Visitors from the land far far away...

It has been a really long time since I have posted a blog, so I have a lot of catching up to do.  My parents came for a two week visit at the end of October and we got to do some amazing things while they were here.  I managed to take over 1600 pictures, so keep your eye out for a couple posts.

My parents arrived early in the morning on October 24th, so I ventured over to the airport to pick them up.  When I say pick them up I mean lead them to the train for the ~45 minute trip back to our apartment.  It was a little bit of a struggle with their bags, but we managed.  We met up with Mark for lunch at a local place called the Moody Chef and introduced them to the famous chips of Australia (aka french fries) as well as traditional service in restaurants here....slow!  I didn't want to overwhelm them on their first day here, so I took my Dad to his favorite place, the mall of course.  He kept falling asleep so I took him home to take a nap.

Off to the mall!

Day 2 was a different story, we walked across the Harbour Bridge (~3/4 of a mile).  Great views, but very windy up there.  Once we got to the other side we walked around an area of town known as The Rocks.  Basically, a lot of really old buildings that have been turned into shops and restaurants.  It also is supposedly haunted.  After a quick bite to eat with some over anxious pigeons we headed to the Queen Victoria Building.  It was originally built as a concert hall, but has since been remodeled into an upscale shopping center.  I believe it is 6 stories high and I have been told that the higher you go up, the more expensive the shops.  The building features 2 large clocks, The Great Australian Clock and The Royal Clock.

 View from the bridge.

Arch 

 The Rocks

 The Great Australian Clock

The Royal Clock

Later that evening we enjoyed a lovely dinner down on the water with a view of the Opera House and the bridge.  Unfortunately, while we were rushing to make the train my Mom tripped and fell.  She fell at the entrance of the train and the edge of the tracks. Her injuries included scratched up hands, a chipped front tooth, and a bruised ego.  They were kind enough to hold the train until she was sorted.  Not a good way to start a vacation, but she was a trooper.  After 2 visits to the local dentist she was fixed up and ready to enjoy her vacation, even though she had to go an entire week trying hard not to smile and show off her chipped front tooth.

These pictures were taken just before the incident.

On day 3 we went to Featherdale Wildlife Park, which happened to be in the middle of redneck Australia.  There were literally Australian native animals in people's back yards.  Despite the interesting location, we had an amazing time.  A lot of the wildlife was just wondering around the park.  You could pet and feed the kangaroos and wallabies hopping around.  We even got to pet a koala.  There were probably 50 koalas in this little park.  They were so cute so I took about 50 pictures.  This was a highlight for me.

 We got to feed him, they liked the cones the food was in more than the actual food.

 This little guy sat, posed, and even talked to us.

This emu was heading straight for me when I zoomed in on his face.

Later that night we had to prepare for our trip to Melbourne and thankfully Mark got to join us for the long weekend away.  That will be the next blog...