Visitors from the land far, far away (The Finale)...

As my parents' visit drew to a close we took a trip to Sydney's wine country, Hunter Valley.  In order to get there we had to rent a car.  This was our first driving experience in Australia.  For those who don't know, in Australia the drivers seat is on the right side of the car and they drive on the left side of the road.  Mark did an excellent job and got us to our destination safely. 

 On our way to Hunter Valley.

Just another everyday sign.

We started the weekend off by sampling some wine Mark and I had tried before in Sydney.  My Dad who is not a wine drinker even took part in the activities.  I think over the course of the weekend we got him to enjoy wine.  That evening we had a nice meal at a restaurant on a vineyard.

The following day, we got our own personal chauffeur who took us all over Hunter Valley.  We got to see some beautiful vineyards, learn how they make wine, sample some delicious wines, and enjoy some locally made cheese at the Smelly Cheese Shop.  We also stopped by the chocolate shop for some dessert.  We decided to try the chocolate with chilli, which I would not recommend, such a horrible, spicy combination.

 All of us at a beautiful vineyard.

 Lots and lots of wine.

Mom and Dad enjoying some good wine and great weather.

The following morning we headed to the Hunter Valley Gardens, which were beautiful.  We all enjoyed walking around looking at the variety of gardens they had.  They even had a Storybook Garden where we all got to act like kids again.  After enjoying our time in the gardens we had to head back to Sydney so Mom and Dad could get ready to head off to Hawaii.  Overall, they really enjoyed their trip and Mark and I were so glad they were able to spend 2 weeks with us to take in all the sights and sounds of our temporary home.

 Enjoying some tea with Alice and the Mad Hatter.

Huge chair, Mom had some trouble getting on.

Visitors from the land far, far away (Part 3)...

After returning from Melbourne, I still had several more things planned to do around Sydney.  On Tuesday we headed out for a tour of the Sydney Opera House.  There weren't any interesting things going on that week in the Opera House, so a tour was the next best thing.  After the tour we walked around the Royal Botanical Gardens which surrounds the Opera House.  The most incredible view of both the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge is from a place called Mrs. MacQuaries Chair in the gardens.  We then headed to Darling Harbour, which is a U shaped harbor lined with many restaurants.  It is also a spot where many cruise ships dock.  After that we rode the ferry over to Manly Beach for a nice dinner on the water.

 Side of Opera House and downtown Sydney.

 Bats in the trees in Botanical Gardens, they were huge!

 Cockatoo in the gardens.  Look innocent, but one thought I was a good place to land.  Not a fan of birds.

 View of the Opera House from Mrs. MacQuaries Chair.

 Mom and Dad at Mrs. MacQuaries Chair.

 Fountain in Darling Harbour.

 Cruise boat in Darling Harbour.

Manly Beach.

On Wednesday, we went to the Taronga Zoo.  We had incredible weather and had so much fun looking at all the animals.  It is an interesting zoo set on a hillside with spectacular views of downtown Sydney.

 New tiger cub at the zoo.

 Hoarding food.

 Goats with a great view of the city.

Check out those eye lashes!  We even got to feed them!

The next day, despite poor weather we headed off to Watson's Bay.  It is a rocky beach along the ocean.  There we walked along the coastal path to see The Gap, which is exactly what it sounds like.  There is a large gap between two large rocks high above the sea.  While we were there we saw some whales in the ocean.  After battling the wind and rain for some time we headed off to a popular Beach here called Bondi Beach.  When it is nice outside the beach is absolutely packed and the ocean is bustling with surfers.  After a quick stop for lunch, we walked along the coast to view the sculptures by the sea, an event they set up every year where artists bring in these huge sculptures and set them up all along the coast for people to view.  For the most part, they were very interesting.  Later that night we had dinner in one of my favorite restaurants, the Northbridge Hotel.  This was our second time trying to go to this restaurant and after talking it up so much we had to go while my parents were in town.  Mark and I had been there only once before, but I had the most delicious vegetarian meal there and to die for bread and butter pudding.  After all the hype, the didn't have the bread and butter pudding on the menu as they only serve it in winter time.  Regardless, dinner and dessert was still amazing.

Mom and I braving the weather.

 The Gap

 Bondi Beach

 Interesting sculpture.

 Mom and Dad posing with a sculpture.

On Friday morning I made my parents get up bright and early to go to the Sydney Fish Market for a behind the scenes tour.  We had to be there around 6:30 am and it was about an hour long train ride, but it was worth it, even though we smelled like fish.  We got to see a lot of fish and other live seafood and watch them all get auctioned off.

Fish market.