A Sweet Sydney Ending

The final adventure for our visitors was a trip to Sydney! Their departing flight from Oz was via Sydney, so Erik and I made the trip with them, which served as a great weekend getaway and also gave us the opportunity to say farewell to my parents in person. We departed Melbourne on Saturday morning, which also happened to be Grand Final (aka the Super Bowl for Aussie Rules Football) day. Sydney's team was actually playing in the Grand Final (held in Melbourne at the MCG), so we saw many Sydney Swans supporters arriving at the airport as we were departing. Erik and I were not on the same flight as my parents and our flight was delayed, plus on top of the delay there was an accident on the train lines just minutes before we were boarding the train to get into the CBD, so our arrival was significantly delayed. I put my mom up to the task of finding a good pub for us to watch the Grand Final game and she came through with flying colors! While my parents went off exploring Sydney, Erik and I had great seats for watching the game at a bar called Jackson on George.

Originally we were all staying together in one room for this trip. Sydney CBD hotels come at a very high price on the weekends, and the four of us regularly share our OCMD condo, which is the size of a hotel room. However, my parents surprised us with a room of our own, and the views were absolutely spectacular!! We had a view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and my parents had a view of the Opera House. The Marriott Circular Quay is a beautiful hotel in an awesome location with friendly staff, beautiful views, and an extensive hotel gym!

I could not stop taking pictures from our room!

For dinner, we walked right around the corner to a small Italian restaurant called Alfredo. The location is in a historical building, apparently the oldest commercial building still in use in Australia, and the inside is small but cozy. The food was quite tasty (my mom's gnocchi was cooked to perfection!!), and we enjoyed the sounds of a piano player who befriended my mom when she requested he play some Elvis songs. :)

The view from our room in the morning!

The parentals had a sweet view, too!

On Sunday, we spent some time walking around Circular Quay and the Botanical Gardens. My parents actually took the ride through the gardens and said the 30 minute ride was worth the money.

We caught a glimpse of my parents on their guided tour of the Botanical Gardens.

In the late afternoon we took off on a ferry to head to Manly Beach. The Manly Jazz Festival was on, so we took in a few sights and sounds before heading to meet up with the Schroders.

I grew up in a small neighborhood called Sullivan Heights in Westminster, Maryland. Our bus stop was right next to the Schroder's house, so I am sure that my mother probably met Mrs. Schroder (Sharon) there while waiting for the school bus one day. One of Sharon's sons, Brian, was year older than me in school, and we could often be found on the streets of Sullivan Heights playing "kick the can" or "stickball" with the other neighborhood kids. Brian has lived in Australia with his fabulous wife, Amy, for the past nine years. When Erik received the job offer here, it was Brian who helped answer my logistical questions, and he was also helpful with our moving process. Erik and I got together with Brian and Amy when we visited last year, but this time my parents were in on the visit as well! We enjoyed a few beverages on their gorgeous patio before heading to dinner at a terrific restaurant along the water (which I would name if I could remember, but I had an amazing steak there!). It was such a lovely evening and it was really great to catch up with "old" friends, as obviously that is something that is rare in our lives here, since most of our friendships are relatively new.

Brian was the photographer for this one!

We headed back on the ferry that night, and my parents finished packing so that they would be ready to go in the morning. Saying goodbye was sad, but knowing that they took the opportunity to travel to the other side of the world to see our lives here helped to quell those somber feelings. Even though their trip was short, it was filled with excitement, exploration, and lots of hugs.

Erik and I spent Monday morning hanging out in Circular Quay, followed by a trip to North Sydney via the Harbour Bridge in the afternoon. I had never walked all the way across the bridge, so it was fun to check out the sights on the "other" side of Sydney Harbour.

Sydney has much to offer and I feel fortunate to have had the chance to visit again, this time staying in a fantastic hotel at a prime location in the CBD. We hope to head to Sydney again soon, next time staying with our friends in Manly. :)