The first couple of days

OK all, I apologize for the delay in posting to the blog, the intentions of writing everyday got thrown out of the window with some technical difficulties our first day.  The Interwebs are here, they just aren't free.  And there was the minor problem of getting the laptop to work.  However, I will adapt and over come and here I am.

The trip down started miserably.  Check in at the United counter in Columbia revealed bright sunny skies but a raging snowstorm in Chicago, our first transfer point.  The clerk was unhelpful to say the least.  She finally, after trying to rapidly check-in customers for a flight that was delayed for two hours, re-booked us on Delta to Detroit and then to Los Angeles for our waiting Virgin (Virgin Australia, minds out of the gutter!).  That was the last available option, she booked us all over the southeast trying to get us out of Columbia, Washington, Chicago, Atlanta were all tried and dropped.  So, off to the Delta counter for check-in.

Arrival at the Delta counter introduced us to Wonder Woman, otherwise known as Kendra.  Kendra began furiously tapping at her computer, noticed that the raging incompetence at Untied booked us to Detroit to go to Chicago then to Los Angeles.  United thought we were going to walk from Detroit to Chicago because she didn't book a connection.  Nice.  Note to all, avoid United in Columbia unless the weather is clear across the entire country.  Kendra managed to book us through Atlanta to Los Angeles, accepted our receipt for luggage that we paid to United and checked our bags all the way to Sydney.  To top it off, when the plane was delayed for an hour for a maintenance issue, Kendra booked us to an earlier flight out of Columbia, made sure that out bags got the earlier flight and, the best part, called my cell phone to tell me that she had taken care of it all.  I'm pretty sure that Delta gets my travel money from now on.  I just hope they use some of that money to fix the in-flight entertainment system for the  hours of travel to LA from Atlanta.  Long time to listen to nothing.

The trip from LA to Sydney was great.  Sir Richard's Virgin was large, fully functional and stocked with food, beverage and functioning in-flight entertainment.  Two meals, several movies, a book, radio, CDs and the odd sleep while sitting up led to the Harbour Bridge arrival in Sydney.  What a sight!  Fly all night, see nothing but the inky blackness, the glorious Pacific sunrise from 38,000 and the first glimpse of land is the shoreline at Sydney.  The Opera House and Bridge are on the left as the massive 777 turns and lines up for landing at Sydney International.  One of the first things that I notice is how hilly and green everything is.  Lots of trees, grass and neat English style houses on rolling hills that lead to the many smaller inlets that make up Sydney Harbour.  Landing led to disembarking and the first touch of things Australian.

Through the airport and my first taste of what was to become familiar, sticker shock.  There is nothing ( and I mean this with all sincerity) nothing inexpensive in Australia.  The duty-free stores have Jim Beam for $55.00 a bottle.  That's for a normal size bottle.  Yeah, let that sink in for a bit.  Through the airport and off to immigration, (G'Day, welcome to Australia.) and then off to quarantine.  Place your bags on the yellow line, don't touch them while the cute little Beagle that can spell disaster sniffs around.  Australia has very strict quarantine laws that they, rightfully, enforce with great enthusiasm.  If the happy beagle gets extra happy with your bags, its off to search and many questions about why your declaration form doesn't list all the nice things in the bags.

Out of the terminal and hop a train to the city center to the Museum stop and then a short walk of a couple of blocks to the hotel.  Check-in is not until 2:00 PM.  No problem we say, what time is it? 7:00 AM.  WHAT??  Ah, our first experience with the monster, Jet Lag.  We are up, wide awake and ready, unfortunately we are many, many hours away from home.  No worries, says the girl at the desk; place your luggage in a storage room, grab some clothes and shower in the spa.  So we clean up and head out for our first day.  The worst thing to do is let the monster get claws in you by going to sleep.  The body never really adjusts and mother nature helped by making the day bright and sunny.  Cleaned up we headed to the Harbour.

Our first trip to Sydney Harbour is marked by any trip through a new country, all the things that are different.  Of course I'm not used to the cars being on the wrong side of the road and the driver being on the wrong side of the car.  Sounds great, oh hum, right?  I really noticed when trying to cross a street.  I was looking the wrong way for traffic!  Thankfully the ever so kind Aussies paint the words "Look Right" or " Look Left" on the pavement.  I guess they got tired of running over yanks.  Our walk to the Harbour takes us through Hyde Park, past St. Mary's Catholic Church and the Royal Botanical Gardens to the shoreline.  I have many pictures of those things, that I will upload when I'm not paying for interweb access.  Ugh. 

Hyde Park is glorious.  Green, open, cool with a great breeze blowing through it.  Makes it hard to believe that we've been awake for nearly 24 hours.  Very wide promenades with lovely flowers and grass.  The fact that we've going through at 7-8:00 in the morning is wonderful because very few other people are there.  The first thing that we see is the ANZAC memorial, beautiful stone monument to the great losses of life that the Australian and New Zealanders have suffered in world conflicts.  Up next is St. Mary's church.  A Catholic Cathedral with Gothic designs that is open to the public all day.  Very bright on the inside which is not what I expected.  Very open and the sanctuary is dominated by the high alter at the far end.  There are also 3-4 smaller alters through out the "top" of the church.

Ooops, about out of time, will have to post more later...

Stay tuned!!