Koalas!

See! I told you I was going to hang out with the koalas. So cute.

They were sometimes difficult to locate in the trees, but we found some. 

First Evening in the City

So I got the internet thing worked out. WiFi here is just not like at home and I removed my SIM card to avoid potentially expensive internet and phone connections. A friend at work (Kelly, the same one who suggested that I write a blog) has been here twice. She loaned me her Optus device, which basically creates a personal hot spot. I didn't know how to use it, though, and there wasn't any memory left. The friendly folks at the Optus store fixed all that, so now I am good to go. Here's what this thingy looks like, charging off my laptop. 

Here's Capt Flinders with a pigeon on his head.

Next up was the Immigration Museum, which is close to where I am staying. It was fantastic! A world class museum. But I was really yawning around 4:00 and left for a nap. Glad I set an alarm because that was a deep sleep! Guess this is what they all meant about the jet lag. :-)

I forced myself up and ate dinner at the apartment, then went out to explore. Kelly recommended the self-guided walking tours, so I tried an abbreviated version of one of them, skipping some detours through a garden I couldn't really see at night.

First, Federation Sq at night. 

My first alley exploration. I've read that Melbourne comes alive in the alleys at night.

St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Lutheran church next door.

Which I will not be visiting because the services are in German!

Old Treasury Building.

First Morning in Melbourne

I was proud of myself for sleeping until 6 after my first night in Australia. It was still dark when I got up and the hot shower felt sooo good! Breakfast in the apartment was easy and relaxing since I did some shopping after arriving last night. I sipped my coffee and watched the sun come up.

At 8:30, I was ready to explore the city, but having trouble finding this that were open. Immigration museum opens at 10 and the internet place, Optus, wasn't open yet either. Federation Square was open by 9 and has free WiFi! I checked out the visitors' center and video conferenced the kids. :-)

Federation Square was impressive.

I took a free tour and found a history exhibit. Chris will be proud.

Also penguins at the Australian Museum of the Moving Image for Aberdeen and Nate:

Eating lunch now at a little place below the history stuff. Hot soup is a must on this chilly day!

Posting this using the free wifi again, but my next mission is to figure that out for the rest of the trip. And maybe give that Immigration museum another try.

Bonus Day in Sydney!

Those storms that delayed our plane from arriving on time in L.A. had a silver lining for me. After so many delays and re-routes, I needed to rebook my flight to Melbourne from Sydney. When Jane the courteous Qantas agent asked me if I minded waiting an hour, I asked if she could move to even later in the day so I could go see the Opera House. She not only did that, she played travel agent and gave me a short itinerary and directions on how to use the train. She suggested that in check out The Rocks, botanical garden, and harbor bridge, too. I did it all.

Harbor bridge: you can't miss it, Jane, said.

Government House at the Botanical Garden

The Rocks. I had lunch near this Convict.

Opera House! I got up a lot closer, don't worry.

Couldn't help but think of Dad in a city that had sailing, breathtaking architecture, and a world class botanical garden all within minutes of each other.

First corporate card purchase!

Chris makes better grilled chicken, but this will suffice for dinner at the Philadelphia airport.

Better rug up

It's winter there. Looks like a heat wave is about to hit the East coast, but where I am headed, the temps are in the 40s and 50s this week.

I am packing mostly fall clothes, and those of you who know me won't be surprised that my suitcase has been just about packed for about two weeks. Decided a couple of days ago to check a second bag so I can take a few more things and a bunch of gifts to my coworkers. (Mostly chocolates). There'll be plenty of room to bring a few things home!

Also bought a new light jacket to keep me warm, but it's not too bulky. Waterproof, too! I hear that storms come up out of nowhere and my weather app shows rain coming on Saturday and Sunday.

So I think I'm all set. Flying out of Philly tonight around 6.

What's a Fortnight?

In about a fortnight, I will be flying to Melbourne for a business trip. A friend at work suggested that I create a blog so that my friends and family can follow my (somewhat limited) adventures. Sounded like a good idea, so here goes.

What's a fortnight? It's two weeks. Yeah, probably most of you know what it means, but do any of you really use this term? I don't. We should, really, because "biweekly" is so confusing. Is that every other week? Twice a month? And what's with semi-monthly? Is that the same thing?

Calling my blog Koala Fortnight because I'll spend *about* two weeks down under with the koalas. I leave on July 2, but arrive on July 4 (crossing the international date line for the first time in my life). I will depart Melbourne on July 19.

Enjoy.