A quick update on New Year's Eve... we were still up at midnight, so were able to watch the fireworks in Sydney on TV. What a show! 12 minutes seems like it should not be that big a deal but it was outrageous. The whole thing was totally over the top. We mostly watched because we wanted to see the fireworks that had been set up when we did our Bridge Climb -- the image of a hand, meaning "make your mark" that has native roots. We did see it featured in the second part of the fireworks show. Pretty cool.
So we slept in a bit, since we were all up so late. I had a very nice swim in the pool here at the condos. It's salt water, as are most of the pools here. I wonder if we can convert our pool to salt water? Hmmmm.
Manda and the girls picked us up at noon, and we made our way to the very funky, Boulder-like town of St. Kilda. It's known for its cakes, cafes, and odd characters. Henry rode his bike so we would have room in the car... we met up with him in front of their favorite record (yes, vinyl!) shop, unfortunately closed for the holiday.We had a wonderful, lazy lunch at a great Italian cafe, and then walked and walked along the beach. We also walked out onto the pier, where Brigitte and Eleanor did a good job spotting fairy penguins in the rocks. We got some good pics, but we'll wait to upload those until another time.
After our long walk, we stopped at Le Bon, one of the fabulous cake shops owned by parents of the girls' friends, and loaded up on cake. Really yummy!
After all that eating, all any of us could do was think about naps... so nap we did. Later, Lindsay and I decided to go to a movie. We wondered if it would be different, and found it was mostly the same. The real difference is that when you buy a ticket, you get an assigned seat, as you would in a live-performance theater. Otherwise, the same long series of movie previews and advertisements, followed by a silly movie. Oh, and it's expensive. Pretty much the same as home!
After the movie, we found that most restaurants and cafes were closed for the holiday, so we picked up veggie burgers to go from the place on the corner and had a nice quiet dinner at "home."
Lindsay is showering, I'm doing laundry, and we're planning an early night. The van picks us up at 9 am tomorrow for the "Yarra Valley with a Difference" private tour. Here is a link to the info about the tour, sounds great! Yarra Valley with a Difference
I think it will be a fun way to learn about the area, and for Lindsay to have a few more new experiences on her 21st birthday!
More pictures later!
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