Category: Uncategorized

Sydney – First Glimpses

Checking into our hotel in The neighborhood if Glebe in Sydney is a pleasant surprise. The hotel staff is very helpful to direct us to public transportation options to get us started.

Our neighborhood- is just that –news stand across street to purchase a public transport pass for each of us. A Campos coffee shop across street, cafe next door, bakery& deli-yay!

Bus stops down street. Light rail 1 block away. – so easy to get around. The bus to CBD(central business district) takes us past historic public buildings. And then we make our way to the tourist hub of Circular Quay.

Along the way we find a quintessential Aussie pub for lunch of burgers,chips, & beer. It has been there for over 100 years & a fun spot for lunch.

Once we get to Circular Quay we get the full tourist vibe of the city – boom! It is a warm sunny day & it is lively. Plenty of take away food shops. Ferry terminal to all ports of Sydney Harbor. And the Sydney Opera House at the point of the harbor- spectacular.

A group is playing st the Sydney Opera House – club/tavern/spot and it is vibrant and gorgeous. We enjoy the vibe, music, and a beverage. Then walk over to the Opera House and decide to purchase tickets to the Symphony/Beatles tribute concert on New Years Night.

We then take the ferry to Darling Harbor. Which gives spectacular views of Sydney Harbor Bridge. Amazing!

Heading to Sydney Australia

Jack, Greg, & I are so excited to be heading to Australia for a family adventure. It has been a goal to travel there and we are so excited to be sharing this adventure as a family.

Jack has his break from Colorado Mesa University between semesters that makes this possible.

We are flying from LAX to Sydney direct. We depart at 11:50p on Dec 28 and arrive at 8:30a in Dec 30. We lost Dec 29, 2018! No worries – we will catch up on the return trip.

13 hours later – the sun shining and we land in Sydney.

We grab our backpacks & find an Uber ride to the neighborhood of Glebe. We are all eyes as we travel through the Sydney neighborhoods. First passing massive shipyards, then urban neighborhoods. As it is still early / the city is a bit sleepy.

Packing List for Camino

So many friends have asked me to share my packing list for the Camino hike.

Here it is;

1 – short sleeve tech shirt

2 – long sleeve tech shirts

1 – merino wool sweater – light weight

1 – skirt

1 – running tight

1 – pants

1 – rain jacket

3 pairs of socks

2 – scarves- for style & function

1 – beanie

1 – poly T-shirt

1 pair flip flops

1 pair hiking shoes

1 silk sleeping cocoon

1 microfiber towel

….choosing my daily wardrobe was never a problem :). And everything could wash at night & be dry next day! I use 3 ebags packing cubes – love them!

Wrapping It Up

Out adventure to The Camino Santiago, Spain, Portugal,Greece & Paris has been amazing.

Walking 15-20 miles per day / every day in the Camino was an accomplishment. Meeting fascinating pilgrims was the reward. So many interesting pilgrims with great stories. Meeting the inn keepers and restaurateurs was fun. The scenery was gorgeous and learning about the cultures of the inhabitants along the way- fascinating.

Once our feet blistered past repair our travels took us to amazing places meeting fun people along the way. Both the people & places improved our perspective giving us a better view of our world.

We learned that we could travel without schedules and changing our plans ‘on the fly’ allowed us to enjoy experiences that we didn’t anticipate. And travel with one backpack and a modest amount of ‘stuff!’

We had a great time and are so thankful that we followed our dreams to make this adventure a reality.

I will be sharing our travel experiences in Australia & New Zealand.