made it to the top. (There really was no other option.) It was amazing and scary at the top.

We were not allowed to bring cameras. The tour guide was. He took pictures at several places along the way. Of course, the pictures were available for sale at the end of the hike.

Climbing the Harbour Bridge (Part 1) (December 20, 2010)

One of the “must do” things in Sydney is to climb the Harbour Bridge. What? When you first see this thing, it is huge. Climbers must walk along the outer arch until the top, cross to the other side, and walk down. Wow!

Connor and I decided this was something we had to do. We showed up at the climb location and learned all about it.

This is a 4 hour experience. The first hour is spent properly training and equipping each person with the right gear. The gear includes a jump suit, hat, handkerchief, radio, and jacket. You are not allowed to bring anything that can fall on the climb. No wallets, cameras, or coins.

After getting suited up, you are put through basic training with in-house ladders and equipment. Are you sure you still want to do this?

We agreed and began a grand adventure.

Time shifting (December 20, 2010)

One of the biggest issues with traveling this far is time shifting. You need to make the local time “your” local time as quickly as possible. This is not always easy to do.

We arrived at the hotel 9:45 AM, December 19, 2010. Our goal was to stay awake until 10:00 PM. We were not successful. By 7:00 PM, everyone gave in to sleep.

December 20, 2010, we all slept in and thought we had made the transition. By 9:00 PM, it was all over. We at least made it long enough to see some of Sydney at night.

Opera House

The Sydney Opera House really does dominate the scenery at the waterfront. Here is one more picture of all of us across the harbour.

They really do sell this stuff (December 19, 2010)

We went to “The Rocks” to see the art and street festival. We got there right as it was closing. At least a few vendors were still open. This vendor sold some interesting jerky. Since we were in Australia, we got the Kangaroo jerky. It was actually pretty good. There is no more left.

Quay Grand Hotel (December 19, 2010)

We finally got to check into our hotel room around 2:00 PM. It was worth the wait. All of the hotel booking was done via the Internet using TripAdvisor for opinions. TripAdvisor has been excellent. This room was no exception. When we walked in the room, we were all just “Wow!”. The room was directly on the water with a great balcony, full kitchen, and view of the Harbour Bridge.

Initial Sightseeing (December 19, 2010)

Our plan was to take the first day to do nothing but adjust to the new time zone. When we got to the hotel our room was not ready. You do have to be flexible when traveling. Things do not always go according to plan.

We decided to go sightseeing. Our hotel is located on the waterfront of Circular Quay. This is the center of the tourist area in Sydney.

We were able to see the Harbour Bridge and Opera house easily. Both are impressive sights.

The longest flight ever (December 19, 2010)

At 14 hours, this was our longest flight ever. The Tokyo flight was very close. For most ocean flights, the airplane tries to stay above land as long as possible before making the ocean crossing, not this flight. We took out over the Pacific from the start and made a straight line for Australia.

The flight was excellent! We were served three meals, had lay flat beds, and individual video monitors with access to hundreds of movies and shows. 14 hours is a long time, but when you can eat, watch movies, and sleep when you want, it is pretty enjoyable. We are looking forward to the flight home.

We lost a day (December 18, 2010)

Traveling takes time. Traveling to Australia takes a lot of time.

We left Melbourne, FL, USA at 3:00 PM on December 17, and arrived at the hotel in Sydney Australia at 9:45 AM on December 19. What happened to December 18, 2010? At no point in time, were we on the ground on December 18, 2010.

Awesome Upgrade (December 17, 2010)

I had been working to get flight upgrades for the family ever since booking the tickets 9 months ago. There were just no upgrades available. Delta did offer to sell us seats at ~$15K each for the upgrade. No.

We were in LA at the departure gate to Sydney; the gate agent knew we were looking for upgrades. Only after the boarding process started and Delta realized they might not sell the seats, did upgrade seats become available. We worked out the details and made it to the front of the plane. We got full flat seats for the 14 hour flight. It was an awesome upgrade.

Another adventure starts! (December 17, 2010)

We are off again. This time we are going to go farther than we ever have before. We are on our way to Australia. This trip will take us half way around the world in both directions, west and south. This will be Connor’s first full trip to the southern hemisphere. It is summer down there. Florida has been very cold this winter. It is time to get warm.

Our passports are ready, we have our Australian Electronic Visas, let’s go!

Empire State Building Fireworks (July 4, 2010)

There was a limited ticket access to go to the 86th floor Observation Deck and watch the fireworks. Imagine the opportunity to watch the fireworks from above instead of below. It seemed like a good idea and Mary was excited about it. We bought the tickets. While we were checking in, it became clear we got the last three tickets available. The show was amazing. Macy’s had six different barges in the Hudson River spread across 20 or more streets. Each barge had the same show all synchronized to a radio broadcast. From our viewpoint, we could see all six barge’s fireworks at the same time. It was really an amazing show. This was the largest fireworks show any of us had ever seen. It was a great way to wrap up a 4th of July weekend in New York City. We have had a blast!

Fireworks (July 4, 2010)

Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest was the big deal of the day. After that, we thought we could go somewhere and see fireworks, this is New York City. Only after talking to the concierge at the hotel did we realize, this is New York City, Macy’s puts on the biggest fireworks display in the nation. Wow! The next question was, where do we go to see the fireworks? The answer was the Hudson river. The same place Captain Scully landed the airplane a while back. Then the concierge gave us a really interesting idea.

Joey Chestnut (July 4, 2010)

About the time we were finishing our hot dogs, Joey Chestnut, winner of the 2010 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, showed up. People were chanting his name. Joey was posing for a few pictures. Connor and I ran up to him. Connor asked for a picture and Joey obliged. This was a very cool moment.

Nathan’s Hot Dogs (July 4, 2010)

We waited about an hour after the hot dog contest to try and get a hot dog. Nathan’s was still packed. We did need a hot dog from the original Nathan’s Hot Dogs so we waited in line about 20 minutes (for a hot dog!). Nathan’s could not cook the hot dogs fast enough. 3 of the 4 sides of the building were open with cash registers. There were 20 minute lines in all directions. Eventually, we succeeded got our hot dogs and sat down to eat. Then something amazing happened.

Shoot the Freak (July 4, 2010)

This is the ultimate in what the carnival atmosphere on Coney Island has become. The setting is a trash filled pit with a few physical obstacles and a balcony that shooters stand on. You pay the money (5$ for 15 shots) and a real person will go out into the pit wearing protective gear and you get to shoot at him. This is both awesome and sick at the same time. Of course, I had to do it. My shots were accurate and when the 15 shots were over several observers commented me on my accuracy. The freak was hit in the head more than one time.

http://www.coneyislandfunguide.com/Attraction/Shoot-the-Freak.htm