If Clark Griswald ever vacations down under, he could do a pedestrian version of Big Ben – Parliament with the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge as stand ins. Our last day in Australia was spent rising early to see the morning sun reflect on the tiles that encase the Opera House. We arrived so early that hardly one tourist was out, making for some great pictures and lessening our embarrassing voices as we tried to sing opera.
We lucked out with a blue bird day to capture what is one of the most stunning pieces of architecture in the world. We walked all around the harbor, including over the Harbor Bridge and through the Royal Botanical Gardens Sydney all the way to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. The unique architecture had Gina and I filling up our memory cards with one digital picture after another. And if that wasn’t enough, Chinese tourists wanted to take pictures with our kids?!? We don’t understand that custom at all, but maybe if the world calms down we can ask someone on the Great Wall of China one day!
After crossing over the Harbor Bridge we found ourselves at a Bavarian beer hall in The Rocks and toasted to a trip well done! As evening fell, we were greeted to a magnificent light show of aboriginal images cast upon the curvy walls of the opera house. The light show was the perfect end cap to our time in Australia. The next day we boarded Qantas’s enormous Airbus A380 for the 16 hour flight back home.
We planned the heck out of this trip and not a single day went by where we were wishing that we hadn’t done something else. Australia is the perfect place to visit as a family – the whole country was an adventure and suits people of all ages. The architecture is unique whether it’s the towering skyscrapers of Melbourne or exquisite opera house. From the wilderness of Tasmania to the exotic barrier reef, Australia had our family wondering when we could return and what else could we see? Nothing is certain in life, but as long as we are traveling and keeping an eye on google flights, returning to Australia will always be on our radar.
