We spent a lovely day yesterday exploring the Blue Mountains in Katoomba. We took the train from Central Station in Sydney and the boys enjoyed their first train ride ever :-) It took about 2 hours to get from Sydney to Katoomba by rail....there is something about train travel that makes one feel as if they have gone back a bit in time. The rocking of the cars, the scenery passing by, the strangers loading on and off on their way to who only knows where....it's fun to while away the hours wondering about them; or maybe that is just me, lol.
The Blue Mountains are beautiful. We hiked all over the place -- it got to where when I saw stairs I started to whimper...I don't mind going down stairs so much, it's the going up that I can hardly handle! It's why I adamantly stay away from the StairMaster at the gym. When I go to the gym, that is. The boys were having a ball, though. Matt is destined to live in some mountain retreat, secluded and with a myriad of trails and paths to explore. We got a hop on/hop off bus pass while we were there. It allowed us to explore at our leisure, see the areas we wanted and catch a bus at any bus stop along the way. We had a fantastic driver, Jimmy. He was HYSTERICAL! There were many people from all over the world hopping on and off his bus and he did his level best to greet them in their native language, sometimes not quite getting it right, to the amusement of those who understood what he was saying, lol!
We returned to Sydney at half past 6pm and trekked back to where our hotel was located, stopping at a Spanish restaurant just across the street. It was such a lovely atmosphere inside, it reminded both Mark and I of Woolgrower's or Benji's - it had that kind of cozy feel. Mark and I had a most delicious wine, wish I could remember what it was called, lol, but damn me if it wasn't a good Spanish red! We were all feeling pretty knackered by the end of it, though. Mark and Matt have been working on getting sick and both of them hit the wall at dinner. I started to feel a little run down myself but knew that bed was far off for me...there was laundry to do, bags to get organized and packed, electronic doodads to charge....it seems never ending sometimes ;-)
We took off for the airport by way of taxi this morning and I think Sydney was mourning our leaving! It was the first day since we had been there that clouds covered the sky and while we were waiting for our flight it began to rain. See, sad to see us go.....we met a lovely American family that was MOVING to Alice Springs. He was a government contractor accountant for the Air Force and he received orders here. They have two daughters, one Matt's age and the other high school age. This is their first move overseas but they have traveled extensively their whole lives, lol, so this seemed to be very anti-climactic for them. We had fun chatting while we waited for our plane....apparently Alice Springs is considered a "hardship tour". I guess it just depends on who you ask....
My first view of the "Outback" brought tears to my eyes. I have thought about coming here since I first say The Man from Snowy River, lol. Daddy and I would talk about coming to Australia and backpacking through the Outback. As I gazed down on the limitless expanse of land, red dirt/clay showing vibrant against the green of the bush, I couldn't help feeling a bittersweet tug that Daddy wasn't sitting next to me, seeing the sight we had so often talked about as I was growing up! I know he is excited for me and the boys that we are here and getting to see and experience it, I just wish he could be here, too :-) But I brought my FPI sweater, lol, it was the best way I could think of to bring him with me here ~~ haha, I wonder what he would think of that!
Well I am being stared at. I guess it's time for me to get off the computer and get my bush beating shoes on . . . we are off to explore Alice Springs :-)
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