On the plane Ella was quite nervous and overexcited. Charlotte had been on the plane for about 20 minutes and she then asked ‘When we going on the plane?’ I learnt the hard way that airplanes have very small change tables!
2 hectic train rides later and we find ourselves ‘a short walk’ from our accommodation. I didn’t time it, but I am guessing that it was maybe 20 minutes. All well and good normally, but me with an exhausted grumpy feral 2 year old on my back, pushing a baby gradually working herself up to a dull roar, holding hands with a foot dragging 5 year old plus a husband carrying a large back pack on his front, a larger backpack on his back and tugging a suitcase behind him. Thank goodness for the lovely lady who was happy for all five of us to hop in her car for a ride. In the end she ended up taking our luggage along to our accommodation for us.
Kirribilli is gorgeous. Hilly and picturesque and right next door to John Howard (former Prime Minister!!)! From our street we can see the bridge and the Opera House. It never fails to take my breath away. Ella on the other hand - ‘Mum, stop showing me the bridge. It’s the same every time’
The first afternoon saw us wandering around our immediate vicinity to purchase some drinking water and laundry powder. Then back to our room – all five of us in a room the size of our bedroom a home :) The first night was interesting to say the least, but this being night 6, we are in a bit more of a groove and Lucy is learning to sleep through a bit of noise and the girls are learning to keep themselves to a dull roar.
On our first full day here we negotiated the ferry system and searched for a playground. That was all Charlotte wanted to do with her day. As it turns out, the playground we were recommended was right beside a pretty stretch of beach (Watsons Bay), so an impromptu strip down saw the kid’s mood lift measurably.
On our way home through Circular Quay we happened upon a street performance. He wasn’t the greatest we had ever seen, but it was keeping the kids happy and everyone had a chance to rest and snack before the next leg. As it happens Ella was picked to assist him in the show. He asked the crowd to cheer if they thought her helping was worth $10, of course the crowd roared so she ended up with $10 for handing him a sword made from a balloon that he proceeded to shove down his throat.
Ella was excited to put the $10 back in his hat at the end of the performance. She hasn’t stopped talking about it yet.
Saturday we visited the Sydney Aquarium. This chewed up quite a few hours. It is a great set up and I highly recommend a visit. The rest of the day was spent wandering around Darling Harbour. We are living on holiday time, so are quite often shocked when we see the real time. All of a sudden we saw it was six o’clock, so we meandered back to the ferry which arrived at Circular Quay with enough time for us to just miss our connection out to Kirribilli. So we dragged 3 very hungry tired filthy wet children in to the closest food place, gobbled it down in 20 minutes so we could make the next ferry. We got to see the harbour by night, but were horribly under dressed for the sudden drop in temperature and the sharp increase in the wind factor.
Time for a quieter day – no ferries today. A short walk takes us under the bridge and almost to Luna Park. A huge swimming pool awaits us and kills most of the afternoon. All that is left for us to do is find an ice-cream shop and head home for a much needed nap. All except Ella who has spent the majority of the trip with her head inside her Where’ Wally? book.
Our first night saw me out on our balcony trying to get Lucy to sleep in the Ergo. I was staring at something moving in the tree positive that I was going to see a possum, but nope – it was a bat! So every day and night has been punctuated with various bat stories as told by Charlotte.
Raff had an all day conference on Monday, so we stuck close to home. We visited a playground and had a $58 lunch out! Sandwiches and milkshakes ...
Today we visited Manly beach. What a gorgeous beach, and really packed on a Tuesday, too. Not sure that I would have liked to be there on a hot weekend! The water was a glorious colour, though rather cold. The sand perfect for sandcastle making. Lots of beautiful bodies as far as the eye could see. I managed to get the top of my feet sunburnt even though it was pretty cool on the beach. Lucy had her first sea water dip, but she really wasn’t that fond of it – a bit too cold for her.
Tomorrow sees us moving to a different accommodation. I have enjoyed our stay here, everyone has been friendly, the food has been great and the kids have made themselves at home.
Watson's Bay
Lucy's first time in a swing
We were rather familiar with the expressions on the kids faces over the course of the first few days!
Ella as part of a street performance
Sydney Aquarium
Listening to a conch shell at Aquarium
No comments:
Post a Comment