Hello Sydney!

After a 12 hour, 6250 mile flight from LA to Auckland, then a 3 hour flight from Auckland to Sydney, we finally made it to the other side of the world!  The flight was pretty uneventful.  We watched some movies, slept, ate, slept, had a few crying babies, slept.  It is crazy how we crossed the equator and the International Date Line.  It is already Monday here in Auckland and Sydney.  Everyone else back in KC is still enjoying a lazy Sunday. 

During our trip, our nephew Vincent has asked us to take pictures with his flat “Vincent” (Stanley).  We have been trying to steal some good shots, so he can show off to all of his classmates back in Meade.  I am not sure that they will be able to top the adventures that we are taking flat “Vincent” on over the next few weeks.

Once we arrived in Sydney, we went straight to the hotel, the Menzies and showered.  I don't think we have enjoyed a shower so much.  Next we headed straight to Circular Quay to see the Sydney Opera House.  We had a guided tour which was pretty spectacular.  The building's archicture really was ahead of its time.  Aaron still claims the Kansas City Kauffmann Performing Arts Center is way nicer.  

Next we headed towards Manly Beach.  We took a ferry across the bay and really snagged some great shots of the Harbor Bridge and Opera House.  The waves at Manly Beach were incredible.  They were so high that no swimming was allowed.  There were several surfers trying to ride the waves.  It was a beautiful sight.  The ocean water was much warmer than in LA.  Aaron and I strolled around Manly and then headed back to Sydney's Circular Quay. 

For dinner we went to Darling Harbour.  We went to a horrible restaurant that was way over priced.  It was called the Hurricane.  The funniest part about the restaurant was that everyone ordered a slab of ribs.  Aaron and I kept telling each other, these tourists don't even know what a good slab of ribs taste likes.  They were charging $75 a slab.  We will take some OK Joe's any day over this.  The best part about dinner was definitely my wine!  It was a local Shiraz called West End.  

Overall, our first day was a great success and so much fun!  According to my fitbit we walked a ton.  Tomorrow we will climb the Harbor Bridge.  Look for some more fun pics!