Thanksgiving Down Under

Happy Thanksgiving from the Land Down Under! After 28 hours of traveling, we arrived in Sydney, Australia. It’s already been an incredible journey and we’re just getting started! The 15 hour flight from San Francisco to Sydney seemed never ending. Eating, watching movies, and trying to catch a few winks gave us the sense that time was passing, yet it was still dark out and we still have so much to go! At last we landed and sped our way through customs. With the new expedited processes, you no longer receive an entry stamp in your passport, so we asked nicely and they kindly obliged us “crazy Americans” with a big fat stamp. Then we caught a taxi ride to our AirBnB to drop off our bags before exploring the city.

First, we walked around Darling Harbour and to The Rocks district. This neighborhood has many shops and eateries. We found a brewery to sit down and try some Australia craft beer and kangaroo sausages. We figured since we couldn’t have turkey on Thanksgiving, kangaroo was the next best thing! The smoked sausages were very tasty with a slight game flavor that reminded us of venison.

Next, we walked to Circular Quay and the Opera House. We meandered around trying to absorb in the views of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge. It is astounding how large these structures are in person. It’s still hard to believe we’re actually here!

Then we strolled through the botanical gardens and down to Hyde Park to soak in the sun rays and warm 76 degree weather. As our feet began to tire, we splurged for a gelato sugar kick. Kyle’s Apple Watch said he walked 21,267 steps, more than 10 miles! So when the gelato didn’t help our sore feet, so we taxied back to our room for the night and had dinner at a nearby Italian pizza place. After our long journey we felt exhausted but happy to be there and ready to continue the adventure.