moment, we are in Orange, at Stephanie and David's beautiful home but, when I left all of you, I had just gotten to our 3rd day in Sydney.  So much time has gone by, I don't remember all the things we have done.  I know that on Friday, Amanda came to meet us and we went to a little cafe to meet up with her husband Paul who had a business meeting in town that morning.  We have not met Paul yet.  When he arrived,  he very generously agreed to drive us around, showing us many different areas of Sydney.  Something we could not have done on our own.  He is just as nice as Amanda and we immediately felt comfortable with him.  I forgot to mention that it is a very rainy day.  We were meeting Jennifer and Robert (also people we met on the Camino de Santiago) at Circular Quay later that afternoon and, instead of dropping us off and telling us what bus to take, Paul drove us there.  Our friends were there and all of us recognized each other immediately.  They had visited us in 2009 so many years had gone by since we had seen each other.

It was still raining so the plans to walk and go to dinner were altered and we hopped on a train and went to their house for a drink.  They showed us their area and once again, we were impressed with the amount of green spaces everywhere.  Their new house is really beautiful and inviting.  Later on we had a real feast at a small Lebanese restaurant.  We chose the banquet which included an array of dishes.  The appetizers such as tabouleh, hummus, baba ganouch, fetoush and labne were so delicious, we may have had too much.  The real meal started coming and there was so much, we could not have it all.  Every dish was better than the previous one and enough was left for Robert and Stephanie to have another meal the next day.  After the superb dinner they treated us to, they drove us all the way home. 

The next day, Amanda and Zavier  (her grandson)  picked us up and took us to the zoo where we saw  cute koalas and other interesting marsupials.  Zavier had told us all about a bird show and we were really impressed.  They had birds doing tricks on cue and flying back to their trainers even if they could fly to freedom.  At one point, this enormous condor flew inches over our heads to pick up a bit of food the trainer had thrown in the air.    That majestic bird had a wing span of at least 6 feet.  We ended the visit with an overview of the whole zoo in the cable car.  That night, we had dinner in a Thai restaurant. We getting close to the end of our stay in Sydney. 

On Sunday, Jennifer and Robert picked us up and took us on a bush walk about 90 minutes out of town.  That large Provincial Park only opens it door to the public 6 weekends a year,  so they can enjoy the Spring blooms.  Again a lovely day culminating with a picnic lunch prepared by Jennifer. 

On Monday,  Amanda came over and we went exploring the city, starting by crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  We walked all day and saw so much with Amanda giving us ton of info about all the different neighbourhoods we were walking through.  Sydney is a really beautiful city with so much happening throughout the year.  They have an amazing Art Gallery and we hope to go back to it when we get back here early October.  We will have a day or two before coming back home.

After a full day, we are left for Newcastle.  Poor Amanda has to drive for a couple of hours after such a busy day and we can't even offer to share the driving since it would put all of us in grave danger.

Auckland, 24th to 30th August 2016

Our flight was uneventful but extremely long.  We were happy to reach our destination.  As soon as we got off the plane, a sniffer dog got on my trail and I was detained for a few minutes.  I was asked by Border Control if I had any food with me.  I had signed a declaration form saying I did not but had forgotten Bernie's unfinished turkey sandwich, purchased many hours ago in San Francisco.  It was wrapped and put in my backpack, out of sight and completely forgotten.  Unfortunately, the dogs found it.  That lapse of memory could have set me back $400. but they understood and just took the sandwich away.

Our hotel was nice and well located.  We went for many long walks around the city, which is quite beautiful.  Unfortunately, it rained 4 out of the 6 days we were there.  On one of the 2 sunny days, we went on a day trip to an island which is a Bird sanctuary.  This island Tiritiri Matangi is uninhabited and stocked to preserve the native species.  We had a very knowledgeable guide, Margi, a lady a bit younger than us.  She explained that 25 to 30 years ago, the whole island had been stripped of it's trees and converted to pasture for cattle and sheep.  As the farmers were all leasing the land the government decided that there could be a much better use for the island and terminated their leases. Volunteers were recruited to plant native trees and vegetation and, after 30 years, the results are  amazing.  Tiritiri is now a lush island with numerous species of native birds, no predators and no invasive weeds.  Visitors must clean theirs shoes before embarking on the boat so as not to carry seeds or infected soil to this preserve.  Walking on Tiritiri, our guide pointed out the many species of birds, several of which have lost their ability to fly due to the lack of predators on the island.  Many of the plants are native to New Zealand, though several were imported from Australia. On one of the rainy days, we went to the aquarium.  We saw many variety of fish, very large manta rays and cute fairy penguins.

The next day, we met up with Arnold, Freda's brother.  He picked us up at our hotel and drove us all over Auckland, stopping at places where the views were breathtaking  That is when we realized how beautiful the city was.  Arnold then took us to his home where his wife Lorraine had prepared a sumptuous brunch with delicious dosas, great chicken curry, and many more delicious dishes.  They had invited other friends and that whole day was very pleasant.  It's was a really nice way to end our last day in New Zealand.

On Monday, we arrived in Sydney and it was so nice to be greated by our friend Amanda.  We met Amanda in Spain in 2008 and she had not changed a bit.   We all got into her car and went to Amanda and Paul's condo in Kiribilli.   It is a beautiful place located right across from the Opera House.  We can see the Sydney Harbour Bridge from their living room window.   We are so lucky to be here.  Amanda took us for a lovely walk around the area, trying to show us the lay of the land.  She had also purchased Opal cards for us and loaded them so we could get onto the ferry or train or bus.  That system works really well.  There are no tickets to be purchased anywhere. All one needs to do is to tap one's card on the Opal reader on the way in and the way out. The fare is deducted from the card, and the balance displayed. It works seamlessly between busses, trains and ferries. The Opal card can be recharged at every station.  On Sundays one can travel all day for $2.50, by ferry, train and buses, any amount of time or distance.  Later that day, Amanda picked up her two grandsons and we all shared her de!icious lamb and eggplant stew with couscous.  What a welcome on our first day.  The boys were delightful and very entertaining.  Xavier is 10 and Jackson 12.  Paul and Amanda stayed at their daughter's place when they were in Sydney so we could have their unit to ourselves.  They will be taking us to their home in Newcastle next Monday.  

For the following 2 days, we walked all day soaking in the sites and the Australian way of life.  People here seem to be very active.  I guess being able to be outdoors 12 months a year makes outdoor activities a lot more of a daily routine.  Sydney is a very beautiful city, loaded with very many green areas and gardens and this being Spring, the trees and bushes are all in bloom.  The botanical garden is immense and one could walk there for a whole day.  The Opera House is a magnificent building from every angle.  The Aussies are big coffee drinkers and the coffee menus are so extensive that it keeps reminding me of Niles on the Fraser show who always ordered such complicated coffees.  Travelling by ferry into town is a 7 minute crossing and only a 2 minute walk from the condo so it is very easy to go back and forth to Circular Quay. Amanda is being so nice to us, she comes over regularly, drives us to see other sites and goes back to her daughter's place where she is minding the boys since Sarah is out of town for work and the aupair is only on duty so many hours a day.  Paul works in Newcastle.