Australia, Day 7 (Shopping and Thrivent Finale)

Today was our last full day in Australia.  I spent the morning skyping with Dave and the kids.  I've been so thankful to be able to see their faces and hear their voices while I've been away.  I miss them like crazy, but it's been an amazing week.  After skyping, we went shopping for last minute souvenirs and had high tea at The Tea Room in The Rocks.

 

Our hotel has had amazing flower arrangements each day.

We went back to the Queen Victoria Building to take some pictures.

Sydney is a popular vacation destination for Chinese New Year.

Sydney Tour

We ended the evening with dinner and entertainment at the Town Hall, which houses the largest pipe organ in the world.  We had an amazing dinner and entertainment by an organist, a violin trio called Angel Strings, piano music with a soloist, and the evening ended with a  concert by Jessica Mauboy.  She was discovered on Australia's Got Talent and is now an Australian billboard sensation.  

We've had an incredible week.  We've loved being in Australia.  The people here are so kind and the city is so clean.  It really is like no other city we've been to.  It is always fun to learn about the culture in other countries.  Australia now has a special place in my heart!

Australia, Day 6 (Manly Beach)

Today was a lazy day.  We slept in, I did my workout, and then I ventured out and did some shopping.  We had lunch from a restaurant called Pie Face, which was really good.  Then, we  took the ferry to Manly beach.  It felt so good to lay on the sand and hear the waves crashing onto the beach.  We took naps and then met Thrivent friends for dinner.

Australia, Day 5 (Bondi Beach, Shopping & Dinner Cruise)

Today we spent the morning and early afternoon hours at Bondi Beach.  The sand is so incredibly soft at the beach and the sandstone rock formations are breath-taking.  We walked for a bit and then ate lunch at a fabulous restaurant by the beach.  Australia has the most cases of skin cancer because of where they are located in relation to the sun, so we were very careful not to stay outside too long.

After going to the beach we did some shopping at the Queen Victoria Building, which was the original site of the fruit market when Australia was still a territory.  It is a beautiful sandstone building with stained glass windows and beautiful tile floors.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera.  We also went to the Opal Museum and learned a lot about opals.

We ended the evening with a dinner cruise around the harbor.  It was great to watch the sunset behind the Opera House and bridge.  Our entertainment was great.  The Australian Girls Choir sang for us.  The Australian Four Tenors in Disguise also sang for us.  We ended the evening on the top deck of the boat with a fireworks display set to Australian music with the Opera House and bridge as the backdrop.  It was pretty spectacular!