Is there a more comforting word?
We've arrived in Sydney on Thursday morning, excited to see Mum and Uncle Syd at the airport waiting for us! We all came back here, excitedly chatting, sharing stories, drinking coffee! It was soooooo wonderful to see them again after 4 weeks! Patrick and Matthew went to school on Friday, anxious to see their friends. I went to bible study, anxious to see my Friday morning bible study girls! Paul enjoyed some time at home, pottering around, mowing the grass, etc.
We will do a final wrap up in the next few days once we're a bit more organised!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Miscellaneous Last Post
Well, here it is, our last post in the US. Tomorrow we will be packing in the morning, then storing our luggage until an evening shuttle to the airport. Here are some last, random thoughts -
* "Why is that man standing in a trash can?" asked Matthew, upon seeing the car park attendant, who happened to be behind a metal, 3-sided desk.
* At dinner, the boys have been drinking either milk or apple juice. One night, when we asked for more drinks for the boys, they brought Coke. We politely explained that they were drinking milk, or apple juice. The waiter looked stunned, telling us that we would have to pay for refills of milk or apple juice, but refills of soft drink (as many as your child could drink), were free. They seemed amazed that we were willing to pay for extra glasses of milk and juice, and turned down the free soft drink.
* We have seen ads in magazines telling us that a McDonald's Happy Meal is a healthier option than "most things your child would eat at home." Huh?
* Matthew has been heard to mention (at quite a few meals) "I'm really, really missing vegetables every night.", and Patrick has been heard saying "You know what? I'm actually missing fruit." Yes, it has been a bit of a struggle to find meals that have as many veggies in them as we are used to.
* The bright blue skies, palm trees and bright, bright sun you see in typical pictures of LA are accurate. The weather here has been beautiful! Warm, sunny, just lovely holiday weather!
* Many, many people have mistaken us for English, not Australian. Not sure why, but it seems to be their first guess most of the time.
* We will be posting photos from the last few days at a later stage, possibly not til we get home.
* We have had an absolute blast over the past month!!
* We are, however, really looking forward to sleeping in our own beds!
Well, this will probably be the last US post from Ryans on the Road. For those of you who have been reading, commenting, and praying for us, thank you! We hope that you have enjoyed keeping up with our adventures on the road, and we are looking forward to seeing you once we are back on Aussie soil again.
We feel so blessed to have had this time together, and to have shared such a wonderful time together seeing new places and experiencing new things together.
Thank you, and goodnight!
* "Why is that man standing in a trash can?" asked Matthew, upon seeing the car park attendant, who happened to be behind a metal, 3-sided desk.
* At dinner, the boys have been drinking either milk or apple juice. One night, when we asked for more drinks for the boys, they brought Coke. We politely explained that they were drinking milk, or apple juice. The waiter looked stunned, telling us that we would have to pay for refills of milk or apple juice, but refills of soft drink (as many as your child could drink), were free. They seemed amazed that we were willing to pay for extra glasses of milk and juice, and turned down the free soft drink.
* We have seen ads in magazines telling us that a McDonald's Happy Meal is a healthier option than "most things your child would eat at home." Huh?
* Matthew has been heard to mention (at quite a few meals) "I'm really, really missing vegetables every night.", and Patrick has been heard saying "You know what? I'm actually missing fruit." Yes, it has been a bit of a struggle to find meals that have as many veggies in them as we are used to.
* The bright blue skies, palm trees and bright, bright sun you see in typical pictures of LA are accurate. The weather here has been beautiful! Warm, sunny, just lovely holiday weather!
* Many, many people have mistaken us for English, not Australian. Not sure why, but it seems to be their first guess most of the time.
* We will be posting photos from the last few days at a later stage, possibly not til we get home.
* We have had an absolute blast over the past month!!
* We are, however, really looking forward to sleeping in our own beds!
Well, this will probably be the last US post from Ryans on the Road. For those of you who have been reading, commenting, and praying for us, thank you! We hope that you have enjoyed keeping up with our adventures on the road, and we are looking forward to seeing you once we are back on Aussie soil again.
We feel so blessed to have had this time together, and to have shared such a wonderful time together seeing new places and experiencing new things together.
Thank you, and goodnight!
I just want to see some palm trees
Yesterday Paul, Patrick, Matthew and I caught the bus down to Santa Monica Pier. Paul's dad decided to stay back and get some rest. It was a beautiful day, just perfect for strolling along the beach.
Santa Monica beach was just gorgeous. A huge expanse of sand before you got to the water, surrounded in the distance by the Santa Monica Mountains. We rolled up our jeans, and let the waves roll over our feet. We walked for a couple of km's then headed up to the path. They had two paths, one for bikes/scooters/rollerbladers etc, and one for people walking. We got some sandwiches and fruit, and sat watching the waves while we ate lunch.
We walked back to Santa Monica Pier, then wandered past some shops, watching various street performers.
After an early dinner with Paul's dad, we got the boys to bed.
Today we decided to have an easy day. We're all pretty tired, so the idea appealed to everyone. After a late breakfast, Paul's dad returned to his room to rest and read, while Paul and I took the boys to the movies. We saw WALL.E, which was pretty good. I won't say too much about it, as I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen it yet.
The 5 of us had a wonderful dinner out at California Pizza Kitchen to celebrate our last night in California. We've had a wonderful time, but we are all looking forward to sleeping in our own beds!
Santa Monica beach was just gorgeous. A huge expanse of sand before you got to the water, surrounded in the distance by the Santa Monica Mountains. We rolled up our jeans, and let the waves roll over our feet. We walked for a couple of km's then headed up to the path. They had two paths, one for bikes/scooters/rollerbladers etc, and one for people walking. We got some sandwiches and fruit, and sat watching the waves while we ate lunch.
We walked back to Santa Monica Pier, then wandered past some shops, watching various street performers.
After an early dinner with Paul's dad, we got the boys to bed.
Today we decided to have an easy day. We're all pretty tired, so the idea appealed to everyone. After a late breakfast, Paul's dad returned to his room to rest and read, while Paul and I took the boys to the movies. We saw WALL.E, which was pretty good. I won't say too much about it, as I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen it yet.
The 5 of us had a wonderful dinner out at California Pizza Kitchen to celebrate our last night in California. We've had a wonderful time, but we are all looking forward to sleeping in our own beds!
Brief Interruption
Please excuse this brief interruption in today's programming -
***********************************************************************************
Hi Mum! I've sent you an email with our flight details for Thursday morning. Thought I'd pop a post up in case you didn't check your email. Love you, see you Thursday!
************************************************************************************
And now, we will return to your regular program, the next installment of "Ryans on the Road."
***********************************************************************************
Hi Mum! I've sent you an email with our flight details for Thursday morning. Thought I'd pop a post up in case you didn't check your email. Love you, see you Thursday!
************************************************************************************
And now, we will return to your regular program, the next installment of "Ryans on the Road."
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Universal Studios
Today we visited Universal Studios, and had a wonderful time. We started off with Shrek 4D, which was lots of fun. It was a short movie, complete with 3D images, and special effects such as water being shot at us, and a breeze brushing past us.
We investigated a Curious George activity land, and had lots of fun with foam balls, climbing platforms, and various "ball projectors".
Paul, Patrick and Matthew then went on the Simpsons Ride, which they really enjoyed.
All 5 of us then went on the Studio Backlot tour, which was full of fun! We saw how they make cars "catch fire and blow up", sets that were the "main street of a western town", and "little europe", a set that could be made to look like a small european town. We also got to see "Amity Beach" where Jaws was filmed, complete with various special effects. We got to see "Mexico", complete with a rain storm and flash flooding. Also included were Wisteria Lane (Desperate Housewives), a "plane crash" (War of the Worlds) and the Bates Motel (Psycho). These were all outdoor settings, and so realistic! We entered one "stage area", that was set up like an underground train station, and were treated to some special effects, such as the trolley car rocking from side to side, sparks and fire, the ceiling collapsing to our left, water rushing down the steps, and a train coming towards us! The way that they can make these things seem so real is truly incredible!
We then had a quick lunch, and Paul, Patrick and Matthew went on the Jurassic Park ride, twice. They got quite wet, but loved it.
All 5 of us then decided to go on the Simpson's Ride, and spent 40 minutes lining up for it! It was so much fun, I'm really glad I went on it! It was a simulator, so it didn't move around that much - it was mainly the pictures on the screen moving. It felt very real though, and lots of fun.
After looking around a bit more, we made our way back to base, and arrived at about 6.30pm, just in time to go out for dinner.
All in all, a really fun, but quite tiring day!
Slight change in itinerary: We have decided against the day trip to Mexico, based on travel advice from the Australian government smart traveller website, and various news articles over the past week. We will take advantage of a "free day" to relax before the long flight home on Tuesday.
We investigated a Curious George activity land, and had lots of fun with foam balls, climbing platforms, and various "ball projectors".
Paul, Patrick and Matthew then went on the Simpsons Ride, which they really enjoyed.
All 5 of us then went on the Studio Backlot tour, which was full of fun! We saw how they make cars "catch fire and blow up", sets that were the "main street of a western town", and "little europe", a set that could be made to look like a small european town. We also got to see "Amity Beach" where Jaws was filmed, complete with various special effects. We got to see "Mexico", complete with a rain storm and flash flooding. Also included were Wisteria Lane (Desperate Housewives), a "plane crash" (War of the Worlds) and the Bates Motel (Psycho). These were all outdoor settings, and so realistic! We entered one "stage area", that was set up like an underground train station, and were treated to some special effects, such as the trolley car rocking from side to side, sparks and fire, the ceiling collapsing to our left, water rushing down the steps, and a train coming towards us! The way that they can make these things seem so real is truly incredible!
We then had a quick lunch, and Paul, Patrick and Matthew went on the Jurassic Park ride, twice. They got quite wet, but loved it.
All 5 of us then decided to go on the Simpson's Ride, and spent 40 minutes lining up for it! It was so much fun, I'm really glad I went on it! It was a simulator, so it didn't move around that much - it was mainly the pictures on the screen moving. It felt very real though, and lots of fun.
After looking around a bit more, we made our way back to base, and arrived at about 6.30pm, just in time to go out for dinner.
All in all, a really fun, but quite tiring day!
Slight change in itinerary: We have decided against the day trip to Mexico, based on travel advice from the Australian government smart traveller website, and various news articles over the past week. We will take advantage of a "free day" to relax before the long flight home on Tuesday.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Disneyland, the details
I think I can safely say that Disneyland exceeded all of our expectations. We had such a wonderful time that we extended our 4 day pass to a 5 day pass, and enjoyed every minute of it.
We were in a family suite, comprising a lounge room, bedroom, and 2 bathrooms. The space seemed like such a luxury after 2 weeks of standard hotel rooms! The boys were given balloons and gift bags on arrival, and we were off to a flying start.
Our first morning we went to a "character breakfast". It was in the restaurant of our hotel (Paradise Pier Hotel, Disneyland), so nice and easy to get to bright and early. It was a Lilo and Stitch breakfast, which was a hit, as Stitch has long been one of the boys' favourite characters. There were also other characters wandering around, who went from table to table posing for photos, ruffling the boys' hair, etc. It was a buffet breakfast - always a hit with the kids, as they love to check out all the options available.
When we got to Disneyland, Patrick and Matthew were wide-eyed with excitement. It truly is a magical place. Characters wandering around, an old world feel to Main Street, staff that are so polite, and only to willing to help you, bands playing, and smiling faces everywhere (especially from the people selling the balloons that every child wants!).
We had planned to hit the popular rides early, before the crowds. However, we found we got sidetracked very easily, whenever we saw a fun looking ride and one of us exclaimed "Look, no line!!". Over the five days, it was very rare that we had to stand in line for very long. Part of this was due to our early starts, partly due to our willingness to use a "FastPass". FastPasses are available for the really popular rides. You insert your disney pass, and you are issued a ticket, giving you a time to come back, kind of like making a reservation. When you come back, you skip most of the line, and so cut your waiting time.
I think I can say, without a doubt, that the boys' favourite ride was Splash Mountain. They (and Paul) went on it 7 times, 8 if you count the time it broke down while they were on it! Thankfully, they hadn't gone too far into the ride when it broke down.
Paul and Patrick also braved California Screamin' twice - a rollercoaster that goes for more than 3 minutes, including an upside-down loop through Mickey's head. Matthew and I stuck to the flying swings instead.
Jack delayed his starts at Disneyland most days (we start too early) and found himself getting on Indiana Jones when he thought he was getting on the jungle cruise. On a scale of 1 - 10 (1 being sitting drinking tea and 10 being thrown around in the mouth of a bear), the Indiana Jones ride would be a solid 8. He did not enjoy this. We on the other hand thought it was great (Paul and Patrick rode twice). Best line on the ride "Tourists! Why did it have to be toursists?".
We also gave several other rides multiple visits - Pirates of the Caribean, Big Thunder Railroad, Matterhorn Bobsleds, and Star Tours.
2008 is Disney's "Year of a million dreams", and they had set up a Jedi Training Academy and a Princess Fantasy Faire to cater to those dreams. The boys were chosen to become Jedi Younglings, and were trained by masters to use a training lightsaber. Darth Vader and Darth Maul appeared after the training and the students were able to use their new skills in controlled battles - "right shoulder, left shoulder, right leg, duck, left leg, chop to the head". All shots were blocked (unless one of the students did not stick to the script) by the baddies, but it was still a lot of fun. The boys were re-graded as padawan learners and walked out with a certificate. The master also had a great banter going "the skills we learn are for defense, never for attack. If this rule I forget, to the audience I will go back." and when Vader gave his "I find your lack of faith disturbing" he shot back with "I find your breathing disturbing".
We saw most of the Parade of Dreams in Disneyland and all of the Pixar Play Parade in DCA.
The heat did get to us on a couple of days, with temps getting into the mid 30's. Rides where you get wet had really long lines, and the fastpass wait was sometimes up to 4 hours. We tried to get into climate controlled rides or break for lunch during these times, and found some good attractions in DCA to beat the heat. We saw Muppet Vision 3D and a Monsters Inc ride, which were really fun. Turtle talk with Crush was also great. Crush (the 150 year old sea turtle from Finding Nemo) swims in and talks with the crowd. Matthew had a chat with Crush (Do you and Squirt like playing together?) There is a guy who can see and hear the audience controlling Crush's movements and voice and it was great. BTW, Crush has 65 children. He also had some great one liners. When talking to the "parental units" of one child (and discovering they had 2 kids) - "stopping at 2 means more food for you!"
Patrick got hooked on pin trading on our second last day. Pins (badges) are sold in the stores in the hotels and the parks and can be traded with staff for pins that are not for sale elsewhere. You can tell the difference as the staff only pins have "hidden Mickey's" on them. Patrick now wants to keep expanding his collection using his pocket money via online purchases when we get home.
The hotel staff were particularly helpful. We had to check out by 11am, but our shuttle to LA was not coming for us until 1pm. We had them store our luggage while we went for an early lunch, and retrieved it at 12:50 so we were ready. Our shuttle had not arrived at 1:20, and when the bellman saw us waiting outside offered to chase down the company to see where they were. Keep in mind that they could have turned off the niceness at 11 when they had our money, but they (Jerry) seemed genuinely concerned that we were waiting.
Overall it was a great time.
We were in a family suite, comprising a lounge room, bedroom, and 2 bathrooms. The space seemed like such a luxury after 2 weeks of standard hotel rooms! The boys were given balloons and gift bags on arrival, and we were off to a flying start.
Our first morning we went to a "character breakfast". It was in the restaurant of our hotel (Paradise Pier Hotel, Disneyland), so nice and easy to get to bright and early. It was a Lilo and Stitch breakfast, which was a hit, as Stitch has long been one of the boys' favourite characters. There were also other characters wandering around, who went from table to table posing for photos, ruffling the boys' hair, etc. It was a buffet breakfast - always a hit with the kids, as they love to check out all the options available.
When we got to Disneyland, Patrick and Matthew were wide-eyed with excitement. It truly is a magical place. Characters wandering around, an old world feel to Main Street, staff that are so polite, and only to willing to help you, bands playing, and smiling faces everywhere (especially from the people selling the balloons that every child wants!).
We had planned to hit the popular rides early, before the crowds. However, we found we got sidetracked very easily, whenever we saw a fun looking ride and one of us exclaimed "Look, no line!!". Over the five days, it was very rare that we had to stand in line for very long. Part of this was due to our early starts, partly due to our willingness to use a "FastPass". FastPasses are available for the really popular rides. You insert your disney pass, and you are issued a ticket, giving you a time to come back, kind of like making a reservation. When you come back, you skip most of the line, and so cut your waiting time.
I think I can say, without a doubt, that the boys' favourite ride was Splash Mountain. They (and Paul) went on it 7 times, 8 if you count the time it broke down while they were on it! Thankfully, they hadn't gone too far into the ride when it broke down.
Paul and Patrick also braved California Screamin' twice - a rollercoaster that goes for more than 3 minutes, including an upside-down loop through Mickey's head. Matthew and I stuck to the flying swings instead.
Jack delayed his starts at Disneyland most days (we start too early) and found himself getting on Indiana Jones when he thought he was getting on the jungle cruise. On a scale of 1 - 10 (1 being sitting drinking tea and 10 being thrown around in the mouth of a bear), the Indiana Jones ride would be a solid 8. He did not enjoy this. We on the other hand thought it was great (Paul and Patrick rode twice). Best line on the ride "Tourists! Why did it have to be toursists?".
We also gave several other rides multiple visits - Pirates of the Caribean, Big Thunder Railroad, Matterhorn Bobsleds, and Star Tours.
2008 is Disney's "Year of a million dreams", and they had set up a Jedi Training Academy and a Princess Fantasy Faire to cater to those dreams. The boys were chosen to become Jedi Younglings, and were trained by masters to use a training lightsaber. Darth Vader and Darth Maul appeared after the training and the students were able to use their new skills in controlled battles - "right shoulder, left shoulder, right leg, duck, left leg, chop to the head". All shots were blocked (unless one of the students did not stick to the script) by the baddies, but it was still a lot of fun. The boys were re-graded as padawan learners and walked out with a certificate. The master also had a great banter going "the skills we learn are for defense, never for attack. If this rule I forget, to the audience I will go back." and when Vader gave his "I find your lack of faith disturbing" he shot back with "I find your breathing disturbing".
We saw most of the Parade of Dreams in Disneyland and all of the Pixar Play Parade in DCA.
The heat did get to us on a couple of days, with temps getting into the mid 30's. Rides where you get wet had really long lines, and the fastpass wait was sometimes up to 4 hours. We tried to get into climate controlled rides or break for lunch during these times, and found some good attractions in DCA to beat the heat. We saw Muppet Vision 3D and a Monsters Inc ride, which were really fun. Turtle talk with Crush was also great. Crush (the 150 year old sea turtle from Finding Nemo) swims in and talks with the crowd. Matthew had a chat with Crush (Do you and Squirt like playing together?) There is a guy who can see and hear the audience controlling Crush's movements and voice and it was great. BTW, Crush has 65 children. He also had some great one liners. When talking to the "parental units" of one child (and discovering they had 2 kids) - "stopping at 2 means more food for you!"
Patrick got hooked on pin trading on our second last day. Pins (badges) are sold in the stores in the hotels and the parks and can be traded with staff for pins that are not for sale elsewhere. You can tell the difference as the staff only pins have "hidden Mickey's" on them. Patrick now wants to keep expanding his collection using his pocket money via online purchases when we get home.
The hotel staff were particularly helpful. We had to check out by 11am, but our shuttle to LA was not coming for us until 1pm. We had them store our luggage while we went for an early lunch, and retrieved it at 12:50 so we were ready. Our shuttle had not arrived at 1:20, and when the bellman saw us waiting outside offered to chase down the company to see where they were. Keep in mind that they could have turned off the niceness at 11 when they had our money, but they (Jerry) seemed genuinely concerned that we were waiting.
Overall it was a great time.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Back on the air
With New York behind us we will be able to update the blog with our goings on. We did not have internet access in the room, and the hotel's wireless in the foyer was patchy so we put the blog on hold for a while - we will fill in the blanks over the next week.
We left our New York hotel at 8am to catch a 12:30pm flight to LA (the shuttle company said that you never can tell with traffic) We arrived at 9am, and had our boarding passes and luggage checked by 9:30am and then played the waiting game - not nearly as much fun as Hungry Hungry Hippos. It was a long flight and drive and we arrived at our Disneyland hotel around 6pm.
Even with the rides clearly visable from our hotel room, the boys settled down quite easily - they know the fun begins tomorrow (breakfast with Lilo and Stitch at 7am).
We left our New York hotel at 8am to catch a 12:30pm flight to LA (the shuttle company said that you never can tell with traffic) We arrived at 9am, and had our boarding passes and luggage checked by 9:30am and then played the waiting game - not nearly as much fun as Hungry Hungry Hippos. It was a long flight and drive and we arrived at our Disneyland hotel around 6pm.
Even with the rides clearly visable from our hotel room, the boys settled down quite easily - they know the fun begins tomorrow (breakfast with Lilo and Stitch at 7am).
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
New York catch up
29 September
Today we did a full day tour of Manhattan. Our guide was possibly one of the funniest people we have encountered, offering such classics as "Everyone look out the front. When we cross 14th St, we will be on the other side" and "in America, the sun comes up every morning and the moon comes out every evening - what a country".
Went on a water taxi on the Hudson and East Rivers -saw the Statue of Liberty. It is surprisingly green ( I'll let you research why that may be). We also saw the World Trade Centre site, Central Park, China Town, Little Italy, Harlem, the Village amd the Rockafeller Centre.
Today's pictures:
30 September
We were booked to go on a tour of Brooklyn today, but decided to stay in Manhattan to avoid tour burnout. Jack went and say Coney Island among other things. The tour was bilingual, (English and French) and so Jack got two tours for the price of one.
The rest of us went to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. The museum was really great - the layout and style of the displays made us all think of Night at the Museum. We stayed for several hours, but could have made a full day of it were there time.
Central Park (in fall) was also really nice. We wandered aound for quite a while, and allowed the boys some time to run and climb. Patrick and Matthew rode the carousel, and we all took a horse drawn buggy around the park - this is the easy way for locals to spot the tourists.
Today's photos:
1 October
We went on a day trip to Washington DC today. This involved a 3.5 hour train trip each way (bravery on display again) and a 4 hour escorted tour around Washington DC.
We drove down embassy row, went to Arlington Cemetary (saw the Kennedy gravesites, tomb of the unknown soldier and 350,000 other plots along the way), stopped at the Lincon Memorial and drove past the Smithsonian (closed), the White House and the Capitol Building.
This was a really long day - starting at Penn Station (NY) at 7:30am and returning at 10:30pm.
Today's photos:
2 October
This was our last day in New York, and we took on the shops today. First we went to Macy's. Generally no different to a Myer back home.
We then went to the observation deck of the Empire State Building. It was really windy and we were not dressed warmly, so we didn't stay there long.
We then took a cab to Bloomingdales. This is more like an upmarket David Jones (they didn't even have a toy department) and we didn't stay long. Wandered back to FAO Schwartz for the kids to check out some toys, before catching a cab back to Macy's for some souveneirs.
The taxi drivers we experienced fit the NY profile. They all drove like maniacs.
Retuned to the room and packed for an early morning departure to LA.
Todays' photos
Harlem and the toy store
Today we went on a tour of Harlem and visited a local church - Union Baptist.
This was a real "Gospel" service - lots of singing, swaying, clapping, hugging. This was the annual women's service, and there were also 6 baptisms. We left 2 hours into the service, and the sermon was just about to begin.
After lunch, Jack rested while the rest of us went exporing. We walked up 5th avenue, seeing Tiffany's and the Trump Tower. We went to FAO Swartz in the afternoon, and the boys loved it. This is the store featured in the Tom Hanks film big. We couldn't get onto the giant keyboard on the floor (private function had it booked), but it was still incredible to walk around.
This was a real "Gospel" service - lots of singing, swaying, clapping, hugging. This was the annual women's service, and there were also 6 baptisms. We left 2 hours into the service, and the sermon was just about to begin.
After lunch, Jack rested while the rest of us went exporing. We walked up 5th avenue, seeing Tiffany's and the Trump Tower. We went to FAO Swartz in the afternoon, and the boys loved it. This is the store featured in the Tom Hanks film big. We couldn't get onto the giant keyboard on the floor (private function had it booked), but it was still incredible to walk around.
On the way back to the hotel we saw Radio City Music Hall.
Today's photos at:
Start spreading the news
This morning we were collected from our hotel at 8am to leave for New York. We cleared US customs in Toronto (???) without problem, but our flight was delayed by nearly 1/2 hour. We were introduced to New York trafic as soon as we left the the airport, meaning we arrived about 1.5 hours later than expected. This was a draining day, so we ate dinner and turned in for the night.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Last Day in Toronto
Today is our last day in Toronto. I cannot believe how quickly it has gone! When we first started seriously planning this trip, we were going to allow for 4, maybe 5 days in Toronto. We ended up booking for 9, and we're so glad we did. We could easily stay for a few more, but NYC is calling.
We went for our last breakfast at Cora's today, ordering quite quickly as we've all discovered our favourites by now. We then headed back to the hotel to begin packing. Once that was completed, we headed downtown, back to the Eaton Centre to pick up any last minute gifts and souveniers. We had some lunch, had a wander around, and got back here late afternoon. We will be picking up our laundry soon, then heading out for an early dinner. We need to be at the airport by 9am, so it will be a pretty early start.
Some general observations about Toronto -
* In the downtown area, pedestrians don't need to push a button for the crosswalks. When the lights change, the signal for pedestrians changes too. When it changes from walk to don't walk, it also has a "countdown", telling you how many seconds until the lights change.
* Subway fares are set within metropolitan Toronto. $2.75 for adults, 80c for children, $1.80 for seniors/students.
* Customer service is fantastic. People certainly work hard for their tips! Even those who don't get tipped (fast food vendors, department store staff) are very courteous.
* It's very clean. The streets, the subway stations, the trains themselves, are all very clean.
Other general notes -
* If, like me, you enjoy starting the day with a cup of tea (English Breakfast, etc), do no ask for white tea. You will get something completely different. You will get whiteberry tea, which is nothing like black tea with milk. That's what you need to order - tea with milk.
* When ordering a flat white coffee for Paul's dad, all I got was a blank stare. You need to order brewed coffee, and add your own milk.
* Nothing marks you out as a tourist more than fumbling with coins, trying to work out which ones are which. Paul's dad and I have avoided this by handing paper money over for everything. Not that the accents give us away as tourists or anything *wink*.
* We love Toronto!
See you in New York City!
We went for our last breakfast at Cora's today, ordering quite quickly as we've all discovered our favourites by now. We then headed back to the hotel to begin packing. Once that was completed, we headed downtown, back to the Eaton Centre to pick up any last minute gifts and souveniers. We had some lunch, had a wander around, and got back here late afternoon. We will be picking up our laundry soon, then heading out for an early dinner. We need to be at the airport by 9am, so it will be a pretty early start.
Some general observations about Toronto -
* In the downtown area, pedestrians don't need to push a button for the crosswalks. When the lights change, the signal for pedestrians changes too. When it changes from walk to don't walk, it also has a "countdown", telling you how many seconds until the lights change.
* Subway fares are set within metropolitan Toronto. $2.75 for adults, 80c for children, $1.80 for seniors/students.
* Customer service is fantastic. People certainly work hard for their tips! Even those who don't get tipped (fast food vendors, department store staff) are very courteous.
* It's very clean. The streets, the subway stations, the trains themselves, are all very clean.
Other general notes -
* If, like me, you enjoy starting the day with a cup of tea (English Breakfast, etc), do no ask for white tea. You will get something completely different. You will get whiteberry tea, which is nothing like black tea with milk. That's what you need to order - tea with milk.
* When ordering a flat white coffee for Paul's dad, all I got was a blank stare. You need to order brewed coffee, and add your own milk.
* Nothing marks you out as a tourist more than fumbling with coins, trying to work out which ones are which. Paul's dad and I have avoided this by handing paper money over for everything. Not that the accents give us away as tourists or anything *wink*.
* We love Toronto!
See you in New York City!
Friday, September 26, 2008
We are getting braver
We really worked on our independant travelling skills today - no more Mr Escorted Tour. This was picking a destination and heading off. No hand holding!
The boys really wanted to return to Niagara today, as there was a whole part of town that the tour glossed over. We decided that we could handle another day, so we got ourselves a Grayhound Bus timetable (via Justice, the bell hop) and off we went. Dad stayed behind and ended up at the Royal Ontario Museum.
The bus ride to Niagara went well (no beheadings like the one a few months ago) - and took right on 2 hours. The depot looked closer to town than it actually was, so after a 40 minute walk we arrived.
There was a reason the escorted tour avoided this part of the town. It has very little tie in to the falls (or Toronto, or Canada), and is really just a number of mini theme parks.
We ate at a Wendy's, and now we can cross that off this list. I felt like doing a "Falling Down" (movie with Michael Douglas) and go nuts because our burgers were best described as the ugly cousins of the ones in the pictures.
We took a ride on the Niagara Sky Wheel, which is bigger than a regular ferris wheel and smaller than the London Eye - although it is the Eye that it is compared to by the tour guides. This offered some pretty good views of the falls.
We also took in Ripply's Believe it or Not Museum - saw some fascinating stuff and some things that were just disturbing. They had this one bit where they had a TV show on explaining that only 1 in 1000 people can roll their tongue over. They had a mirror up beside it so you could see if you were one who could (Meaghan is). We continued one for about half an hour and came to a window that looked into a familiar looking room, and we figured out that it was a two way mirror where people on what was now our side could watch people trying to roll their tongue.
After that we took in Louis Tussaud's Waxworks. The kids got a kick out of seeing the Harry Potter characters and Captain Jack Sparrow. I thought the Austin Powers / Dr Evil bit was also good. Bit disappointed there was not a Star Wars display (there were some guys in skivvies from some other Sci Fi show).
The ride back to Toronto took a little longer than expected, and we were all a little worse for wear. Light dinner and off to bed.
Today's photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29194431@N02/sets/72157607502961377/
The boys really wanted to return to Niagara today, as there was a whole part of town that the tour glossed over. We decided that we could handle another day, so we got ourselves a Grayhound Bus timetable (via Justice, the bell hop) and off we went. Dad stayed behind and ended up at the Royal Ontario Museum.
The bus ride to Niagara went well (no beheadings like the one a few months ago) - and took right on 2 hours. The depot looked closer to town than it actually was, so after a 40 minute walk we arrived.
There was a reason the escorted tour avoided this part of the town. It has very little tie in to the falls (or Toronto, or Canada), and is really just a number of mini theme parks.
We ate at a Wendy's, and now we can cross that off this list. I felt like doing a "Falling Down" (movie with Michael Douglas) and go nuts because our burgers were best described as the ugly cousins of the ones in the pictures.
We took a ride on the Niagara Sky Wheel, which is bigger than a regular ferris wheel and smaller than the London Eye - although it is the Eye that it is compared to by the tour guides. This offered some pretty good views of the falls.
We also took in Ripply's Believe it or Not Museum - saw some fascinating stuff and some things that were just disturbing. They had this one bit where they had a TV show on explaining that only 1 in 1000 people can roll their tongue over. They had a mirror up beside it so you could see if you were one who could (Meaghan is). We continued one for about half an hour and came to a window that looked into a familiar looking room, and we figured out that it was a two way mirror where people on what was now our side could watch people trying to roll their tongue.
After that we took in Louis Tussaud's Waxworks. The kids got a kick out of seeing the Harry Potter characters and Captain Jack Sparrow. I thought the Austin Powers / Dr Evil bit was also good. Bit disappointed there was not a Star Wars display (there were some guys in skivvies from some other Sci Fi show).
The ride back to Toronto took a little longer than expected, and we were all a little worse for wear. Light dinner and off to bed.
Today's photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29194431@N02/sets/72157607502961377/
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Shopping
Today we decided to start a bit later than on previous days. We all slept in, and ambled down to Cora's for breakfast at about 10am. We got seated fairly quickly, ordered, and started planning our souvenier shopping trip. Not long after we ordered, the manager came out to warn us that they were going to have a fire drill in about 5 minutes, and we would all have to leave and then come back after the whole building had been evacuated. 4 minutes later, our breakfast arrived. We had all taken our first bite when the alarm went off, and out we trotted, following the directions of the staff. We got the feeling that some people might have been regular customers when we saw them carrying menus out with them to read, and a cup of coffee. That hunch was confirmed when we looked around, and spotted two guys who had brought their plates out with them to finish eating!!
We got back inside, and, hands spread wide, Patrick exclaimed "Our breakfast is gone!!" (Kinda like being part of a real live Goldilocks and the Three Bears performance). The staff had taken it away to place under warming ovens. It was brought back to us, we finished eating, and asked for the bill. To make up for the "inconvenience", they had taken 25% off the bill!
We decided to catch a streetcar (tram) to Eaton Centre. They come fairly frequently, and it didn't take long to get there. We still prefer the subway though.
We got there at about noon, and separated from Paul's dad, with a plan to meet up at 3pm for coffee. Then, we shopped. Boy, did we shop! The range of children's clothes is incredible. The styles, colours and sizes are so varied. The prices are so low, and the quality is great. We were able to get lots of t-shirts and long sleeve shirts for the boys, a nice jacket for Patrick, pants for Paul, and souveniers. Oh, and a couple of handbags for me. Yes, a couple! That particular shop had "buy one, get another for half price" deal going. I found two lovely handbags, both really, really reasonably priced to start with!
We had great fun buying a few other odds and ends, real "Canadian souvenier" type stuff. They had a wonderful range of tasteful souveniers, as well as the typical tacky touristy stuff.
Paul's dad ended up leaving before us. We stayed on, looking around some more, and getting a quick bite for dinner. We were just about to leave when the boys spotted Indigo, which is really similar to Borders bookstore. "Books, books, pleeeaaase can we look" they practically chorused. We try to make a point of encouraging reading and a love of books, so of course we went in.
Anyway, by the time we left to get the subway, it was nearly 7.30pm! Yes, nearly 7.5hrs of shopping! That has to be a Ryan record! "It's like shopping without the pain".
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29194431@N02/sets/72157607477409354/
We got back inside, and, hands spread wide, Patrick exclaimed "Our breakfast is gone!!" (Kinda like being part of a real live Goldilocks and the Three Bears performance). The staff had taken it away to place under warming ovens. It was brought back to us, we finished eating, and asked for the bill. To make up for the "inconvenience", they had taken 25% off the bill!
We decided to catch a streetcar (tram) to Eaton Centre. They come fairly frequently, and it didn't take long to get there. We still prefer the subway though.
We got there at about noon, and separated from Paul's dad, with a plan to meet up at 3pm for coffee. Then, we shopped. Boy, did we shop! The range of children's clothes is incredible. The styles, colours and sizes are so varied. The prices are so low, and the quality is great. We were able to get lots of t-shirts and long sleeve shirts for the boys, a nice jacket for Patrick, pants for Paul, and souveniers. Oh, and a couple of handbags for me. Yes, a couple! That particular shop had "buy one, get another for half price" deal going. I found two lovely handbags, both really, really reasonably priced to start with!
We had great fun buying a few other odds and ends, real "Canadian souvenier" type stuff. They had a wonderful range of tasteful souveniers, as well as the typical tacky touristy stuff.
Paul's dad ended up leaving before us. We stayed on, looking around some more, and getting a quick bite for dinner. We were just about to leave when the boys spotted Indigo, which is really similar to Borders bookstore. "Books, books, pleeeaaase can we look" they practically chorused. We try to make a point of encouraging reading and a love of books, so of course we went in.
Anyway, by the time we left to get the subway, it was nearly 7.30pm! Yes, nearly 7.5hrs of shopping! That has to be a Ryan record! "It's like shopping without the pain".
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29194431@N02/sets/72157607477409354/
Niagara Falls - the details
We booked a tour of Niagara Falls, and needed to be waiting for the pick-up outside the hotel just before 8am. It was 1.5hrs to the Falls, so we settled in to enjoy the ride. Apart from the 5 of us, there were 3 others on the bus - all Aussies! One lady from Brisbane, and a husband and wife from Perth.
When we arrived at Niagara, we stopped to have a quick look at the Falls before being dropped off for the larger tour bus to collect us. The boys were pleased that we had enough time for a quick stop in the Hershey's shop! After getting some "supplies" for the day, we went to wait for the bus.
The tour was completely booked, so it was a full bus. We stopped first at the top of the Falls, and had about 30 minutes to take photos etc. The mist coming of the Falls was quite heavy, and it was easy to end up quite damp! The noise and sheer size of the Falls was incredible. The roar of the water, and sheer volume crashing over the Falls was amazing. It was loud, majestic, spectacular!
We then boarded the bus once again to go to the pick up point for the Maid of the Mist. We were given our blue plastic Maid of the Mist ponchos to put on, and headed for the upper deck.
We headed past the American falls first, which have a large number of rocks at the bottom - the result of 2 rock falls, one in the 1930's and one in the '40s. The spray wasn't too bad at that point, but we could see that it was certainly heavier near the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls. We headed over towards them, and the roaring got louder and the mist got heavier. We got quite close to the bottom of the Falls, stunned by the power of them. It made you feel so very, very small. They stand at 50-odd metres high, and so are equally impressive and intimidating. By this time, we were quite grateful for our ponchos, as the "mist" now felt like heavy rain!
We headed past the American falls first, which have a large number of rocks at the bottom - the result of 2 rock falls, one in the 1930's and one in the '40s. The spray wasn't too bad at that point, but we could see that it was certainly heavier near the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls. We headed over towards them, and the roaring got louder and the mist got heavier. We got quite close to the bottom of the Falls, stunned by the power of them. It made you feel so very, very small. They stand at 50-odd metres high, and so are equally impressive and intimidating. By this time, we were quite grateful for our ponchos, as the "mist" now felt like heavy rain!
After the Maid of the Mist, we headed (with our tour group) off to an organised lunch at the Sheraton. It was a buffet lunch, and very, very enjoyable.
We then returned to our bus and tour guide, and headed off to drive around Niagara. Heather (our guide) was full of information about the Falls and the surrounding area. Here are a few facts she shared with us -
* There are many hotels, tourist shops and an amusement park within Niagara that weren't there 20 years ago.
* Some parts of the area are left as "scrubby areas" to try to attract wildlife back into them. They get deer, and "scrub" wolves coming to visit. Heather reassured us that "scrub" wolves are different to timber wolves, in that they are not aggressive. I will take her word for it.
* The Falls have been slowly eroding over the years, and so at night, 50% of the water is diverted under the city through an elaborate system which was a joint project of Canada and America. From 1842 to 1905, the average rate of erosion of the Horseshoe Falls was 1.16 meters (3.8 feet) per year. From 1906 to 1927, this rate of erosion was reduced to .70 meters (2.3 feet) per year. The Falls are still "losing ground", but at a much slower rate of 12 inches every 10 years.
* We drove past the first Anglican church in Ontario - Christ Church. It is the church the Queen attends when she is in Niagara.
* We also drove past Canada's smallest church. It is called The Living Water Wayside Chapel. It has 2 pews, and holds 6 people, 7 if you include the minister. For those wanting a really small wedding!
* We visited a town called Niagara on the Lake. They love tourists, but not tour buses, so there is a bus parking bay just outside the town. It's a picture-postcard type town, with a small town, old world feel to it. We had a wonderful time taking photos and wandering around.
Once the tour was finished, we were taken back to the pick-up point for the smaller bus back to Toronto. That was at about 5pm. We were told that it would be there to pick us up at 6pm. By 5.50pm all 8 of us were there waiting. 6pm came, and went. 6.15pm came, and went. 6.30pm came, and went. One of the ladies went into the hotel, and the conceirge called the tour company for us. We were told that there had been a "slight hiccup" with the driver, and he should be there soon. Well, at 7pm we were picked up, only to be told some of us weren't on the list. The lady who made the phone call had, thankfully, told them there were 8 of us, and so we were all allowed to board. The driver, I must say, did not seem happy.
We left Niagara, and started for Toronto. However, we didn't seem to be going the way we had come in the morning. Before long, we were pulling into a motel on the outskirts of Toronto, with all the adults looking rather nervous. We were picking up more passengers! It was a Polish couple, who were heading for the airport! When the husband found out we were all Aussies, he headed down to sit with us, saying "You Aussies are good guys, lots of fun, I sit with you!". His wife made her way down after a few minutes, and we all compared travel plans and adventures. They were heading back to Warsaw after 9 weeks travelling.
We then pulled off twice more to pick up airport passengers, something we hadn't expected. By the time we arrived at the airport, I felt really sorry for the Polish couple - they had only 50 minutes until their flight was going to leave, and had been told that they must be there 45 minutes beforehand at the very latest! I hope and pray they made their flight!
So, to make a long story short, a trip home that should have taken 1.5 hours took just over 2.5 hours. The driver (from what we could tell) attempted to make up time towards the end, absolutely flying along, and hitting every pothole there was! However, we made it back to Toronto safely at 9:30pm, and that's the main thing!! It was a very long day - particularly for the boys.
Today's photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29194431@N02/sets/72157607477301388/
Really Quick Update
Just wanted to give a quick update. Yesterday's trip to Niagara was amazing! We had a wonderful, but very long day. We left at 8am, and didn't get back to the hotel until 9.30pm. Off to do some souvenier shopping now, and will compose longer post detailing yesterday's trip when we get back.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Childhood Memories
Today was the day. The day of visiting the school I went to as a little girl, and looking at the house I lived in.
After breakfast, we got a taxi, gave the driver the address (and rough directions!), and headed off. It only took about 15 minutes or so, and we were pulling up outside the school. We got out, stood on the footpath and got our bearings. I turned around, and there it was. The old house. I immediately started walking towards it, heart pounding. It was different, but so familiar. Changed, and yet the same. I stood and stared at it for a few moments. Briefly pointed things out to Paul, Patrick, Matthew and Dad.
We then headed back up to the school, and into the office. The office lady asked us to wait while she got the principal. While waiting, we looked at photos of the graduating classes over the years. I looked at the photo of the year I would have been in, and got a lump in my throat when I actually recognised a few faces.
The principal came out to greet us, and got a 7th grade student to show us around. It seemed like it hadn't changed a bit! It was all so familiar, almost as though no time had gone by (except maybe changes in fashion!).
After thanking the student who showed us around and saying goodbye to the office lady, we wandered back outside. We went back across the street to have another look at the house I lived in. I knocked on the door to see if anyone was home (to ask if they minded us taking some photos) but nobody was home. We snapped a few photos, then walked past the school, down some steps to show the boys the "double decker hill". The double decker was a popular sledding spot when I lived there, and the boys had lots of fun running down it as fast as they could!
We then went for a walk around the block, had another look at the old house, and headed off. We went past a park that I remember being taken to as a little girl, and the boys had a bit of a play on the climbing equipment before we moved on.
We walked up to Bloor Street, spotting many squirrels on the way - both grey and black. Some climbing, some with nuts in their paws. We got to Bloor Street in time for lunch, and followed a recommendation to go to guess where? Swiss Chalet! I believe it was the Swiss Chalet (Mum? Was it the one on Bloor Street?). So, we got the photos Paul had wanted to take at the other one! Had a lovely lunch, and headed off once again.
Caught a train to Eaton Centre, a huge shopping centre. Spent about 3 hours there, looking around. Caught the train again, but this time back towards our hotel. The trains are marvellous. Clean, not crowded (even at 5.30pm on a Monday). According to the timetable on the platform, the trains come every 2-3 minutes during peak hour, and every 4-5 minutes during non peak hour! There's the north-south line, and the east-west line. So, it's very, very easy to make your way around, even when you're not that familiar with the city. It was no trouble at all!
Paul's perspective
It was really great to see Meaghan's old stomping ground. The cabbie seemed to have a little trouble finding the place. We had looked it up the night before and knew roughly how to get there, but when he started asking us for directions I got a little nervous. He found it mainly by dumb luck, as Meaghan had mentioned a nearby cross street that he headed for, but we found the necessary street.
It was great to see the school, and the student (Kate) who showed us around did a great job. We gave the school a couple of books as a thank you for letting us intrude on their day (Are we there yet and Aboriginal dreamtime stories).
Wandering around we went up and down the "double decker hill" several times, and went past a number of houses belonging to Meaghan's old friends. It was amazing how many kids all lived so close to each other. We also spent some time at "the park".
The subways again impressed me. This time we caught the east/west and then had to change to the north/south, and it was the easiest thing in the world.
Eaton Centre is huge, and we decided that we would probably go back again later in the week. The variety of boys clothes available in Sears was a big surprise. We find most stores in Sydney have huge varieties of girls clothers, and very few for boys. What there is normally has skulls or other ugly logos on them. There were hundreds of styles available at Sears, and they were reaonably priced and all looked to be of good quality. However we decided that 4pm was not the best time to be getting the boys to be trying on clothes (we had been going since 8am).
Tomorrow we are off to see Niagra Falls....
Todays photos are at
I have also added some extra photos to earlier days - had to upgrade membership as we were already at 30% of the free limit after only 3 days. We were trying to conserve some of the space, but now that is no longer a problem. These should be able to be seen from the earlier links.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Take me out to the ball game
Today we took it easy. After a slighlty later start, we wandered around for a bit before heading off to the Rogers Centre to watch the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Boston Red Socks. This was game 3 in the series, and it was locked up at 1-1, so there was strong local interest in the result.
We grabbed some hot dogs and Blue Jays supporter gear just before the game, and were entertained by a guy who had set up his drum kit outside the stadium.
We had prebooked tickets, which was a good idea as the stadium was pretty full - 39,000 people at the game.
The Red Socks won the game 3-0, but there was still a pretty good vibe from the local supporters. There were lots of Red Socks fans in town, because it is apparently easier to see their team away from home.
For more photos from today:
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Day 2 in Toronto
Once again, we did our best to pack the day full of fun and sightseeing. We decided to stick with a good thing, and returned to "Cora's" for breakfast. Once again, it was delicious, with great service and a lovely atmosphere.
We then took advantage of our second day of being able to hop on/hop off, and hopped off at a couple of places.
The first was at Queen's Quay, where we caught a ferry over to "the islands" - Centre Island to be exact. It's a lovely parkland, complete with walking trails, kayaks for hire, and an amusement park. Guess where we ended up? Centreville was a lot of fun for all of us, Patrick and Matthew in particular. They enjoyed various rides, such as a spinning "Barrel of Monkeys" ride. Paul, Patrick, Matthew and I took the arial cars from one end of the amusement park to the other, which gave us some beautiful views. We also "drove" some vintage cars around a track (Mum, remember the photo of Grandma and I on them on one of her visits? It was the same ones!), and Paul, Patrick and Matthew rode a rollercoaster, and all five of us went on a miniature train ride. Paul and Matthew then rode a "log" up (and down) a splash mountain type ride, while Patrick and I braved a haunted house.
After catching the ferry back to the "hop on" spot, we quickly got some lunch before the bus arrived. All five of us decided on hot dogs from a stand that was nice and close. They were really yummy!
We got back on the bus, and headed for Casa Loma, where we got off to go in and explore the house. I say house, but honestly, it was a castle! I've never seen anything like it in my life. The owner had been on a European Tour as a young man, and had fallen in love with various castles all over Europe. When he got home to Canada, he decided to build one for himself, but couldn't decide which style of castle he loved the most. So, he incorporated design details from seven different styles. Three storeys high, and many, many rooms. The library was incredible! Glass fronted bookshelves, filled with hundreds and hundreds of books. Only downside was that we rushed it a little to catch the bus back - and that became a saga of its own.
We made it to the pick up point 4 full minutes before we due to leave, only to see it pulling away without us. After the initial frustration we pulled ourselves together and started to walk towards the subway. A cab drove past about half way there, and we hailed it down. Only problem was that it could take 4 passengers and there are 5 of us. Dad got in and the rest of us headed for the subway. We got there no problems and walked almost immediately onto a train. The subway is really fast, really clean and really roomy - at least it was at 4:30pm on a Saturday. We travelled about 6 stops and came out about a 10 minute walk from our hotel - too easy. Dad made it back too!
For dinner, we went to a place called The Swiss Chalet (ring a bell, mum?). Roast chicken, salad, ribs, etc. Tasty food, good service. It's a restaurant I remember going to as a little girl when we lived in Toronto, so it was fun to go back.
Todays photos are at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29194431@N02/sets/72157607397239286/
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Day 1 in Toronto
You know that happy place just before you wake up (sort of in between deep sleep and dozing)? Imagine that with the sound of your father in the hallway trying to find your room - at 6:40am. Dad had been up for a little over an hour and wanted to know if we wanted him to get coffees. So began the day.
After the early morning cafine intake, we showered and dressed and went to find breakfast. We were directed by the concierge towards "Cora's". Had a fantastic feed and were ready for our hop on / hop off tour of Toronto.
We had prebooked a Greyline tour, and this picked us up in front of the hotel at 9:50am. We were taken all around Toronto (North/South Loop) and saw (breifly) a number of key landmarks - Roger's Centre, CN Tower, Casa Loma, Eaton Centre, Parliament buildings, City Hall, University of Toronto, bed pan alley (street of hospitals - with litigation specialists on site), entertainment district, and many others.
We did the full loop (without hopping off) and headed for lunch at Shopsy's part way into the second loop. This place is legendary in our family from stories from Meaghan's dad about the great food - he was spot on.
We walked off lunch on our way to CN tower - currently the second tallest free standing building in the world (it used to be first - curse you Dubai!). The ride up 144 stories took only 58 seconds and the views were great. There was a glass floor on the observation deck that really brings home the height of the thing.
Wandered around for another hour or so looking at souveneirs and made our way back to base.
We went to dinner at Wayne Gretsky's restaurant - saw heaps of hockey memorabilia (sticks, jerseys, trophies, pucks). The burgers even came with his number (99) seared into the bun.
So ended day one - photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/29194431@N02/sets/72157607381414832/
Ryans in the air
The first flight from Sydney to LA took a bit longer than I thought - just over 13 hours. So, when we arrived in LA, it was just after midnight Sydney time. Patrick didn't sleep at all on that flight, so he was exhausted! Matthew, Paul and I dozed for an hour here, an hour there. Paul's dad didn't get much more than that either.
When we got off the plane in LA, there was another plane-load of people lined up in front of us to go through immigration. We were told that it would be at least one hour before we'd get through, and our next plane was in about 2.5 hours. Patrick was pale, clammy, and not feeling well. Thankfully, security then asked if there were any families with "small children". We said we had a 7 yr old with us, and that was enough to get us bumped through to the "fast track" with the Americans! Thanks, Matthew! When going through immigration, Patrick was so pale the officer was concerned he was going to pass out. Thank goodness, that didn't happen!
The transfer at LAX wasn't as smooth as we had been led to believe it would be. Things such as incorrect advice and directions from staff, long, long lines, and difficulty clearing security (that dangerous container of baby powder!) added to the stress.
None of us are looking forward to going through LAX again!
The second flight was shorter, taking about 5 hours. Patrick was asleep before take-off, and Matthew shortly thereafter. Paul and I both slept for about an hour on that flight. The flight was pretty smooth, and went quickly.
Customs in Toronto was very quick and easy, and our bags came through really quickly. We got a taxi within a few minutes, and so were headed for the hotel before too long.
After checking in, we cleaned up a bit, then went to find some dinner - it was after 8pm local time, so we went for a quick pizza. By the time we got back to the room, we were all looking forward to a good night's sleep!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
9 Hours, 40 Minutes
Until mum arrives to drive us to the airport. The boys are asleep, and Paul and I are going to bed really soon. The alarms (yes, alarms - we don't want to sleep in!) will be going off in 8 hours, 30 minutes, and we will need to hit the ground running. This will probably be the last post on Aussie soil until our wrap-up post when we return home!
Here we go!!
Here we go!!
Prayer Points
As you may have noticed, we have added a list of prayer points to the side of our blog. This is simply for anyone who would like to pray for us while we are away, to give them some ideas of things we would appreciate prayer for. We will update the list if/when we need to. Obviously, please feel free to pray for us as you feel led - don't feel restricted by our "list"!
Of course, it goes both ways :). We will be praying for many of you while we are away, and please don't hesitate to let us know (just leave a comment) of things any of you would like prayer for!
Of course, it goes both ways :). We will be praying for many of you while we are away, and please don't hesitate to let us know (just leave a comment) of things any of you would like prayer for!
We're off
Tickets and tour bookings - check
Bags packed - check
Overexcited children - check
Next stop - Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Only 5 more sleeps
Today we got the suitcases down and started planning what will be packed. Matthew emptied everything out of his wardrobe - fine if we were leaving forever, but not for the few weeks we will be away.
Today has been a beautiful spring day, and both boys have been out enjoying the warmer weather. For the photos see - http://www.flickr.com/photos/29194431@N02/
The garden that we planted two months ago is coming up nicely. There was concern that all the tulips wouldn't flower until after we left, but the warmer weather has meant we can enjoy them for two weeks.
With only 5 sleeps to go, we are cutting down on groceries so that all the food is gone the night before we leave. One of the good things about this has been the scones (can't leave that flour in the cupboard).
We now have to fill those bags - should be easy enough?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
One Week To Go
Yes, we are down to one week. Seven days. This time in one week, we will be just over 4 hours into our first flight! Based on how quickly time has gone since we began this blog, the next 7 days will just fly!
Paul's last day of work is tomorrow, then it's the weekend. Once Monday arrives, we will be down to 3 days!!! The next week is going to be pretty busy (understatement!), as the list of last minute "little" jobs is getting quite long. However, the busier we are, the faster time will go, and the quicker our holiday will arrive! Everything is in place, now we just have to wait. Oh, and pack. We will begin our packing this weekend, and finish up next week while the boys are at school. Hopefully everything will be packed, organised, and done by Wednesday lunchtime.
Oh, and the bag thing? Yep, changed my mind again - keeping the backpack for the plane, and just taking a shoulder bag with me in case we go anywhere "nice". The backpack will do for everyday sightseeing, I've decided.
Oooooh boy. One week!
Paul's last day of work is tomorrow, then it's the weekend. Once Monday arrives, we will be down to 3 days!!! The next week is going to be pretty busy (understatement!), as the list of last minute "little" jobs is getting quite long. However, the busier we are, the faster time will go, and the quicker our holiday will arrive! Everything is in place, now we just have to wait. Oh, and pack. We will begin our packing this weekend, and finish up next week while the boys are at school. Hopefully everything will be packed, organised, and done by Wednesday lunchtime.
Oh, and the bag thing? Yep, changed my mind again - keeping the backpack for the plane, and just taking a shoulder bag with me in case we go anywhere "nice". The backpack will do for everyday sightseeing, I've decided.
Oooooh boy. One week!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Travel Documents
We have them!
Today after school, the boys and I picked up our tickets and other travel documents from the travel agent. Seeing our names on the tickets was so exciting. Reading through all the documents, checking all the reservations, was so overwhelming! I didn't realise just how much we will be doing, how many places we will be seeing, until we laid it all out and read through it all. It's going to be a busy month!
Today after school, the boys and I picked up our tickets and other travel documents from the travel agent. Seeing our names on the tickets was so exciting. Reading through all the documents, checking all the reservations, was so overwhelming! I didn't realise just how much we will be doing, how many places we will be seeing, until we laid it all out and read through it all. It's going to be a busy month!
Monday, September 1, 2008
It's September
It's September. We leave in September. Oh.My.Goodness!!!
Our "departure month" is here! It's no longer "in 18 months", or "6 months", or "3 months", or even "next month". It's this month! I can hardly believe it. I can hardly believe that we're actually being brave enough to attempt this. I realise that for some people it's not that brave at all, but for us, it's incredibly brave!
We've started out packing list, and bought the boys some new t-shirts and jeans on the weekend. I got some new shoes, which I need to break in before we leave. I've sorted out the bag thing - backpack for the plane, and an across the body bag for day to day sightseeing. Anyone who knows me, knows my bag fetish, and is probably both relieved that I've sorted it out, and doubtful that I will stick to this "bag plan" for long! However, I refuse to fuss any longer over such a small detail! I think we've got plenty of other things to be organising between now and the 18th!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
3 weeks and counting
Four little passports, all in a row - proof that we can all leave the country! The time is flying - I can't believe how quickly! This time in four weeks, we'll be one week into our trip!
We finalised payment for our holiday this week, with all bookings finally confirmed. We were starting to get a bit worried when a couple were taking a while to come through, but it's all booked and paid for now. So, all we have to do now is pack and go! Sounds simple, doesn't it?
We're going to try to travel as lightly as possible, so in some ways, that makes packing slightly more difficult. Do I take the blue t-shirt, or the green t-shirt? Do I take the backpack, or the handbag (yes, still trying to work that one out!)? Do I take the slip on joggers, or the lace-up joggers? Do I really need more than 2 pairs of shoes? Two pairs of jeans, or three (one pair just not being an option)? I don't want to be lugging too much around with us, but I don't want to spend 4 weeks wishing I'd brought one more t-shirt. However, I needn't worry too much. Paul's theory is if we need something, we buy it. We're both pretty sure though, that we'll be having so much fun, and doing so much, that we probably won't miss the things we don't bring!
I must admit, there have been a few days this week where the excitment just seems to overwhelm me. I still can't believe that we really doing this. I just feel so blessed, and I can't wait to make the most of every moment!
Monday, August 18, 2008
31 Days To Go
Yep. 31 days. Somehow, the past couple of weeks have disappeared, and we've switched from counting weeks to counting days.
While the switch from week counting to day counting was slightly panic-inducing, it's also upped the excitement level around here. The boys' passports have arrived, and travel plans are progressing nicely - we now have places to stay while we are away. It's now becoming very, very real. We really are going to do this, not just talk about "maybe, one day, hopefully".
There are still lots of other things to work out, some big things (what exactly will we pack, how do we keep the boys entertained on long flights, getting around unfamiliar cities) to rather small things (what kind of bag should I take to use during the day - handbag, backpack, long handled bag I can wear across my body?, do we need a separate bag just for all our various chargers?). However, working it all out is half the fun. It makes it seem real, and it makes it seem close. It is close. It's 31 days to go.
While the switch from week counting to day counting was slightly panic-inducing, it's also upped the excitement level around here. The boys' passports have arrived, and travel plans are progressing nicely - we now have places to stay while we are away. It's now becoming very, very real. We really are going to do this, not just talk about "maybe, one day, hopefully".
There are still lots of other things to work out, some big things (what exactly will we pack, how do we keep the boys entertained on long flights, getting around unfamiliar cities) to rather small things (what kind of bag should I take to use during the day - handbag, backpack, long handled bag I can wear across my body?, do we need a separate bag just for all our various chargers?). However, working it all out is half the fun. It makes it seem real, and it makes it seem close. It is close. It's 31 days to go.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
6 weeks to go
Since our boys were babies, we've talked about and dreamed about travelling with them. Last year, we started seriously talking about a family trip to Canada and the USA. We were excited. The boys were excited. But would it happen? Would we be brave enough? Could we actually do it?
We decided to firstly see Canada, so the boys could see where I (Meaghan) was born. They had told us that they wanted to see "where Mummy was a little girl". We then decided that while we were "that close", we'd take the boys to Disneyland and throw in New York for good measure. So, Toronto will be a mix of sentimental and tourist, the other two destinations, pure tourist. The itinerary has changed so many times that it's not funny. We've had so many, it's been hard to keep track of where we thought we were going, where we wanted to go, and where we're actually going to end up going. However, after hours and hours a couple of weekends ago, we've narrowed it down, and finally feel like we know what we're doing.
So, now that we know the where, let's talk about the who. Well, there's us, Paul and Meaghan. We've been married for 10.5 years. Our two sons, who are 9 and 7. And Paul's Dad, who will be joining us on our adventure.
We are now only six weeks away, and panic is starting to set in. We are still working on improving everyone's fitness. Hotels in two cities remain unbooked. We have given very little thought to what we should pack. Our boys' passports still haven't arrived (but hopefully will in the next week).
Basically we have had a great idea that could still fall over during the implementation stage.
We decided to firstly see Canada, so the boys could see where I (Meaghan) was born. They had told us that they wanted to see "where Mummy was a little girl". We then decided that while we were "that close", we'd take the boys to Disneyland and throw in New York for good measure. So, Toronto will be a mix of sentimental and tourist, the other two destinations, pure tourist. The itinerary has changed so many times that it's not funny. We've had so many, it's been hard to keep track of where we thought we were going, where we wanted to go, and where we're actually going to end up going. However, after hours and hours a couple of weekends ago, we've narrowed it down, and finally feel like we know what we're doing.
So, now that we know the where, let's talk about the who. Well, there's us, Paul and Meaghan. We've been married for 10.5 years. Our two sons, who are 9 and 7. And Paul's Dad, who will be joining us on our adventure.
We are now only six weeks away, and panic is starting to set in. We are still working on improving everyone's fitness. Hotels in two cities remain unbooked. We have given very little thought to what we should pack. Our boys' passports still haven't arrived (but hopefully will in the next week).
Basically we have had a great idea that could still fall over during the implementation stage.
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