December 11, 2015:
March 26, 2016:
How did December 11 turn into March 26? How did we end up betting on Nancy, the underdog horse (there has to be a better term for that), or appear on the style page of the Sydney Telegraph? How on earth did we climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the 1000 Steps- without keeling over (although we were closer than I'd like to admit). The answer is the thing that used to send chills down my spine, but what created the most amazing trip of my life: go with the flow.
Okay, yes I admit- I'm a planner, and I always have been. There's a comfort in always knowing what will come next, in being prepared for the future and every twist and turn that could come. But this trip didn't allow for that. We were getting to stay with my godfather and his family in Sydney, and some of our closest family friends from my Australian childhood in Melbourne. Their generosity and excitement was enough to convince me to let go of the reins, and allow the trip to become whatever it was meant to be. Because of that, it was more incredible than any of us could have imagined. I wish I could sit here any write out every single adventure that went down, but since those stories could fill a book I just want to share some of the best stories from the trip, based on what we hoped for and, more importantly, the things we never saw coming.
Goal 1: Find a Koala
Outcome: Done, done, and done
This plan was orchestrated and very vocalized by Felicia- for good reason. Koalas are marsupials and only found on continental Australia, meaning a Koala sighting was valuable in and of itself. On this trip, we attended 3 animal parks in 2 days, allowing us to not only see tons of cuddly Koalas, but actually touch the drowsy, sloth-like, and adorable animals. I believe this photo sums up the experience:
Goal 2: Bet on a Winning Horse
Outcome: First is the worst, second is the best!
Okay, so with two mildly competitive gals heading into the horse races, we had a set agenda: find the fastest horse and bandwagon behind it. Since we had absolutely no idea about what separated these horses, or which ones were predicted to win, it seemed like a lost cause. Thankfully my godfather was quite astute and had prepared well- for the first six or so races, we found ourselves steadily winning money based completely upon his brilliance. However, when race 10 came around, it was go time. Scanning down the list of horses, among names such as "Ready for Victory" "Kiss and Make Up" and " Extreme Choice" we spotted the unassuming, glorious "Nancy." With low odds and very little fanfare, this was our horse. In fact, the betting house gave us even better odds- that's how unlikely it was that Nancy had a shot. The nerves leading up to that race were unreal, and when the gates opened we screamed (like ladies duh) from the balcony "Go Nancy, yeah Nancy, Go!" As Nancy fell into dead last, our bandwagon status was unwavering. That's when the miracle occurred. Nancy raced forward, moving from 5th, to 4th, to 3rd, to 2nd on a field of 15 horses. The crowd went wild. Or maybe it was just us. Good old Nancy was this close to cinching the win, but to us it didn't matter. We jumped and cheered and teared up. It was so jubilant that my godfather's daughter pulled us aside to whisper, "You know Nancy didn't win, right?" But to us it didn't matter. We loved Nancy, and the betters were unhappy because they hadn't seen the sparkle in Nancy's eye like we had. The $13 we won was priceless- because Nancy proved that anything is possible for ponies that believe.
Goal 3: Bondi Beach
Outcome: Tumblr/Pinterest do not lie; this beach is gorgeous
As we prepared for our trip, we scoured tons of websites for the best things to do during our limited time in Australia. Overwhelmingly, we were told to go to Bondi Beach. Bondi is one of the most famous beaches in the world, meaning that I was expecting a total tourist trap. And it was, but it was also one of the most stunning views I had ever seen. While we made a mistake and did not swim between the flags (Sorry Bondi Beach Life Savers), which lead to me eating it in a colossal wave, it was such a nice way to relax after the excitement of our five days in Sydney.
Goal 4: Climb Stuff
Outcome: 1000+ Steps and a Bridge
I don't believe this one requires as much of an explanation: We came. We climbed. We celebrated with chips. Lots and lots of chips.
Goal 5: Find Melbourne Street Art
Outcome: Gold mine.
Something I never knew about my birthplace is that it is famous for its street art... And that's a title it rightly deserves. Our family friend Jon showed us all around the city and we saw more street art than I ever knew existed. Looking at it, I couldn't help but think back to the incomparable Lizzie Maguire song "Yesterday my life was duller... now everything is technicolor." Because, you know, lots of colors.
What we never saw coming...
1. The iVenture Card
Let me explain the genius of this card- for a single price you get access to 30+ of Sydney's most popular tourist attractions. My energetic, fit, and excited godfather was determined to hit every. Single. One. This meant waking up at 7 most mornings, running around the city all day, and enjoying dinner cruises, Opera performances, and climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the evenings. I can't even explain how many places we went, how much we saw, but I can say that it was awesome. I would do it all again, including walking upwards of 7 miles per day, just to re-experience it all. Thank you, Uncle Mike for your dedication to the iVenture card, and thank you iVenture card for a seriously fun week.
2. The St. Kilda Penguins
This was hands down one of the most beautiful experiences of the trip. At sundown, little penguins swim to sanctuary in the rocks at the St. Kilda pier. It was surreal to see wild penguins in their own habitat. Although we had seen so many animals over the course of 8 days, this was my favorite because I felt like they were letting us in to experience their journey. So cute.
3. The Sydney Telegraph and Fame (?) in a Foreign Country
To provide some perspective: We left LAX at 10 pm on Thursday night, and arrived in Sydney at 6 am on Saturday morning. After clearing customs, we went straight to get some food before heading to the apartment to get dressed... in 45 minutes. That meant showering off 15 hours on a plane, unpacking our outfits, and finding the perfect hat (called a fascinator) to complete our "local" look. Thank goodness the two of us have a little experience in pulling it together quickly. Walking around the races, we stopped and took photos with everything- it was our first few hours of the trip and we were not going to miss a thing. After a wonderful brunch and the joy of watching Nancy dominate (see above), we headed down to the track for the final race of the day. It was there that a man with a camera asked to take a photo of us. Since taking photos of guests is common at the Australian Turf Club, we thought it was just a media staffer putting together the Facebook album. When he took our names we didn't think too much of it, and continued on our trip. A few days later, we couldn't find our photos anywhere on Facebook, Google, or the website. That is, until one of Uncle Mike's friends told him that we had been published on the Style page of the Sydney Telegraph. It was hilarious and so unreal... Actually finding the page made our confusion increase... What? How? Why? But I'll take it, and we are very honored that the classy people of Sydney enjoyed our style. That didn't happen in Our Lips Are Sealed.
From childhood dreams to real life, we would like to thank Mary-Kate and Ashley for inspiring us to travel and experience the Sydney of their movie. Although we couldn't track down color block dresses (or any unknown Hemsworth brothers) we think we did them proud.
Here's our video from the entire trip:
No comments:
Post a Comment