tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34210996737475206152024-03-13T08:01:06.290-06:00Welcome AnywayKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-20284242036285004412011-07-17T11:47:00.005-06:002011-07-17T12:19:26.325-06:00Nile Cruise - final takeI know, I know, I totally suck. I’m just going to finish our Cruise now, then I’ll do all of Cairo in one entry so I can actually move on to other things that need to be blogged about.<br /><br />Our final day with Mohammed, we went to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_the_Kings">Valley of the Kings</a>. He warned us the previous day that, the Valley of the Kings day was going to be the hottest day so far (yup, we’re talking 115°F) and that, except for when we were in the tombs, there would be no shade. He wasn’t wrong. Our ticket got us in to three tombs, of our choice. Mohammed mentioned a great tomb, but added “but there will be quite a few stairs to reach it… it will be difficult.” I admit it – I am a wimp. It was WAY to hot, and I was WAY to fat to climb several stairs in that heat. But I didn’t want to ruin it for Lisa and Amanda, so I told them if they wanted to go, I would just wait. None of us were really up to the stairs. In any case, the tombs we did see were awesome. Sadly, we had to leave our cameras in the tour bus, so no pictures.<br /><br />On our way back to the boat, we stopped at the temple of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatshepsut">Hatshepsut</a> – a female pharaoh. It was beautiful – but again, so, so hot.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpTyilzp41Qd_p-qMW4wJv_iz5b24Ag9vHC0_nxN37N_fQ4PaZGgsqGbxT9tTDp6DplRuZKXd4xMq3OEPIdpg4Y9AbSJM3xq2Kxyrf5KF3rP5RnYZw990WbJYEGswHma4M6qRp3Czwt8/s1600/Hatshepsut2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpTyilzp41Qd_p-qMW4wJv_iz5b24Ag9vHC0_nxN37N_fQ4PaZGgsqGbxT9tTDp6DplRuZKXd4xMq3OEPIdpg4Y9AbSJM3xq2Kxyrf5KF3rP5RnYZw990WbJYEGswHma4M6qRp3Czwt8/s400/Hatshepsut2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630385474801159938" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8X1cr-GsO_0GWRNYpHsTZ1d1DS_2PRTv8K_tgBNmqW1Pkbr6JFbLkg13NLAzY0t4cixnaevxpSj5_habMdtObzSAdRBroaFhyphenhyphenYLv-TMl7yhyZSKUptha6RuP8nntTLG3DeTzIuVV5-v8/s1600/Hatshepsut.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8X1cr-GsO_0GWRNYpHsTZ1d1DS_2PRTv8K_tgBNmqW1Pkbr6JFbLkg13NLAzY0t4cixnaevxpSj5_habMdtObzSAdRBroaFhyphenhyphenYLv-TMl7yhyZSKUptha6RuP8nntTLG3DeTzIuVV5-v8/s400/Hatshepsut.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630385473535624738" /></a><br />We then stopped at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossi_of_Memnon">Colossi of Memnon</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwQpFly89jAN4VMXXMHv800R5lmClt4zl_Tx3FNGsUYeobdbq4HUoZCL-N03drq_O2bJ8DXruyly4QSYe4TCoR5nWGhB-toA3nUAjQs3PsrSkYo7oE-E1DXsYO1erCYltlHJX0bxdXcI/s1600/ColossiofMemnon2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwQpFly89jAN4VMXXMHv800R5lmClt4zl_Tx3FNGsUYeobdbq4HUoZCL-N03drq_O2bJ8DXruyly4QSYe4TCoR5nWGhB-toA3nUAjQs3PsrSkYo7oE-E1DXsYO1erCYltlHJX0bxdXcI/s400/ColossiofMemnon2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630386094638885666" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGU_TcSowLRSgwULEr2XUkJPpmmI6ysoj2OXn9_D8ZXW4nwgTrmK3Gj06ljTDhEL7P_Nn0et8rLbPB8EHGmJi4eelbtucOeF24nFgavtWBgrQ5EUHvvi_dNILsonGTIC7TMKDRlZewcY/s1600/ColossiofMemnon.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGU_TcSowLRSgwULEr2XUkJPpmmI6ysoj2OXn9_D8ZXW4nwgTrmK3Gj06ljTDhEL7P_Nn0et8rLbPB8EHGmJi4eelbtucOeF24nFgavtWBgrQ5EUHvvi_dNILsonGTIC7TMKDRlZewcY/s400/ColossiofMemnon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630386084767055938" /></a><br />Mohammed had us stop at a place that, I don’t know the word, “harvests?” alabaster. The demonstrated the process of digging it up, cutting it in to shapes, and polishing it. Lots of hard work. We, of course, weren’t obligated to buy anything, but they had a green moonstone carving of Nefertiti that was quite cool, so I did buy that.<br /><br />That night, a guy who called himself (I think) the Egyptian Don Juan propositioned Amanda. She must have left her fake wedding ring on the boat. Although she didn’t understand him when he asked for a kiss, she had the good sense to say no to anything he did ask. Hilarious!<br /><br />That was it for our time with Mohammed, although we were in Luxor one more day. The following day, all by ourselves (shocking), we went to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnak">Karnak</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_Temple">Luxor</a> temples. Our flight to Cairo was late at night, and – surprise – it was too hot for us to explore outside, AND since we had to be out of our cabin, we hung out in the lounge where it was cool. We then flew to Cairo.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5tmvl2CVY_HCJZPNva4-TUvIJ1Lt4nzvvxtvPN_-hTb1beaLliIVefkpfzD0OhClDEd9HKB22hqVt1bW8kwcDVCqMRE9DQxFT_tewF0obr7HgVX2tdxgza30kaTLFqFx8MrNlMeqbYM/s1600/KarnakTemple5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5tmvl2CVY_HCJZPNva4-TUvIJ1Lt4nzvvxtvPN_-hTb1beaLliIVefkpfzD0OhClDEd9HKB22hqVt1bW8kwcDVCqMRE9DQxFT_tewF0obr7HgVX2tdxgza30kaTLFqFx8MrNlMeqbYM/s400/KarnakTemple5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630386599352692018" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Karna</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">k</span></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVsZGnA7XTZi_GP525FE3lf3e-OhXzhJif0tfN1wVZRgUrLHOeqQ_E-pQDIBDUMVvyTISr33p50gOtxih2pq7qDoeU38SJne6iZ62acL4ZIZm6azq5gtTk89TqXmN1aWjxE4jPH6TqyY/s1600/KarnakTemple4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVsZGnA7XTZi_GP525FE3lf3e-OhXzhJif0tfN1wVZRgUrLHOeqQ_E-pQDIBDUMVvyTISr33p50gOtxih2pq7qDoeU38SJne6iZ62acL4ZIZm6azq5gtTk89TqXmN1aWjxE4jPH6TqyY/s400/KarnakTemple4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630386593585341698" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiKJ9G10wqc2fNRgiznVq-8ouWGrFQbXwvYvs3b8tihwDTCfn7Q3muUqCR9Y5GlNvIWgtO55W73UShGIG1I3yUJGfw8kpXjJKqG4TTDQwROVfv1gb1HiAtHHLUC_WSr6IRS96ZjlfBso/s1600/KarnakTemple3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiKJ9G10wqc2fNRgiznVq-8ouWGrFQbXwvYvs3b8tihwDTCfn7Q3muUqCR9Y5GlNvIWgtO55W73UShGIG1I3yUJGfw8kpXjJKqG4TTDQwROVfv1gb1HiAtHHLUC_WSr6IRS96ZjlfBso/s400/KarnakTemple3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630386583244423378" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgTyXwWGX92RrSzkercYEFE25H2GFY9s_XZmFP3sfYyesWJVOwCDjcMB20DzYsIwNS2f1D2xFWVKJpr6l8f0ecR5IywHmfWuNVlkS2u5-BrgDQPsvUnYwIaszdyIye_iODYXQQcER8nA/s1600/KarnakTemple2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgTyXwWGX92RrSzkercYEFE25H2GFY9s_XZmFP3sfYyesWJVOwCDjcMB20DzYsIwNS2f1D2xFWVKJpr6l8f0ecR5IywHmfWuNVlkS2u5-BrgDQPsvUnYwIaszdyIye_iODYXQQcER8nA/s400/KarnakTemple2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630386580254430082" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYyA5m-JHyz6Urk84RorSEWnQD_ZGRefatu580GSjYmqSjfuvbPJJGKluSFwF79NnQ0XNIJvfWP6RCHrIrCYtDzsNOBtfbux7FzzSWlQQL9_sQIYjDNElce3mIXGuT0-ryYphecjFQx8/s1600/KarnakTemple.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYyA5m-JHyz6Urk84RorSEWnQD_ZGRefatu580GSjYmqSjfuvbPJJGKluSFwF79NnQ0XNIJvfWP6RCHrIrCYtDzsNOBtfbux7FzzSWlQQL9_sQIYjDNElce3mIXGuT0-ryYphecjFQx8/s400/KarnakTemple.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630386576187349090" /></a><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoLe8YA1qKbFwu5s9cOHag7tI8OiQBx9NllgxAdrp2nwPfoa-RoWVAqjjY9OO8RQ-TACdCUGfWsY6_Xd_DgidiB-5P12iEmpoiFJegTqYNzcAzJazSnuR1oB3-2v9gIJHmNhyfaJ1jHU/s1600/RowOfSphinx.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoLe8YA1qKbFwu5s9cOHag7tI8OiQBx9NllgxAdrp2nwPfoa-RoWVAqjjY9OO8RQ-TACdCUGfWsY6_Xd_DgidiB-5P12iEmpoiFJegTqYNzcAzJazSnuR1oB3-2v9gIJHmNhyfaJ1jHU/s400/RowOfSphinx.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630387006007383650" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >Row of sphinx to Luxor temple </span></i></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBT-po3sjp_vKfY4YLAomtw-2R4T9rk8xRi7pAAECpUa15bU81Cy8LmoBzhOkB7Z61buHUXmzaByR-4x_uchuQATTYOSIh0w8bKAbrmXtZyPk57PkdG4kHZK6LNadmRdanqrDZGKvCCdA/s1600/LuxorTemple.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBT-po3sjp_vKfY4YLAomtw-2R4T9rk8xRi7pAAECpUa15bU81Cy8LmoBzhOkB7Z61buHUXmzaByR-4x_uchuQATTYOSIh0w8bKAbrmXtZyPk57PkdG4kHZK6LNadmRdanqrDZGKvCCdA/s400/LuxorTemple.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630387000621325346" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-13920728898194523042011-04-29T20:12:00.009-06:002011-04-29T20:28:46.154-06:00Nile Cruise, Take 2So, on the morning of our second day, we finally set sail (and yes, I’m finally updating my blog).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGHYCBPS4MxYtl2kZwKcF4bCWaInvBhMCOfUcjHu8Q3E86JnvTV5fz2sGkgl2-V0xLd2nwijaOUhFOh482IiUHEJNkOzZEPEzlPqcpuK88YwsMvHHscZH8YtT7pY95xO_XkYi1zZSV08/s1600/Picture+1.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 248px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGHYCBPS4MxYtl2kZwKcF4bCWaInvBhMCOfUcjHu8Q3E86JnvTV5fz2sGkgl2-V0xLd2nwijaOUhFOh482IiUHEJNkOzZEPEzlPqcpuK88YwsMvHHscZH8YtT7pY95xO_XkYi1zZSV08/s400/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601195579663665250" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCtN3v2u0tt2Uia_iKw7ONZi3OUdJl_n3U-X53vnLpiqe1drLmVbsY_l1E39Dxa5h0Lbp7yjjDeSgBhXu6EnONq8MaQ_CVeM1XdFVaT5L2qkg4pBK31tsQ_9o1xH18TdGlcYng5DM3zo/s1600/CruisingDownTheNile.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCtN3v2u0tt2Uia_iKw7ONZi3OUdJl_n3U-X53vnLpiqe1drLmVbsY_l1E39Dxa5h0Lbp7yjjDeSgBhXu6EnONq8MaQ_CVeM1XdFVaT5L2qkg4pBK31tsQ_9o1xH18TdGlcYng5DM3zo/s400/CruisingDownTheNile.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601193913120533938" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">The Nile</span></i></div><div><br />We sailed up the Nile – how cool is it that I can say that? – until we reached the Temple of Kom Ombo. Kom Ombo is actually a double temple dedicated to Horus and the crocodile god Sobek. The temple was right on the shore of the Nile (and up some stairs). And it was absolutely beautiful… hot, but beautiful. Our visit to Kom Ombo was over by noon (Mohammed said it would be just too hot after that).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-mIvcM9gZuguaanyqMkTsW-nWGAAoteAHGEuyhJ3i2lUTdY3HNhD-RC8e0POI0Qbq6TSeuoMjfnkfbTnpiLZqI62jbO9uohGRoGnC5qXJwvfp54A_nXS_I6A2bPX7jyrZkW5PhoUsJE/s1600/KomOmboTemple3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-mIvcM9gZuguaanyqMkTsW-nWGAAoteAHGEuyhJ3i2lUTdY3HNhD-RC8e0POI0Qbq6TSeuoMjfnkfbTnpiLZqI62jbO9uohGRoGnC5qXJwvfp54A_nXS_I6A2bPX7jyrZkW5PhoUsJE/s400/KomOmboTemple3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601195029642486546" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Kom Ombo</span></i></div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyjpDW2UZy6X4Emi9s-QkYIsUm_FWdbFOgqdQLFW2F0uUAU4LiEypM93hTChykDTZVTG71LTNXeVqf_89Ax8QdTfRMwxD_sjEbQGkEuU2_1tvnb7TG_AkD9iESolNeZwrsPQlFb0uA2I/s1600/KomOmboTemple7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyjpDW2UZy6X4Emi9s-QkYIsUm_FWdbFOgqdQLFW2F0uUAU4LiEypM93hTChykDTZVTG71LTNXeVqf_89Ax8QdTfRMwxD_sjEbQGkEuU2_1tvnb7TG_AkD9iESolNeZwrsPQlFb0uA2I/s400/KomOmboTemple7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601195023012824226" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcdTnUinIxvyh5UGbjUL_Nf4upV1QBWbW6al937K5uJqd8oXOwFheYcIlXbSk3vzlEXUp6dwvhCbHHG5azrAItlNW-5xzgTY2JrjCGQ61BiP_T-KPZFrbcZfhW7sxBblsepKf-VqsPWU/s1600/KomOmboTemple6.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcdTnUinIxvyh5UGbjUL_Nf4upV1QBWbW6al937K5uJqd8oXOwFheYcIlXbSk3vzlEXUp6dwvhCbHHG5azrAItlNW-5xzgTY2JrjCGQ61BiP_T-KPZFrbcZfhW7sxBblsepKf-VqsPWU/s400/KomOmboTemple6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601194653267417378" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYwU31WyRR2asVuM6hy0CgMpoJkuXnGwKshHFFjlJba5wp-Ck1SWXPXIk_IyOEjLmC0O_x7yYsptKCO3ihOvdblnIHmashvnloZX-EjTAx-E1TrarxhxdKEZGyEEo_RCRv9ly3xCDmDw/s1600/KomOmboTemple5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYwU31WyRR2asVuM6hy0CgMpoJkuXnGwKshHFFjlJba5wp-Ck1SWXPXIk_IyOEjLmC0O_x7yYsptKCO3ihOvdblnIHmashvnloZX-EjTAx-E1TrarxhxdKEZGyEEo_RCRv9ly3xCDmDw/s400/KomOmboTemple5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601194643227537250" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5izRKSBdxS0BHvbeViIho3f2tOijkvU9K5RJElyK6vjS0L20XRiPUSH8mBvntoQQnd__TKj-s19b-RhJjz6eg_0fQmze6F0bY4nkCSejR30A9UzJRf-LbPAJoM8OXRkfmfnqhOLwXlw4/s1600/KomOmboTemple4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5izRKSBdxS0BHvbeViIho3f2tOijkvU9K5RJElyK6vjS0L20XRiPUSH8mBvntoQQnd__TKj-s19b-RhJjz6eg_0fQmze6F0bY4nkCSejR30A9UzJRf-LbPAJoM8OXRkfmfnqhOLwXlw4/s400/KomOmboTemple4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601194636025847026" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPMQmjACkfwryntpXfwnz2s_kSeoATwIt2lrriyNDm3vxwZah-IdPZMlFH1rE5pfcvLIUvrho8_LtEWhTswJt5ENjSpsw_l4uQ9YQC2sqlJ1j7kxDmaNgk9KgZb7lTef1Lo6uFyV1uD4/s1600/KomOmboTemple2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPMQmjACkfwryntpXfwnz2s_kSeoATwIt2lrriyNDm3vxwZah-IdPZMlFH1rE5pfcvLIUvrho8_LtEWhTswJt5ENjSpsw_l4uQ9YQC2sqlJ1j7kxDmaNgk9KgZb7lTef1Lo6uFyV1uD4/s400/KomOmboTemple2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601194633162233346" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEg01JrQCceDso3scvDGB3FhQXDvYOkOqxSSRsGuUyHrg6OklrARDfsg0z-HH3oDbjkeJ801K7nT2kGSLtRnaiVcmuB2Ikwy7KZEIwP3raGy8dT6KVYjTptg5am3IMTz4fItO5SI37Bjc/s1600/KomOmboTemple.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEg01JrQCceDso3scvDGB3FhQXDvYOkOqxSSRsGuUyHrg6OklrARDfsg0z-HH3oDbjkeJ801K7nT2kGSLtRnaiVcmuB2Ikwy7KZEIwP3raGy8dT6KVYjTptg5am3IMTz4fItO5SI37Bjc/s400/KomOmboTemple.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601194628835713202" /></a><br />It was interesting, there were so many boats docked at each… um, port (?) that sometimes we had to walk through 4-5 boats before we’d get to shore. Some of the boats looked nicer than ours. Others were in an obvious state of disrepair. Since Amanda sees dead people, I’m surprised she didn’t see any ghosts hanging around the scarier boats we passed through.<br /><br />After Kom Ombo, we set sail again. In our down time (not ashore and not eating meals), we had planned to go up on deck and lounge by the pool. However, even sitting in the shade of an umbrella (or even under an awning) was too darn hot for us (at least for me) to stay up there for too long. So, we spent a lot of time in our cabin. Which was actually quite nice. The heat was tiring, so we read and napped. Oh, and looked at the pictures take that day. Exactly how a vacation should be, busy seeing the sites, but still with time to relax.<br /><br />Later that afternoon (it was fairly close to sunset), we docked at Edfu. The Temple of Edfu wasn’t as close to the river as Kom Ombo, so the three of us piled into a little horse-drawn carriage (Mohammed sat up with the driver), and we drove to the temple. It was really a nice way to see the town, and except for the kids who kept running after us begging for money, the drive was quite nice.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjJ9wZ9E4egbR6Pt_Iu_-BVYBX7mwscy0es8BxUTJaupaGx6085qEWG7-1fjJj3WMFzBmkfCbNl2iBCHCiFpPjU3duf6Aj7_55-zCoydOaVQkkti5qSPbD9i4HnPokIWYPAL__Ih3jeU/s1600/HorseDrawnCarriage.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjJ9wZ9E4egbR6Pt_Iu_-BVYBX7mwscy0es8BxUTJaupaGx6085qEWG7-1fjJj3WMFzBmkfCbNl2iBCHCiFpPjU3duf6Aj7_55-zCoydOaVQkkti5qSPbD9i4HnPokIWYPAL__Ih3jeU/s400/HorseDrawnCarriage.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601195410967154066" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >OK, this isn't the carriage we took in Edfu, but it's pretty much the same</span></i></div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_QiEnTlStHKRq-eLS94UlEYYnhgFIMzcqmsC0oD7IUOutCcxmXeSz7dhlfn2QZaym1RdqU6hFuMnFU1lCWbzSMoHuU_FU6KD0CT6hHZftaO8AVxV2XXp3TQHlTLpuSFNcBHJ-JLejwA/s1600/Edfu2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_QiEnTlStHKRq-eLS94UlEYYnhgFIMzcqmsC0oD7IUOutCcxmXeSz7dhlfn2QZaym1RdqU6hFuMnFU1lCWbzSMoHuU_FU6KD0CT6hHZftaO8AVxV2XXp3TQHlTLpuSFNcBHJ-JLejwA/s400/Edfu2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601195855712374450" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGmshdz2sc6BuCEXAAXXSWEWgC1aqsTOQ-I1nOQtO9Ws98kYKJe0y_vlgUeuB0brWXcTw0sv3iFjG-FkiXPX7JGJ5tyc9SvhTc_3t4x6sfh4QDCz2R5LC_B25tJX-rRvrZkx4ly_cgq8/s1600/Edfu.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGmshdz2sc6BuCEXAAXXSWEWgC1aqsTOQ-I1nOQtO9Ws98kYKJe0y_vlgUeuB0brWXcTw0sv3iFjG-FkiXPX7JGJ5tyc9SvhTc_3t4x6sfh4QDCz2R5LC_B25tJX-rRvrZkx4ly_cgq8/s400/Edfu.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601195852502457394" /></a><br />Edfu, apparently, is the second largest temple in all of Egypt (after Karnak). The walk up to the temple was quite impressive, even as we were getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. Yup, dusk + hot weather = LOTS of mosquitoes. I think I counted upwards of 30 bites on my legs. Since Edfu is on the west bank of the Nile, should I have been worried about West Nile virus? Well, I wasn’t. Oh, and I got propositioned on my way in to the temple. Do people really fall for that stuff? Amanda brought a fake wedding ring that she wore from time to time. She usually got left alone… should have followed her example.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuY7Rk_eEpAqkaRdSUSQrEa2wcrbcjZu0txbHqUFUGRXfBFf7zfCXf1IDZ4xH1XjXPjhlVHbyWc8QXPBmkRSUjsU8rA27FRDFjFSk8vQcnKZY8eWQ2p4grLj6C4NTRz5pcxaHStjNjuE/s1600/Edfu3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuY7Rk_eEpAqkaRdSUSQrEa2wcrbcjZu0txbHqUFUGRXfBFf7zfCXf1IDZ4xH1XjXPjhlVHbyWc8QXPBmkRSUjsU8rA27FRDFjFSk8vQcnKZY8eWQ2p4grLj6C4NTRz5pcxaHStjNjuE/s400/Edfu3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601196195292019970" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >Edfu</span></i></div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dB3cm5dGyPrxyOiy1dQriBO1MkfheHTKo2X4cUPljPWTNSO5lLH5lDODuF8MdmK8ijDcyLtqGP1mNRBwzA3fzxxAd5VZu37nE1jx8D102qFLfszmuaikSFy8JUfvwiyS1X-AYHFFfm8/s1600/Edfu7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dB3cm5dGyPrxyOiy1dQriBO1MkfheHTKo2X4cUPljPWTNSO5lLH5lDODuF8MdmK8ijDcyLtqGP1mNRBwzA3fzxxAd5VZu37nE1jx8D102qFLfszmuaikSFy8JUfvwiyS1X-AYHFFfm8/s400/Edfu7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601196188491987538" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvl4gtLZndDhr1heJKPCxJnOXAYyItPQsGAO_nWdvtzWWZ6vnxM4lmpDPtIhFAiTX7nEjzJsZYkEY8Phze9vLcFMlegIOJJJheBv_AK1r30QBmXzD42dInsHXAifDu2DWqJi5ZaADCBkk/s1600/Edfu6.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvl4gtLZndDhr1heJKPCxJnOXAYyItPQsGAO_nWdvtzWWZ6vnxM4lmpDPtIhFAiTX7nEjzJsZYkEY8Phze9vLcFMlegIOJJJheBv_AK1r30QBmXzD42dInsHXAifDu2DWqJi5ZaADCBkk/s400/Edfu6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601196183603533618" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgu_e5YHyOWwz5evOdKwHTh3wIW-NV4rrsQaJJl-lrXf-lMNf85ZdmL8ncUhy-4zJ-3bSX5GIr3xUgDbYKK8v9B8S5KO45ovQl_SnfVchJAODlevdi_PkzYZ5N4VYb5ysfYW7eTrQL4Io/s1600/Edfu5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgu_e5YHyOWwz5evOdKwHTh3wIW-NV4rrsQaJJl-lrXf-lMNf85ZdmL8ncUhy-4zJ-3bSX5GIr3xUgDbYKK8v9B8S5KO45ovQl_SnfVchJAODlevdi_PkzYZ5N4VYb5ysfYW7eTrQL4Io/s400/Edfu5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601196177666904514" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >Lisa and me with Horus</span></i></div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04Yw5s7EWjPyZIS0EMvK4susC5GF6AF0kqk5huk-KvYHVSAs_s_jhWZzoAOnZCO1tbVWqlBFS3kVn4E7h3Byfora4_E63vDacz_F_Gl3hM3hRWHQXrPh3fISA1fuOfWSVfxGNQzyXxuc/s1600/Edfu4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04Yw5s7EWjPyZIS0EMvK4susC5GF6AF0kqk5huk-KvYHVSAs_s_jhWZzoAOnZCO1tbVWqlBFS3kVn4E7h3Byfora4_E63vDacz_F_Gl3hM3hRWHQXrPh3fISA1fuOfWSVfxGNQzyXxuc/s400/Edfu4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601196168035217346" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-36784413237453263492011-03-05T10:30:00.015-07:002011-03-05T12:48:40.483-07:00Welcome to AlaskaEgypt is hot, even in October, and Aswan was experiencing record heat (like 110° F). So, all of our activities were before noon, or after 4 p.m. Whenever Egyptians greeted us outside in the heat, they all greeted us with “Welcome to Alaska!” Some would take the time to explain why that was funny, but I think I got it right away.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNY4aD5Fw-bRfgDIIf5TuLtm5Cn2QvLEv6pDg_aBMylIJxVHgMBvloFmOmAcSyHmLVUtBsSsICs5y3yp3ux3NAsFoSlSyJ_Mto7_v4u6t_10XKqnCmHGEhQ1lFTcQ7xcXGicY-s1dX38/s1600/CairoToAswan.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNY4aD5Fw-bRfgDIIf5TuLtm5Cn2QvLEv6pDg_aBMylIJxVHgMBvloFmOmAcSyHmLVUtBsSsICs5y3yp3ux3NAsFoSlSyJ_Mto7_v4u6t_10XKqnCmHGEhQ1lFTcQ7xcXGicY-s1dX38/s320/CairoToAswan.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580679367565965922" /></a><br />After our first night in Egypt (we pretty much crashed when we got to the hotel), we got up early to meet our guide, Mohamed (of course, right?). After an “Egyptian” breakfast that included hibiscus juice (not my favorite), and after a third failed attempt for me to withdraw money from the ATM (I had miscalculated the exchange rate), we met our guide at 8:30. The boat wasn’t ready for us to check in until afternoon, so we piled into an air-conditioned (THANK GOODNESS) van, and visited our first Egyptian sites.<br /><br />We started with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinished_obelisk">unfinished obelisk</a>. I’m not sure about Amanda or Lisa, but I was quite giddy with the fact that we were in Egypt… Egypt, people! OK, the unfinished obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk, but it cracked as it was being carved out of bedrock, so it was abandoned. I’m not sure how this worked, but apparently, Egyptians used boats and sailed finished obelisks from Aswan to Cairo up the Nile.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVhal-Hb9_K6lnCeASl1DG1gQel5OUQjp78vyN9i0qK54ndEdZBaLzDKjyL0JsCayXPwcmXVYm6HMDGzDDEdXAytHJ-Gaxr4WvSSCmZkc8YKF9REVvK7WWZtnva3BnWZHm3emIVxaAZ4/s1600/UnfinishedObelisk2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVhal-Hb9_K6lnCeASl1DG1gQel5OUQjp78vyN9i0qK54ndEdZBaLzDKjyL0JsCayXPwcmXVYm6HMDGzDDEdXAytHJ-Gaxr4WvSSCmZkc8YKF9REVvK7WWZtnva3BnWZHm3emIVxaAZ4/s400/UnfinishedObelisk2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580679821951113170" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Unfinished Obelisk</span></i></span></div></i><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPmP-9tayBXn_SzTUE5Stn6GRGWgccYGiOnn9gzeYZ7LeKm7e60Mqf47JnHxp3UY8Hkcch4d6Mc-C8qnu7gAWBhQoSCCsFrbNOEJO_84LtmF0B8olOaNM1mIdEeCr2J9m4LQNx6jG-0rg/s1600/UnfinishedObelisk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPmP-9tayBXn_SzTUE5Stn6GRGWgccYGiOnn9gzeYZ7LeKm7e60Mqf47JnHxp3UY8Hkcch4d6Mc-C8qnu7gAWBhQoSCCsFrbNOEJO_84LtmF0B8olOaNM1mIdEeCr2J9m4LQNx6jG-0rg/s400/UnfinishedObelisk.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580679811904746594" /></a><br />After the unfinished obelisk we drove in our van (did I mention that it was air-conditioned?) to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_Dam">High Dam</a>. I think it was at this point that Mohamed told us that after the Luxor Massacre (in ’97) tourism in Egypt decreased from 25 million a year to about 9 million a year. I can’t remember if that was ALL tourists, or just American tourists. But Mohamed told us not to worry, snipers now protected all tourist attractions. Hmmm… I just chose not to think about that.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7JERgy558UfEXVNb0nYOBCI9eldqA81VnMFlEqGkjF7V5XF0kX2CwaGDCIg3PoiAjbwtbK73Y1iC6W5YxqS5VIn0sOXsDToVyEyYp6Ve6j7rTKF0ETBd07TDlPTSNcm6YsvzjhZgqUo/s1600/HighDam2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7JERgy558UfEXVNb0nYOBCI9eldqA81VnMFlEqGkjF7V5XF0kX2CwaGDCIg3PoiAjbwtbK73Y1iC6W5YxqS5VIn0sOXsDToVyEyYp6Ve6j7rTKF0ETBd07TDlPTSNcm6YsvzjhZgqUo/s400/HighDam2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580680464901952162" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span">High Dam</span></i></span></div></i></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4T9O6VVnaF-DHQQZv0d3ycY2KwEbkPySDp_Q6UeC3xpJpixhyphenhyphen-DC56nhGX033NDToKvUpRcz0RorVp0g7sbWbvRCvKoK3LIJ7JA_ad9gUMl5qPoKye5pVlot9kRuAXQilxkRnHRxMZW4/s1600/HighDam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4T9O6VVnaF-DHQQZv0d3ycY2KwEbkPySDp_Q6UeC3xpJpixhyphenhyphen-DC56nhGX033NDToKvUpRcz0RorVp0g7sbWbvRCvKoK3LIJ7JA_ad9gUMl5qPoKye5pVlot9kRuAXQilxkRnHRxMZW4/s400/HighDam.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580680458348535394" /></a><br />It’s amazing how much you can visit in one morning.<br /><br />After the High Dam, we went to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philae">Philae Temple</a>. We had to take a boat to the temple, and you could tell this is a huge tourist attraction by the LARGE number of boats waiting at the dock. I would seriously say there were hundreds of boats. They were more than double-parked, they were stacked at least 4 deep, so maneuvering our boat out to open water was interesting to watch. As it was getting closer to noon, it was getting hotter, so I pulled out my hat… yes, my hat that I bought especially for this trip. I was glad to have it. As I’m writing this, I’m thinking to myself, “was I really in Egypt?” If not for the pictures, I might not believe it. What an amazing experience.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAEtIZv3YK2yOhJHvX_GlevTU-MXDwpFXMELFBxw489TVDv6yS-DL65cT85Tzne0dCje67Zhlrpf8h69WTEekmsVBNBvdRdLRYaWBqr2SPs6WFfLUDzOKPmflDTwFg3ukpZapCGUW2Vw/s1600/BoattoPhilaeTemple.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAEtIZv3YK2yOhJHvX_GlevTU-MXDwpFXMELFBxw489TVDv6yS-DL65cT85Tzne0dCje67Zhlrpf8h69WTEekmsVBNBvdRdLRYaWBqr2SPs6WFfLUDzOKPmflDTwFg3ukpZapCGUW2Vw/s400/BoattoPhilaeTemple.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580681199672355106" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">The crowded boats</span></i></div></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRc00mMGlgrwXRc5jSFfEvBMD8hqCEBPMWah_v-sXXLcn7hsPEm4PsR2FopoeWVzths8p9Jt4fhoQsBamxUCq0cmqfY3rDCXqnKOs6nsJz7QLymVgW-eOQwbow_BZOPwmcK7ACn_Du08/s1600/PhilaeTemple6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRc00mMGlgrwXRc5jSFfEvBMD8hqCEBPMWah_v-sXXLcn7hsPEm4PsR2FopoeWVzths8p9Jt4fhoQsBamxUCq0cmqfY3rDCXqnKOs6nsJz7QLymVgW-eOQwbow_BZOPwmcK7ACn_Du08/s400/PhilaeTemple6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580681581755181090" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Philae</span></i></div></div></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwadi5Fo2gw1mkVtvXw8KNzWEVMYtSHap1pDZ2-c0vqUL3a48O9AoQfZ25NiF1MJxApw8UbohfEhmlX9OHCCQFG7KUu12hWQ0ItF8Nx41yT7OuLAzf_WIG4bkm4t2Hm1QveDXjJ0JTSB8/s1600/PhilaeTemple5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwadi5Fo2gw1mkVtvXw8KNzWEVMYtSHap1pDZ2-c0vqUL3a48O9AoQfZ25NiF1MJxApw8UbohfEhmlX9OHCCQFG7KUu12hWQ0ItF8Nx41yT7OuLAzf_WIG4bkm4t2Hm1QveDXjJ0JTSB8/s400/PhilaeTemple5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580681575202112658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6dv0lM8_xR0e4G0huUmXU8tf6-_NqVdxw6C1gT_EWWu-bvVsDDShXor9SqxCn-H_MaL0gD4K63Nwe1DA7O7P4Ov5XejAAAuOmVZS6ejcmF3ma4_u040XgPpa3s0zfB8KmONDHmNPkp8/s1600/PhilaeTemple4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6dv0lM8_xR0e4G0huUmXU8tf6-_NqVdxw6C1gT_EWWu-bvVsDDShXor9SqxCn-H_MaL0gD4K63Nwe1DA7O7P4Ov5XejAAAuOmVZS6ejcmF3ma4_u040XgPpa3s0zfB8KmONDHmNPkp8/s400/PhilaeTemple4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580681216581654610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6NL0xzX88AITjsNSK1txHZ_Re0cblYrmysXOSuPcsvtortWAKGWDID-qUAEwr4RClLg521_GsgpooqOzIK3YR7bFX2UU6lsJc8_d-9to58b0p8ws82T9w68SkAD9sDTWoN7IPvzxbRg/s1600/PhilaeTemple3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6NL0xzX88AITjsNSK1txHZ_Re0cblYrmysXOSuPcsvtortWAKGWDID-qUAEwr4RClLg521_GsgpooqOzIK3YR7bFX2UU6lsJc8_d-9to58b0p8ws82T9w68SkAD9sDTWoN7IPvzxbRg/s400/PhilaeTemple3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580681212607003874" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwAFHjWjky4Ndl7KGrT-0H-L7HnGRTCLqmDVIlCvfbti3_mZxwRbu03loPDJ4vF6clfBcLQPLNmbhK7QXB8PVe0kJr7aqueCJYY1PNqnzAF3A8d-EbhmyVXMr175Qe6V8l6hCBgv4fu4/s1600/PhilaeTemple2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwAFHjWjky4Ndl7KGrT-0H-L7HnGRTCLqmDVIlCvfbti3_mZxwRbu03loPDJ4vF6clfBcLQPLNmbhK7QXB8PVe0kJr7aqueCJYY1PNqnzAF3A8d-EbhmyVXMr175Qe6V8l6hCBgv4fu4/s400/PhilaeTemple2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580681206277559842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDm1zLZF6JExdtsidPY4c32Bn-GgDxw-yxDvsERj37YfMBjRrUEF-kIvgAHoQ6DGKWRrZzUMEa29gNCWExsxJ_tLUudDw_iJJaGvhGps9BDic_KIW08XZj0fdN44JPm8m6raeWi8Gbums/s1600/PhilaeTemple.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDm1zLZF6JExdtsidPY4c32Bn-GgDxw-yxDvsERj37YfMBjRrUEF-kIvgAHoQ6DGKWRrZzUMEa29gNCWExsxJ_tLUudDw_iJJaGvhGps9BDic_KIW08XZj0fdN44JPm8m6raeWi8Gbums/s400/PhilaeTemple.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580681201922177874" /></a><br />After Philae, it still wasn’t time for us to board our cruise ship, so Mohamed took us to a “government” store. A government store is (or was in October, 2010) a store where there were fixed prices (supposedly less expensive than any non-government store), no haggling, and better quality products. We went to a perfume store, got a free soda, Lisa got a neck massage, and Amanda bought some Lotus perfume (I didn’t get any here, but finally broke down later in Cairo and also bought some Lotus perfume). From what we were told, you can only get Lotus fragrance in Egypt, so… why not?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVzzRWg_YJ2mvjdffjV1dmtUm6RNzen5Ld9COYaxDQDfjOwpQZRiL6UjPMOdTdYyiPIWB10qyyeVZZZ22KwrAThwSNo4iQpXg4DyXxynGvrkbPpOQK51hvSx2xWIvuNVJ77hONJqeFLE/s1600/BottleBlowing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVzzRWg_YJ2mvjdffjV1dmtUm6RNzen5Ld9COYaxDQDfjOwpQZRiL6UjPMOdTdYyiPIWB10qyyeVZZZ22KwrAThwSNo4iQpXg4DyXxynGvrkbPpOQK51hvSx2xWIvuNVJ77hONJqeFLE/s400/BottleBlowing.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580682280632125954" /></a><br />It was finally time to get on the boat. Our room was really cool. It actually had three beds, so there would be no sharing during our cruise! We had lunch, relaxed in our room, and explored the boat until about 4:00, when we left for our last destination – the Aswan Botanic Island. We took a Felucca to the Island, piloted by a couple of Nubians (they were quite nice). About halfway across the Nile (yup, I said the Nile!) we ran out of wind – Feluccas are powered by sails – and we were almost stuck. However, we finally made it. The island was heavily populated with wild cats, so Mohamed warned us (especially Lisa) to NOT TOUCH THE CATS! It was difficult, but Amanda and I kept Lisa in line. Mohamed also warned us about NOT picking any flowers and that the guys with Uzis patrolling the gardens might try and trick us in to doing so. We didn’t see any guys with Uzis until we were almost ready to meet back up with Mohamed. This was the “guns & roses” part of the tour.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kZSNgcdU-kT8klqQifwjczpH2FlTxHQpu6cIjZaFmuOIBcyV4JWzzm8xjuT9uiI1xdsu3wO9bq3c3KSuairWqiCnUoQzZSHOLLZxesNobeS0Hf-HueLbGdhg4kXpz8DmEkbhprYwRYQ/s1600/CruiseBoat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kZSNgcdU-kT8klqQifwjczpH2FlTxHQpu6cIjZaFmuOIBcyV4JWzzm8xjuT9uiI1xdsu3wO9bq3c3KSuairWqiCnUoQzZSHOLLZxesNobeS0Hf-HueLbGdhg4kXpz8DmEkbhprYwRYQ/s400/CruiseBoat.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580682755438627570" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Our cabin</span></i></div></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yBdO9HtP5P1SvllrDhYU6tmVAs-lnkzHkCWsup0uuWR8UHP78ZIHZOGXoFqmJJ3VXOmZ20UIEkLc0H0qkZNmX4YcE-EpuSKeRtC-mAJ9gWTIVXIPe6gF7sAMBiE6AlkYCh-IDvFkV90/s1600/GuyWithUzi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yBdO9HtP5P1SvllrDhYU6tmVAs-lnkzHkCWsup0uuWR8UHP78ZIHZOGXoFqmJJ3VXOmZ20UIEkLc0H0qkZNmX4YcE-EpuSKeRtC-mAJ9gWTIVXIPe6gF7sAMBiE6AlkYCh-IDvFkV90/s400/GuyWithUzi.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580682749328343378" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Guy with Uzi</span></i></div></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cN94RDFXd3OGULS9z0E95Y04Gt-V50mzhqkrckMYeT1vqk35cWQb9ngkeelJc1lAop3cbeqfemo1BvpqX5njHR8AEQiRNoP6MFif1saddcwvwTwhwcqIAdjpsVEBku1KDKwJ2YGSEtI/s1600/Felluca.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cN94RDFXd3OGULS9z0E95Y04Gt-V50mzhqkrckMYeT1vqk35cWQb9ngkeelJc1lAop3cbeqfemo1BvpqX5njHR8AEQiRNoP6MFif1saddcwvwTwhwcqIAdjpsVEBku1KDKwJ2YGSEtI/s400/Felluca.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580682738828084290" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Felluca sail</span></i></div></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDaVOUH8bde84zgzPYIDAaGjAAPGhwQQZxQ15pEvKhZT8oEt8PCrIdsKCXPvltJqjN7GhdY305MlcAcrfzj4YMcsqSzujCfOdlr0Z9ddGljR0Ll_KZgAEEO3o-MDtgfa0A8QvDpCUGUw/s1600/BotanicIsland.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDaVOUH8bde84zgzPYIDAaGjAAPGhwQQZxQ15pEvKhZT8oEt8PCrIdsKCXPvltJqjN7GhdY305MlcAcrfzj4YMcsqSzujCfOdlr0Z9ddGljR0Ll_KZgAEEO3o-MDtgfa0A8QvDpCUGUw/s400/BotanicIsland.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580682737060433138" /></a><br /></div><div>We returned to the boat for the night. The dinner buffet on the boat was quite good. I loved the variety of food. A couple of the cooks asked my name, and remembered me each time we went for a meal. “Did you like what I cooked for you today, Katie?” They were quite cute!</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-30377734461759724662011-02-09T16:54:00.002-07:002011-02-09T16:56:29.599-07:00Walk like an EgyptianWith all that’s going on in Egypt right now, I feel like now is the best time to catch up on my blogging. I can’t believe how quickly the climate over there has changed from October.<br /><br />Last October, Amanda, Lisa and I set off for a 10-day vacation to Egypt. Amanda found a great 4-day Nile cruise for us to start with, so we had to fly to Aswan almost immediately after arriving in Cairo. Our plan was to arrive in Cairo at 8:45 p.m. on the 14th, spend the night near the airport, then catch an early morning flight to Aswan – our cruise was to start at something like 9:00 a.m. on the 15th. Well, we all know what happens with the best laid plans, right? By the time we confirmed our cruise dates, there were no early morning flights available – none that got us to Aswan by 9:00. So, our only other option was to take a flight from Cairo to Aswan the same night we arrived. Now, I mentioned that we weren’t landing in Cairo until 8:45 p.m., right? The latest flight from Cairo to Aswan was at 10:15. Pretty tight connection for an international flight, but it was all we could do.<br /><br />So, we flew from SLC to Paris – had a 5-hour layover in Paris, then caught a flight to Cairo. Even though we <i>unsuccessfully </i>tried to be on an earlier flight to Cairo (which would have alleviated the SUPER TIGHT CONNECTION to Aswan), the layover in Paris was very nice because <b>a.</b> I got to speak French, <b>b. </b>we sat in the Crown Room/Lounge with free food and drinks, and <b>c. </b>I ate French cheese.<br /><br />So, we landed in Cairo pretty much on time, and since we were in Business Class (sweet), we were some of the first people in line for Customs. Unfortunately, we had to get out of line to buy an Egyptian visa, which I knew we had to buy, but assumed we’d buy it in the Customs line. By the time we got back in line, it was quite long. We were behind a large group of students, and Amanda asked them whether or not they had connecting flights. Since they were terminating in Cairo, we then asked if they would mind if we went in front of them. They were very nice and charitable and let us go ahead of them.<br /><br />We got our bags, and then asked where we needed to go to catch our flight to Aswan. We were in terminal 1 (I think) and we needed to get to terminal 3… by shuttle bus. We asked several people where to catch the shuttle bus, but (of course) got conflicting answers or incomprehensible answers – as well as people wanting tips for helping us out (that got really old really quick, let me tell you). We finally got on the bus (so, it was after 9:30 by now and our flight was leaving at 10:15) and were on our way. It took FOREVER to get to the right terminal.<br /><br />We finally arrived at terminal 3 at about 10:00-ish. We ran around trying to find the correct check-in counter, and were finally flagged down by a few gentlemen asking if we were going to Aswan. We checked in, then ran to the gate. We were quite blessed because our plane was still at the gate – and the door was still open. We were the last people on the plane, but we made it. Whew!<br /><br />As we took the taxi to our hotel in Aswan, we noticed that our taxi driver (as well as several other cars on the road) drove without their lights on. Apparently, this is to conserve car battery power. As we saw this in Cairo as well, it must mean that poor car battery power must be country-wide.<br /><br />We were finally in Egypt – I couldn’t believe it (if it weren’t for the pictures, I’d have a hard time believing it now). And I’m really glad we went when we did.<br /><br />More to come…Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-54373356853957621612010-09-05T10:39:00.004-06:002010-09-05T10:56:08.367-06:00Am I the only one who’s never heard of Sturgis?The first (or was it the second?) week in August, my friends Amanda and Jeff were in Aberdeen, SD for work. Amanda has always wanted to see Mount Rushmore, so even though Aberdeen is a six-hour drive from Rapid City, she and Jeff were planning to make the drive over the weekend. They invited me to meet up with them, so I took a Saturday morning flight to Rapid City.<br /><br />Jeff and Amanda picked me up from the airport and our adventure began. What I didn’t realize is that our vacation coincided with Sturgis – only the nation’s largest motorcycle rally. When my brother, Roger, heard that I was going, he was so jealous:<br />Roger: “You’re going to Sturgis?”<br />Me: “Um, no, we’re going to Rapid City.” (thinking “what is he talking about?”)<br />Roger: “Yeah, but for Sturgis?”<br />Me: “No, we’re going to Mount Rushmore and stuff.” (thinking “why else would you go to South Dakota?”)<br />Seriously, I have never seen so many bikers in my life. Pictures can’t even do it justice. Everywhere we went there were bikers – bikes in the parking lot, bikes on the road, and bikers at the tourist attractions. We heard on the radio that they were expecting some ridiculous number of people… like 800,000. Which doubled the population of the entire state. Crazy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH68x3DRcQ7ezzghI5D8OO4MHc9OEWvA4MOzTNJZ0dFBEIR-nUQLOupg-U7APhLPzGhXW7SQq8w6frU_O8ZSGsU0CEO3SBI62tDjljD8NQItdNGEGxuXA5FgWQyL0WOyAkBMi7phx8b4s/s1600/Sturgis2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH68x3DRcQ7ezzghI5D8OO4MHc9OEWvA4MOzTNJZ0dFBEIR-nUQLOupg-U7APhLPzGhXW7SQq8w6frU_O8ZSGsU0CEO3SBI62tDjljD8NQItdNGEGxuXA5FgWQyL0WOyAkBMi7phx8b4s/s400/Sturgis2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513471055946288610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndyH5TkK6Kt_NkAg02XxccpEYFXPxelWWx47WV-BWCOC2g2omoKCZ-1Y85FudFB7zxI81iLLWBvmVUvH5kwI8NSdZpfXOAVpj1NCpwlNw9q_4uW0V8fpNBgA9zkw7UdzhJat0RvrrT6M/s1600/Sturgis.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndyH5TkK6Kt_NkAg02XxccpEYFXPxelWWx47WV-BWCOC2g2omoKCZ-1Y85FudFB7zxI81iLLWBvmVUvH5kwI8NSdZpfXOAVpj1NCpwlNw9q_4uW0V8fpNBgA9zkw7UdzhJat0RvrrT6M/s400/Sturgis.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513471045311032850" /></a><br />Anyway, we went from the airport to the Badlands, which was an amazing sight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HJg1MfjmpoHt32Iau5n84x5RAl_zq9GA0BOAsLFnI-CJcwnW7xeYS0zJUBwKz-nFM1Xw9CHuS_9CkwHmSTC3Y5rLKZMCga4ouF6yywb5GLJ9LTTH2qxe7eYI4a54jVJclOv4ONtVBu0/s1600/Badlands4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HJg1MfjmpoHt32Iau5n84x5RAl_zq9GA0BOAsLFnI-CJcwnW7xeYS0zJUBwKz-nFM1Xw9CHuS_9CkwHmSTC3Y5rLKZMCga4ouF6yywb5GLJ9LTTH2qxe7eYI4a54jVJclOv4ONtVBu0/s400/Badlands4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513472163321758626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUvj_sFlp0Ue7mzUpgD0hD4X-rB40t7aVY7A2wtZhqOioe629dmale7jsReFqN4-Ild_8QdYPoZSFFs9T6iThmK6ph5O5UEXCGfRs20SO-qXzWifSmwe6qgBg-g-kXth_6jNYp0ykiVI/s1600/Badlands3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUvj_sFlp0Ue7mzUpgD0hD4X-rB40t7aVY7A2wtZhqOioe629dmale7jsReFqN4-Ild_8QdYPoZSFFs9T6iThmK6ph5O5UEXCGfRs20SO-qXzWifSmwe6qgBg-g-kXth_6jNYp0ykiVI/s400/Badlands3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513472160877914370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnpjb0BVjBo2B15EyCjz7E0JgDEUU1b7Unr9_751HGjemj8OFtVNN8ezos9PIjdfQ_4PcIt575Loyz-s-MLpYmRFeXIIFeBdeSXmb5gzT-WV5KUvcL8vqQzHYZ4J4xXlgpRdf4482mSs/s1600/Badlands2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnpjb0BVjBo2B15EyCjz7E0JgDEUU1b7Unr9_751HGjemj8OFtVNN8ezos9PIjdfQ_4PcIt575Loyz-s-MLpYmRFeXIIFeBdeSXmb5gzT-WV5KUvcL8vqQzHYZ4J4xXlgpRdf4482mSs/s400/Badlands2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513472148862054610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv542oL_q0POlkrd3vCBeNJ7z_BMRM6QMuelrMzNgOeTWwEltpgW4-lwVQRC5WQqEtjwYTBLLDr-axFXrkAhOl6uZ51OlxDY27LlLXnSHw2xvjgn4IFyEx_wTh9yle9DLRRMzsuZLymzQ/s1600/Badlands.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv542oL_q0POlkrd3vCBeNJ7z_BMRM6QMuelrMzNgOeTWwEltpgW4-lwVQRC5WQqEtjwYTBLLDr-axFXrkAhOl6uZ51OlxDY27LlLXnSHw2xvjgn4IFyEx_wTh9yle9DLRRMzsuZLymzQ/s400/Badlands.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513472145195686098" /></a><br />From there we went to our hotel in Deadwood… a hotel filled with, yup, you guessed it, bikers.<br /><br />On Sunday, we drove to Mount Rushmore. I especially liked the sign that read, “North by Northwest was filmed here.” I kept thinking – well, duh. If you’ve seen “North by Northwest” that was a given. If you haven’t, then the sign would mean nothing to you. Mount Rushmore was quite impressive – and big! On the airplane to Rapid City, the pilot had announced at one point that you could see Mount Rushmore out of the left-side of the plane. I was, of course, on the right side. Well, the lady sitting in front of me and to the left looked out her window and said, “I expected it to be bigger. It’s pretty small.” Ah, I chuckled, but refrained from comment. The gentleman in front of me didn’t: “Well, you ARE in an airplane. It’s much bigger when you’re on the ground.” Silly lady.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbgiBmYhUvvwF-pwVaRTVTcJc18OVj2mV1Afaig7-kfjlJZGJvjwStd_8fX43LULMgcnXIWRjaa_Qr-3ITXLSA7ZbnMPTNXyICLW-Xmvt25dth0saO-wP5sYuyQdr481iJM9OMyrV53Q/s1600/MountRushmore4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbgiBmYhUvvwF-pwVaRTVTcJc18OVj2mV1Afaig7-kfjlJZGJvjwStd_8fX43LULMgcnXIWRjaa_Qr-3ITXLSA7ZbnMPTNXyICLW-Xmvt25dth0saO-wP5sYuyQdr481iJM9OMyrV53Q/s400/MountRushmore4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513472678132914386" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfEGg2FYdtrQ1q-U_jxjQsIcMjnAKlnCs0hZe_DvGU-lytO2YYc7EyOSOnvzDJz9HL7UimiLFPXLim9A6oxPcDifa42FrKnSNskbykFcvjGNJZrx6s1-Yw-NC56Ht5mMCOfjc2Bh72QE/s1600/MountRushmore3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfEGg2FYdtrQ1q-U_jxjQsIcMjnAKlnCs0hZe_DvGU-lytO2YYc7EyOSOnvzDJz9HL7UimiLFPXLim9A6oxPcDifa42FrKnSNskbykFcvjGNJZrx6s1-Yw-NC56Ht5mMCOfjc2Bh72QE/s400/MountRushmore3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513472667778931330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHjZ23wL66VHxcWBWN8t9vxbDABBV3WX2igkbgH_BMHvohnV3TzIMkDq8JTTtQT-yQCq-ioFpCRYkC2ktwKgSbiD2ji_Y7q80dt_o8fyEFzdUEmbGazgxPRg5VFhRf5lXry0w7877Wiw/s1600/MountRushmore2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHjZ23wL66VHxcWBWN8t9vxbDABBV3WX2igkbgH_BMHvohnV3TzIMkDq8JTTtQT-yQCq-ioFpCRYkC2ktwKgSbiD2ji_Y7q80dt_o8fyEFzdUEmbGazgxPRg5VFhRf5lXry0w7877Wiw/s400/MountRushmore2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513472659614574194" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_O52sCuKoLL9aQ7wY02D1nafqYN6476ov33kyMn0kTet28A7qapXe4aZX60FY4fsj2QhMyF21zXjCO7mH_rQ96HA65c3HoD9rVkuwEDrI2JaSLjXhiDW3SKr379KsDK3hb_6-bO1LvBw/s1600/MountRushmore.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_O52sCuKoLL9aQ7wY02D1nafqYN6476ov33kyMn0kTet28A7qapXe4aZX60FY4fsj2QhMyF21zXjCO7mH_rQ96HA65c3HoD9rVkuwEDrI2JaSLjXhiDW3SKr379KsDK3hb_6-bO1LvBw/s400/MountRushmore.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513472659131917074" /></a><br />What did we do on Monday? We ate breakfast at Perkin’s (which we did every morning) along with dozens and dozens of bikers. Then we went to the Deadwood cemetery where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried. I loved it. Then we drove to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. That was also quite impressive. And, yes, each stop was FILLED with bikers. Then Amanda dropped Jeff and I off at the airport – she had to go back to Aberdeen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8ptLIYNBRPBsObfzeGaD8p1AqAazMljTBabbqdopUVCQPE5RaHhXmP5XC4ABligf8uOKudrii1DYDDkn3ZKhJvtlmKhEXpxrBWGxb6BsT3Q94WA9ytTwf1Rrg9DKKvyL9UvyflXsuiI/s1600/DevilsTower2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8ptLIYNBRPBsObfzeGaD8p1AqAazMljTBabbqdopUVCQPE5RaHhXmP5XC4ABligf8uOKudrii1DYDDkn3ZKhJvtlmKhEXpxrBWGxb6BsT3Q94WA9ytTwf1Rrg9DKKvyL9UvyflXsuiI/s400/DevilsTower2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513473532488682882" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-gwyPE0efv0ismwy-58EBUcPPmYActQqy8np2V_DTocj9Gs18hFpaTH-0pbvOAtBR343zKYWnrfSEkw_2T8mVhrhMOgNcMi_IY7iQjwlCpW8pFxYJxP1APFuY2tEZ20D3XhMpnQDttw/s1600/DevilsTower.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-gwyPE0efv0ismwy-58EBUcPPmYActQqy8np2V_DTocj9Gs18hFpaTH-0pbvOAtBR343zKYWnrfSEkw_2T8mVhrhMOgNcMi_IY7iQjwlCpW8pFxYJxP1APFuY2tEZ20D3XhMpnQDttw/s400/DevilsTower.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513473524170333170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrIV9LQgiGCvjRrYYyNBAh9ejBT7UA4jPqCYysvkrDGncbHZtPa7cx9zcWJb8XML3qvF15qfqhLUidCKNQ3Kl33bBYFqZ94ndTEyGjUEbJzuG2zLMWzxXWQ2ETcBx0MYiIQqB7Y-I9Fs/s1600/WildBillHickok.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrIV9LQgiGCvjRrYYyNBAh9ejBT7UA4jPqCYysvkrDGncbHZtPa7cx9zcWJb8XML3qvF15qfqhLUidCKNQ3Kl33bBYFqZ94ndTEyGjUEbJzuG2zLMWzxXWQ2ETcBx0MYiIQqB7Y-I9Fs/s400/WildBillHickok.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513473521384543474" /></a><br />Super short weekend, but packed with fun.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-81338798466085670182010-08-24T19:30:00.007-06:002010-08-24T19:43:56.695-06:00Oh Canada, eh?For my birthday in July, a bunch of girls from work (OK, every female in the training department) went to Vancouver, BC to celebrate. Let me tell you, I LOVE an international flight that is less than two hours long.<br /><br />Lisa arranged for us to stay in a house, rather than a hotel. As we arrived at the house from the airport (we rented a large SUV… large enough for all five of us), we were all a little nervous. The GPS announced that we had arrived as we pulled in front of a house that, let’s just say wasn’t what we were hoping for. I really wish someone had taken pictures. Fortunately, it wasn’t the house – this was (and it was really cute):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQSCkS7eL2nJIXMgnLaG7r2fllpOuy_oS4LzpiqORuQaBwOZOd8MDxJRO1QQoXTpRorqT4hrifEUJLtwEe7XQMObUMppN_nq4OKTIA_o29gG_-OtmWzMgyfraEQiF-UVtdI32gNIoalw/s1600/VancouverHouse.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQSCkS7eL2nJIXMgnLaG7r2fllpOuy_oS4LzpiqORuQaBwOZOd8MDxJRO1QQoXTpRorqT4hrifEUJLtwEe7XQMObUMppN_nq4OKTIA_o29gG_-OtmWzMgyfraEQiF-UVtdI32gNIoalw/s400/VancouverHouse.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509154277398837970" /></a><br />The house had two bedrooms, a pullout couch, and two bathrooms. We didn’t do to badly leaving the house on time with five females sharing two bathrooms.<br /><br />We arrived on a Thursday evening. We didn’t do much, however, we found the BEST Greek restaurant ever. It was yummy.<br /><br />Friday… let’s see, what did we do on Friday? Oh yeah. We drove to Granville Island and went to the big market over there. Had doughnuts for breakfast (with chocolate milk, of course). So healthy, I know. Then I think we just spent the day walking around Vancouver. We walked to Chinatown, saw a drug deal going down on Hastings Street, ate yummy dim sum, went up the Vancouver Lookout, then went to see Inception (great movie, by the way). Now, every time we drove from our house to Vancouver, we had to drive down Hastings Street – what a unique experience, let me say. And actually a little sad…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRTuZ_GjoYb9d5mSjRaXdwC2vgO3e0Fs04pUSRhnxoQ7W0VB8wuMxh-1ykHBIWsaDo34c3TXOSDpqRtFK6uWef2G-WOgho7CuYADrIa7ken5VaO1Bwg2YPHXZPISbZb7iG7H-LdHRZUU/s1600/SteamClock.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRTuZ_GjoYb9d5mSjRaXdwC2vgO3e0Fs04pUSRhnxoQ7W0VB8wuMxh-1ykHBIWsaDo34c3TXOSDpqRtFK6uWef2G-WOgho7CuYADrIa7ken5VaO1Bwg2YPHXZPISbZb7iG7H-LdHRZUU/s400/SteamClock.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509154669002068962" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Steam Clock in Gastown</span></i></span></div></i><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiW9hBcr88oVYwY94-yQ_5yPFBOfasdmxGphiC9PkwZ86Cq3mMzr9C9AX_bAmblARteXCtoj3-kniwuw9R8u0qpkcTlKp3JDK7398gxvfoLBR6zJ30_hpQ2vp-fQKdghx9ZX3BE50cJY/s1600/GranvilleMarket2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiW9hBcr88oVYwY94-yQ_5yPFBOfasdmxGphiC9PkwZ86Cq3mMzr9C9AX_bAmblARteXCtoj3-kniwuw9R8u0qpkcTlKp3JDK7398gxvfoLBR6zJ30_hpQ2vp-fQKdghx9ZX3BE50cJY/s400/GranvilleMarket2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509154659842164290" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Granville Market</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div></i></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WBZfN_iWqd-sULVCQQImFapK7ffn2f8OslD59yRwLEG5dLUsuy3UU0peyubteIJQrmu0p-q9BZXLT5wissS9MgOLnUIYjBQuQHVZf3MMnSpgqpu7jSXA3RKvwHExUJd5TC5SQrJfobs/s1600/GranvilleMarket.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WBZfN_iWqd-sULVCQQImFapK7ffn2f8OslD59yRwLEG5dLUsuy3UU0peyubteIJQrmu0p-q9BZXLT5wissS9MgOLnUIYjBQuQHVZf3MMnSpgqpu7jSXA3RKvwHExUJd5TC5SQrJfobs/s400/GranvilleMarket.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509154649760406978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0GgRJfCb9C8Ulw_M4AGB69G2GHX4gy3ODlkLJUtp3rIq6_6CM1KV2w9SGecRzEZDVnAcQZTNCNmBpXjx7u8GigpiLWdWPLznLyGdxzm0jZ9e65Jj_ORmZqnBfL-vcdFBtFu7KII6Opk/s1600/DimSum.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0GgRJfCb9C8Ulw_M4AGB69G2GHX4gy3ODlkLJUtp3rIq6_6CM1KV2w9SGecRzEZDVnAcQZTNCNmBpXjx7u8GigpiLWdWPLznLyGdxzm0jZ9e65Jj_ORmZqnBfL-vcdFBtFu7KII6Opk/s400/DimSum.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509154646747806594" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dim Sum</span></div></i></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcXrS5dzo53EGh-YyXO_fNiA-E5BSm57f6onEI3SyM9DmVtk2Xib-8CkKEe2WCiVmXGviACBLlVuaUqZBnQBpMnTyYpcxZ5sMXH-M89yUxjfntD77t8B7iPD2EwmYCfzPilfuwZSet1k/s1600/Chinatown.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcXrS5dzo53EGh-YyXO_fNiA-E5BSm57f6onEI3SyM9DmVtk2Xib-8CkKEe2WCiVmXGviACBLlVuaUqZBnQBpMnTyYpcxZ5sMXH-M89yUxjfntD77t8B7iPD2EwmYCfzPilfuwZSet1k/s400/Chinatown.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509154636132568306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MiTVgyxW5uFBpSBLf83-wmRhuxYoPK8bzeDbR-BCgzvtSGzhnCO_pYzaFGf7LGrwfun0tgpaFFGdQ19oYzUBOIDvTEto6dDWhPhHnfmha5ZnWZmryLeKV3hBKsJTiekL6PmLXwh5Ykw/s1600/VancouverFromGranville2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MiTVgyxW5uFBpSBLf83-wmRhuxYoPK8bzeDbR-BCgzvtSGzhnCO_pYzaFGf7LGrwfun0tgpaFFGdQ19oYzUBOIDvTEto6dDWhPhHnfmha5ZnWZmryLeKV3hBKsJTiekL6PmLXwh5Ykw/s400/VancouverFromGranville2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509154926099707346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMUA1aiMCZ1tZQAY6DxKU-iFFHs6cSLVNuOPDV-PzFUJQ3qTzHvFF6OQF0RQs7MOLsDWX0u4u-oXHSBTKyRKzwttHW1buobK5IhkC14fK5No5-WfcjXXtJOreEZGa1MpdzjBOhWmkI4T4/s1600/Vancouver.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMUA1aiMCZ1tZQAY6DxKU-iFFHs6cSLVNuOPDV-PzFUJQ3qTzHvFF6OQF0RQs7MOLsDWX0u4u-oXHSBTKyRKzwttHW1buobK5IhkC14fK5No5-WfcjXXtJOreEZGa1MpdzjBOhWmkI4T4/s400/Vancouver.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509154919819498594" /></a><br />On Saturday we drove to Lynn Canyon and walked across the suspension bridge. We ended up doing a little hiking, which was really awesome to do in my flip-flops – but it was a gorgeous area. We then drove to the Capilano suspension bridge, but decided that since it cost money (Lynn Canyon was free), we’d skip it. We then took the gondola up Grouse Mountain, where we had lunch and also some awesome views of Vancouver. That night we grilled steak and shrimp for my “birthday” dinner. That was one advantage of staying at a house – we got to cook at least one meal (but really, when I’m on vacation, do I want to be cooking?).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzO-WCYMyVWtnoVUmRv3zGtCkKYwK8bJVxU7ESq2HumHxvb56MyKB41Iax1qUV-aw49rYKQRWZny6Coa-iw-3zrkPX3AbBqO9SDZ4i3WxOHJaIglHSyW_Nqztt0silN0BjEzfKfOh6zmM/s1600/LynnCanyonSuspensionBridge4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzO-WCYMyVWtnoVUmRv3zGtCkKYwK8bJVxU7ESq2HumHxvb56MyKB41Iax1qUV-aw49rYKQRWZny6Coa-iw-3zrkPX3AbBqO9SDZ4i3WxOHJaIglHSyW_Nqztt0silN0BjEzfKfOh6zmM/s400/LynnCanyonSuspensionBridge4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509155382438160466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQw93Ye_5jaBdjZ7ydviSx14pj0LdSJP26FX0Queyazr76OdmAGok-UnbDxbgDbDq-Fpju5hNxSpazUArS0BWp2F5j9wkHNmMSB85nG9JyjRsC7v_2AX75DRYLiM033v6qdhIpxsuyH2U/s1600/LynnCanyonSuspensionBridge2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQw93Ye_5jaBdjZ7ydviSx14pj0LdSJP26FX0Queyazr76OdmAGok-UnbDxbgDbDq-Fpju5hNxSpazUArS0BWp2F5j9wkHNmMSB85nG9JyjRsC7v_2AX75DRYLiM033v6qdhIpxsuyH2U/s400/LynnCanyonSuspensionBridge2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509155369286533810" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></i></span></div></i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg4wwDZZMtotoSH45EvgpEeJkwrbalRNnJS7LwcG8xxDrp0W-TAqK-oKNj2eY0ywnjXZ7dNhyphenhyphenVptGKAk96TeQztGJt3Haw2f2HdTTsks2vvrO6hN-16ehyphenhyphenEgb61t-UD0XGI6qD1U6gpc/s1600/GrouseMnt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg4wwDZZMtotoSH45EvgpEeJkwrbalRNnJS7LwcG8xxDrp0W-TAqK-oKNj2eY0ywnjXZ7dNhyphenhyphenVptGKAk96TeQztGJt3Haw2f2HdTTsks2vvrO6hN-16ehyphenhyphenEgb61t-UD0XGI6qD1U6gpc/s400/GrouseMnt.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509155358563355138" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Grouse Mountain</span></i></span></div></i></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3k47r96fvy9DvPCi1cR3_dYUMyix-VriBi8WuJ0VmwTQiRhSDofLyRdYf2XF34qczQj70C2aQMXFSYTeIZi1muPeRKooqzKE7KRtismFJB7L8XtSjWovYYhCFIbNagwM_bKTty3G29s/s1600/Allison&Amanda.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3k47r96fvy9DvPCi1cR3_dYUMyix-VriBi8WuJ0VmwTQiRhSDofLyRdYf2XF34qczQj70C2aQMXFSYTeIZi1muPeRKooqzKE7KRtismFJB7L8XtSjWovYYhCFIbNagwM_bKTty3G29s/s400/Allison&Amanda.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509155342855227554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVjzgFHD3V7rNaILvefdjCAYusre0vO320NUN5s09KPlGrVpbZQQ9PuyVZdhGZ-f1SaFhClQOg6zctxnNZ7QZSRYIkUQci5ifgr2s0hbzNHep-tWpNcgc8z-K3H9RFJKJcC8CmXLANhs/s1600/GrillingSteaks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVjzgFHD3V7rNaILvefdjCAYusre0vO320NUN5s09KPlGrVpbZQQ9PuyVZdhGZ-f1SaFhClQOg6zctxnNZ7QZSRYIkUQci5ifgr2s0hbzNHep-tWpNcgc8z-K3H9RFJKJcC8CmXLANhs/s400/GrillingSteaks.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509155333950807650" /></a><br />Sunday was fantastic. We drove up the Sea to Sky highway on our way to Whistler. There were several scenic pullouts (including one fantastic waterfall). But our real goal was Whistler where I had arranged for us to go ziplining. Only Allison had ever been ziplining before, so we were all a little nervous. In fact, Amanda said something along the lines of “you get me in to the craziest crap.” But it was SOOOO much fun. I highly recommend it (and I will be doing it again).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPKxVZcWQ2GIDkC35stOicM_S11fhtlcRblLIOk2YlDZcfTKI4g8f3cMo33QF68_HwmHdIhZM0wtr2bHLqywbXjIpJIfWvTwbYu59h5OYCcoUZ16GCMs_cwHIpjz8hNCYypM2FdyzzKU/s1600/HorseshoeBay.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPKxVZcWQ2GIDkC35stOicM_S11fhtlcRblLIOk2YlDZcfTKI4g8f3cMo33QF68_HwmHdIhZM0wtr2bHLqywbXjIpJIfWvTwbYu59h5OYCcoUZ16GCMs_cwHIpjz8hNCYypM2FdyzzKU/s400/HorseshoeBay.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509155826274416450" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Horseshoe Bay</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></i></span></div></i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1hVYCX_7mdAT9FwuZxRY9qZtjMwvR6neSGYf62H9n5hbAXjSt9EdyUYUg5atNr_QY1OcMX47e0WqPX0_ggmheIMpwQVDNshySc-jCoT2ZTNdA3_Y-DO_FC0nVf21jpebnnqoQEZVmHw/s1600/SeaToSkyHwy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1hVYCX_7mdAT9FwuZxRY9qZtjMwvR6neSGYf62H9n5hbAXjSt9EdyUYUg5atNr_QY1OcMX47e0WqPX0_ggmheIMpwQVDNshySc-jCoT2ZTNdA3_Y-DO_FC0nVf21jpebnnqoQEZVmHw/s400/SeaToSkyHwy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509155818714500530" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Sea To Sky Highway</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></i></span></div></i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEC-oEfpgJlNgjN4KN4eIBGfsDMlal2D0fLaNQ-cYjg_WhCw2zkLioQe1Rsu8gbrO0SR_RupWzZ9Ikzi2pECSrahm7vL2aUVujUw395JDHpjnjH1EePHf9FR9u42bpc_pKv4HCyYhuR0/s1600/ShannonFalls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEC-oEfpgJlNgjN4KN4eIBGfsDMlal2D0fLaNQ-cYjg_WhCw2zkLioQe1Rsu8gbrO0SR_RupWzZ9Ikzi2pECSrahm7vL2aUVujUw395JDHpjnjH1EePHf9FR9u42bpc_pKv4HCyYhuR0/s400/ShannonFalls.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509155805656464962" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Shannon Falls</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></i></span></div></i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnNBW6gcs0cimmq_D11Kxj5CHtZOrzQeyjEmuwt0WJ1RUeZfCYXOTXCcQ0xwkZTr_Lv9Zf4xB4USJPrvnoygTyLonWrF8HmLhiV8ZtzFB982pIH0hNw6jp1NNRbk7Orf5ElCeCLeTh5Q/s1600/Ziplining.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnNBW6gcs0cimmq_D11Kxj5CHtZOrzQeyjEmuwt0WJ1RUeZfCYXOTXCcQ0xwkZTr_Lv9Zf4xB4USJPrvnoygTyLonWrF8HmLhiV8ZtzFB982pIH0hNw6jp1NNRbk7Orf5ElCeCLeTh5Q/s400/Ziplining.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509155799937824194" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYvp_-HWAPO2GMHOeMVYX3l9f97eEQOmenYQ3yW-5HNqa_VKhvU3t_OdFGUKOSXPRDVs8jWvlDy3MS_5Q7_FtUh9bvo2-MnwdTTWm5vYJGDzFq9tl5ZkO_d6aOmD5L8_0sykkyixMYZg/s1600/Ziplining2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYvp_-HWAPO2GMHOeMVYX3l9f97eEQOmenYQ3yW-5HNqa_VKhvU3t_OdFGUKOSXPRDVs8jWvlDy3MS_5Q7_FtUh9bvo2-MnwdTTWm5vYJGDzFq9tl5ZkO_d6aOmD5L8_0sykkyixMYZg/s400/Ziplining2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509155781069777330" /></a><br />Monday morning started really early. We took the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria. Once in Victoria we went to Butchart Gardens (really, one of the most beautiful gardens in the world). While at the Gardens, we had an afternoon tea. Even though four out of the five of us aren’t tea drinkers (three of us had herbal tea), it was REALLY good, and it was just something we really needed to do. After the gardens, we went to visit a couple of other castles (Hatley Castle and Craigdarroch Castle – we didn’t go in to either, though). In addition to all that fun, Allison mistook a seagull for a bald eagle, and Lisa thought a deer was a goat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8Ry3TxHIpIMIgnptdqzqTMmg_f5emBwXKKZr3osSFqVy4BaPc5JPmAVSAidBkxZMJJLgQ3GJHsNfwHCuOE7uSMPHjuJpx7H-KnyEYK3ldCl56cXqx2QC_hPvY1XtLremmxOplG2cX0k/s1600/GirlsOnTheFerry.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8Ry3TxHIpIMIgnptdqzqTMmg_f5emBwXKKZr3osSFqVy4BaPc5JPmAVSAidBkxZMJJLgQ3GJHsNfwHCuOE7uSMPHjuJpx7H-KnyEYK3ldCl56cXqx2QC_hPvY1XtLremmxOplG2cX0k/s400/GirlsOnTheFerry.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509156299057526130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioc_IgQz3IvD6BREgA4_5EaW5r_hC73WwwAuyd9Oq9BmgIGbl3_0j-pNCdB6-ikmC-WlNOBnCZOHsOECahflQT0TRyn9DCOuZEmCESJm2Uq39raiR4Oj3hj3oDPCE4mjSRkq6tCL_4gxg/s1600/AfternoonTea2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioc_IgQz3IvD6BREgA4_5EaW5r_hC73WwwAuyd9Oq9BmgIGbl3_0j-pNCdB6-ikmC-WlNOBnCZOHsOECahflQT0TRyn9DCOuZEmCESJm2Uq39raiR4Oj3hj3oDPCE4mjSRkq6tCL_4gxg/s400/AfternoonTea2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509156289173139570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBngqK2nqthEMc-3SP4ZB8kgJ0VRTNn7oFcGt_hitLSgVJhdKFgD1qAlw8eZUWGyTYq992jhSYYVjcb9PC29zxcrRawcDk8_bI6AVhD20yAAFQvzym0WZRU8-46RjTfO0tAIXz58brHU/s1600/AfternoonTea.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBngqK2nqthEMc-3SP4ZB8kgJ0VRTNn7oFcGt_hitLSgVJhdKFgD1qAlw8eZUWGyTYq992jhSYYVjcb9PC29zxcrRawcDk8_bI6AVhD20yAAFQvzym0WZRU8-46RjTfO0tAIXz58brHU/s400/AfternoonTea.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509156273565741410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNHli-PJgkDn2fPmuLYaSePxT29nbPaopp5vGDixZfP-f7f8XZM5Mi0-EoN1uGbq_2TXpIu2FcbrsvWZYwpCYrX7CJwE4tPjNzmJbZcLYuTtKIwHgPppFcAUghR-AwfkhP3uOnfyEYAs/s1600/ButchartGardens2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNHli-PJgkDn2fPmuLYaSePxT29nbPaopp5vGDixZfP-f7f8XZM5Mi0-EoN1uGbq_2TXpIu2FcbrsvWZYwpCYrX7CJwE4tPjNzmJbZcLYuTtKIwHgPppFcAUghR-AwfkhP3uOnfyEYAs/s400/ButchartGardens2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509156266419643682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sMa36NFCb-nP_nLhojE9Vp_qK7wII49aJIBX57RLgXtZQs02GXMrPbl7oHZiAdMy8ikzPEtW5HEUv0Sq7lo82vuUHJsivEJd_UhGg9KkYMLk9zoJj7BUdL2BTWdZUL2s7S0pHuE0524/s1600/ButchartGardens.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sMa36NFCb-nP_nLhojE9Vp_qK7wII49aJIBX57RLgXtZQs02GXMrPbl7oHZiAdMy8ikzPEtW5HEUv0Sq7lo82vuUHJsivEJd_UhGg9KkYMLk9zoJj7BUdL2BTWdZUL2s7S0pHuE0524/s400/ButchartGardens.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509156253894532466" /></a><br />Tuesday afternoon was our flight home, so we decided to take it easy. We went back to Granville, had doughnuts for breakfast again, and did some shopping. Then we just went back to the house to relax until we drove to the airport. My silly mistake of the day was that I thought that Brg. was an abbreviation for Brigadier instead of Bridge. Must be all of that Doctor Who.<br /><br />We didn’t do to badly for five alpha-females. No huge fights, no tears, maybe a little bit of frustration and annoyance, but everyone had a really good time. Whew!</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-41511100046232539352010-08-22T11:50:00.003-06:002010-08-22T11:55:31.362-06:0080 is the new 60I know, I’m really behind in blogging, but I’ll try to make it up to you (if you care).<br /><br />In June, my mom celebrated her 80th birthday. So, to honor her, on June 26th we had a huge family reunion/open house. Of course, when you get a family together, there is always drama, right? We didn’t disappoint.<br /><br />We scheduled a family dinner from 2:00 – 4:00, then an open house from 6:00 – 8:00. My brother the chef was not only in charge of the food for the dinner, but for the open house as well. As it turned out, my nephew had his Salt Lake wedding reception the night before, and my brother catered it, so we were able to use the fruit and veggies for both events. My sister-in-law’s sister-in-law (confusing enough for you?) was awesome enough to provide tablecloths, and my sister-in-law’s sister let us use the left over brownies and mini-cheesecakes. Unfortunately, I hadn’t planned on these goodies, so I had already ordered 4 cakes from Costco (and we all know how large cakes from Costco are) – one for the family dinner, three for the open house. Needless to say, we had almost all of the cakes left over.<br /><br />My brother got up late on the 26th, so he had to recruit me to come help with the food preparation – thank goodness we were able to use the kitchen where he works in Orem. OK, did I mention that the family dinner was supposed to start at 2:00? Well, my brother and I arrived with the food AT 2:00 – I was still in shorts and a T-shirt, not to mention the fact that I was all sweaty from the food prep. Luckily, my mom hadn’t even arrived yet, so…<br /><br />Roger and I went home where I took the fastest shower in history, and got ready. Of course we were taking pictures, so, of course, I look gross – but what are you doing to do?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaU0CJBaOPpWf0mzz3lMol2krC8Rj2e5f9UzgTFZGSjaYMxNvlVlic6LKSr-aGLurq4leaVTIVJxE6Uaa94hPy4O70I8Ah7_Nb_fEHKyGtNHMpWMu66YHmg8p_Reyi-Qkb5y7YOKxK2w/s1600/Blomquist80th.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaU0CJBaOPpWf0mzz3lMol2krC8Rj2e5f9UzgTFZGSjaYMxNvlVlic6LKSr-aGLurq4leaVTIVJxE6Uaa94hPy4O70I8Ah7_Nb_fEHKyGtNHMpWMu66YHmg8p_Reyi-Qkb5y7YOKxK2w/s400/Blomquist80th.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508293808669933714" /></a><br />So, I think the dinner finally started at 3-ish. We had the open house at the clubhouse of a housing community where my cousin lives. My sister decided that in the two hours between the dinner and the open house, family could swim at the clubhouse, or come to mom’s house (which lead to hiring cleaners to come clean the house). Since we were running on Blomquist-standard time, we didn’t have two hours between the dinner and the open house; we barely had enough time to clean up from the dinner and get ready for guest by 6:00.<br /><br />All in all, it was a success! Lots of people came, and I think my mom really enjoyed it.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-82040594699092438092010-05-12T03:45:00.007-06:002010-05-12T04:22:05.037-06:00Just a slight miscalculationIn all of my research on what to do/see in New Zealand, Milford Sound kept coming up as one of the top places to visit. When I was in New Zealand last year I really wanted to get to Milford Sound, but could never fit it in. So, last Friday I finally bit the bullet and flew from Wellington (North Island) to Queenstown (South Island). To be precise, I flew from Wellington to Christchurch to Queenstown, but that's just semantics. There had been a lot of flooding in Queenstown the previous week, so I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to go, but I emailed the hotel and the tour company (yes, I did another tour) and I was quite pleased to learn that things were still running. I didn't even care that the weather forecast called for rain, I just wanted to be there.<br /><br />The tour on Saturday was fantastic! It started really early (they picked me up at my hotel at 6:45 a.m.), but was so worth it. As opposed to my Auckland tour where I was the only one, this tour bus was completely full. But I was so happy to be there, I didn't even mind. It was about a 3-4 hour drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound, but we made several stops along the way with some great photo opportunities.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjntoPLzveCdmUJTnycU-s-Kf823vaZOrxZaQf5whMsY91ZGkPawpyhOEkv2NUzvVDYNatsPP_piy1QZKtr1TI8X3DnnaDVpnYTPY84zDvVPssL-JRraqFOwGILiS0e0myN4KlNJDJ5s/s1600/WaterfallFromBus.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjntoPLzveCdmUJTnycU-s-Kf823vaZOrxZaQf5whMsY91ZGkPawpyhOEkv2NUzvVDYNatsPP_piy1QZKtr1TI8X3DnnaDVpnYTPY84zDvVPssL-JRraqFOwGILiS0e0myN4KlNJDJ5s/s400/WaterfallFromBus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470322801244335922" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9beSkw6ffV3SgQaJ-CiClzs08X8dRLroWJbHAoopGQG7ri-3DPnbPZmqo38bLm_bWl9t98Prj3frW8muzQDbYqyiBdERdo1H04kCTzoO52vA-AvY6Vr1ZoPMZd86Tp-zWvjwulzsIJTo/s1600/TheChasm.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9beSkw6ffV3SgQaJ-CiClzs08X8dRLroWJbHAoopGQG7ri-3DPnbPZmqo38bLm_bWl9t98Prj3frW8muzQDbYqyiBdERdo1H04kCTzoO52vA-AvY6Vr1ZoPMZd86Tp-zWvjwulzsIJTo/s400/TheChasm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470322794462508210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Chasm</span> </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHsFxZx2kwoZ66jbJaZ0RtDLYSmXn7CYKKWmK9-slEF-C-NOzeO8MtwYiKzElB5f7M9eySZxRJ6UMG-DZEMZgJgMpBXlN84tvnJC209hYaLk13pAXjwhyphenhyphenmvCivtcyApU_GhfJRfxKHrs/s1600/MirrorLake3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHsFxZx2kwoZ66jbJaZ0RtDLYSmXn7CYKKWmK9-slEF-C-NOzeO8MtwYiKzElB5f7M9eySZxRJ6UMG-DZEMZgJgMpBXlN84tvnJC209hYaLk13pAXjwhyphenhyphenmvCivtcyApU_GhfJRfxKHrs/s400/MirrorLake3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470322780972206626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mirror Lake</span> </span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicU4DpAxkDS9WPvTNzti10h7KCVRFl3YjfuUBQpDR_2HEXfGjGipmjT51EO4ni8lGPlx8MR8Yn8YEQBBl0An607bPZ1aMiTetqHF_WP1ZX8QCDxRTD5-xk5l9tUUYNLTZHy4NZZ_PMdv0/s1600/MirrorLake2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicU4DpAxkDS9WPvTNzti10h7KCVRFl3YjfuUBQpDR_2HEXfGjGipmjT51EO4ni8lGPlx8MR8Yn8YEQBBl0An607bPZ1aMiTetqHF_WP1ZX8QCDxRTD5-xk5l9tUUYNLTZHy4NZZ_PMdv0/s400/MirrorLake2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470322772691297842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAh3pdmzmSUVD1vgFCxqrhcA-vmUKKfjx4OWqFCaPMHUbW0S79Xdrz47VpykkSFFc60nlzDfS5-TTvza-E7ElAEf7pAjxtfBaHIIvBb1hTD6Xrk-ZwURevYAUdTApedp2raDlXT4Ba-GA/s1600/MirrorLake.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAh3pdmzmSUVD1vgFCxqrhcA-vmUKKfjx4OWqFCaPMHUbW0S79Xdrz47VpykkSFFc60nlzDfS5-TTvza-E7ElAEf7pAjxtfBaHIIvBb1hTD6Xrk-ZwURevYAUdTApedp2raDlXT4Ba-GA/s400/MirrorLake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470322766704072050" border="0" /></a><br />The drive reminded me of driving the Seward Highway in Alaska. Our driver kept preparing us for the rainy/cloudy weather we'd have. However, when we came out of the Homer tunnel (linking us to Milford Sound), there was blue sky and sunshine. Woo Hoo! I then took at 2-hour boat tour of Milford Sound, and was just stunned. The 13-hour day was, again, totally worth it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGotF6TCxTLwC3VHhemK1QlpqQQqwoyi1MgB42Z-0kSOSEiuwam30NnOc5KUw34zaZt7fDU8-ixfNE-FsKmbBWfowsDobCmOsfHGlG2JB0HDt6WmV_hznj4jtOd2CAzr5KK-rcc1Gtkc/s1600/MilfordSound3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGotF6TCxTLwC3VHhemK1QlpqQQqwoyi1MgB42Z-0kSOSEiuwam30NnOc5KUw34zaZt7fDU8-ixfNE-FsKmbBWfowsDobCmOsfHGlG2JB0HDt6WmV_hznj4jtOd2CAzr5KK-rcc1Gtkc/s400/MilfordSound3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470318534145686946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_aSpY265qTJq6g1l4OJ9gy7cSRsnC66yODPWBVhIUQ7baalg26nYC8H96v32eSa36WgFeHQeHDnI6VKq6qadEz7MYKwk8fskR-1iXV1lg7I3KwLno12VkJcxoaL9HuQAFmldPtwEUx8/s1600/MilfordSound2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_aSpY265qTJq6g1l4OJ9gy7cSRsnC66yODPWBVhIUQ7baalg26nYC8H96v32eSa36WgFeHQeHDnI6VKq6qadEz7MYKwk8fskR-1iXV1lg7I3KwLno12VkJcxoaL9HuQAFmldPtwEUx8/s400/MilfordSound2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470318527383240146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivD0qdojUtSKi3guOywfGpXiyp3DW8OLLE5Xg_g86SiUdOqvw64banxtFXrF2pdJ5S2wEZY5PFsTgXvNOol_OGsrqgbmNLMDRJYnfzg8ABGO3XnbOmO4q7_gO7N_UoUoytV8HHhDOT5V4/s1600/MilfordSound.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivD0qdojUtSKi3guOywfGpXiyp3DW8OLLE5Xg_g86SiUdOqvw64banxtFXrF2pdJ5S2wEZY5PFsTgXvNOol_OGsrqgbmNLMDRJYnfzg8ABGO3XnbOmO4q7_gO7N_UoUoytV8HHhDOT5V4/s400/MilfordSound.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470318518956607506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRY9FDNHK-NOadvMaf5xXUqz5Wp-x4XoANAV7moYY71yl5XtVh04jC36E1Mmy1Cwj3_gHCyIZEofTwu-dmLd6UFhQeNniYV_aV68R3ZwRKBmMGQKcK9cU-CjMV0oYU09De5obKqHHD80/s1600/MilfordMariner.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRY9FDNHK-NOadvMaf5xXUqz5Wp-x4XoANAV7moYY71yl5XtVh04jC36E1Mmy1Cwj3_gHCyIZEofTwu-dmLd6UFhQeNniYV_aV68R3ZwRKBmMGQKcK9cU-CjMV0oYU09De5obKqHHD80/s400/MilfordMariner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470318510970356690" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLw_wz4jBvBKofZS1UwgdiEXIrJMsiIjyhkVn7ND3QebdiR7dl7Gt4KsC55GyYy2aQ1xqG6s7fdTqIRmNnxl66PA_PrKarg6N03EEsv938W9abW6oPUTyIyIVFbdXCc8CLhkTr3tsvmTM/s1600/BowenFalls.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLw_wz4jBvBKofZS1UwgdiEXIrJMsiIjyhkVn7ND3QebdiR7dl7Gt4KsC55GyYy2aQ1xqG6s7fdTqIRmNnxl66PA_PrKarg6N03EEsv938W9abW6oPUTyIyIVFbdXCc8CLhkTr3tsvmTM/s400/BowenFalls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470318495369830002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bowen Falls</span> </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAkTgwskTKTUQxk1EFqaNYdd3xda_BQ0Exf2tseGU3vPJgMsADVtw12FT4svMlolzqA9wjpJBGpXN1FINQ3Dm21Qi163beS9pfFakLiVqvjWp3Kqb3wGXGHKY4M0q4WyG1Ybex4l8Dms/s1600/StirlingFalls3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAkTgwskTKTUQxk1EFqaNYdd3xda_BQ0Exf2tseGU3vPJgMsADVtw12FT4svMlolzqA9wjpJBGpXN1FINQ3Dm21Qi163beS9pfFakLiVqvjWp3Kqb3wGXGHKY4M0q4WyG1Ybex4l8Dms/s400/StirlingFalls3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470320478194436274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Up close & personal at Stirling Falls</span> </span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uUMHRlD6x9McDcC4uaT1FgVo5MgiLLElWMGt0Eh1ur9yNraNeY0D2NcLTV2zfv3hhZmbeghq8RfFAms9zyUy5hs-F0NB0kU3gp1E7BNf1LQkLJ6NElIWLlnhlB0665mizE2GEZWVsWY/s1600/StirlingFalls2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uUMHRlD6x9McDcC4uaT1FgVo5MgiLLElWMGt0Eh1ur9yNraNeY0D2NcLTV2zfv3hhZmbeghq8RfFAms9zyUy5hs-F0NB0kU3gp1E7BNf1LQkLJ6NElIWLlnhlB0665mizE2GEZWVsWY/s400/StirlingFalls2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470320468149743026" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Vm1LbP-DQzJ5Oh2RP_OoAZl0MM7N_SSW410YC653gLyjY46rqIYuEXE-lqRVHWSEWySclwZ0VDRQgvNafKzW6Rx_eaqStjEqiv0VjGZwrR6oRtY-nmhvxpQpXZGZN8k5fprFzidYbS4/s1600/StirlingFalls.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Vm1LbP-DQzJ5Oh2RP_OoAZl0MM7N_SSW410YC653gLyjY46rqIYuEXE-lqRVHWSEWySclwZ0VDRQgvNafKzW6Rx_eaqStjEqiv0VjGZwrR6oRtY-nmhvxpQpXZGZN8k5fprFzidYbS4/s400/StirlingFalls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470320462627368578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Stirling Falls (508' - FYI Niagara Falls = 176')</span> </span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgOZa0XhwdC5EI3eNEQBCULa_q54OohKHboadObvoaNlgzPK2d9QL6QJJoWOkjCs8suGvzhZGCJmtM7Xt8tkLXoI8lSv1MIKxHY_Qv7DG5ZEWjLmmoTe2s8WDjOcjekusqOL4MSaJkdY/s1600/MilfordSound5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgOZa0XhwdC5EI3eNEQBCULa_q54OohKHboadObvoaNlgzPK2d9QL6QJJoWOkjCs8suGvzhZGCJmtM7Xt8tkLXoI8lSv1MIKxHY_Qv7DG5ZEWjLmmoTe2s8WDjOcjekusqOL4MSaJkdY/s400/MilfordSound5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470320453688482530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDX2_jb5hO5sT_X9zsI2tCNslKVV_nU83r-NQRkx6mBPUQPlyZPn_kvYJeHJFpkFgYpHwe5uZSzuH7id0KFT63rSw5Ly_JHfQYxXvo3BuXLe1UIxH3Zl3aQc8jPw5EZdk_U1mV44k4TU/s1600/MilfordSound4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDX2_jb5hO5sT_X9zsI2tCNslKVV_nU83r-NQRkx6mBPUQPlyZPn_kvYJeHJFpkFgYpHwe5uZSzuH7id0KFT63rSw5Ly_JHfQYxXvo3BuXLe1UIxH3Zl3aQc8jPw5EZdk_U1mV44k4TU/s400/MilfordSound4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470320446596237378" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3JZdf1LjkNAFgId9yivq0ZtyTk9nLRyoen68rFnirIBOnhV24e00Mmg07PZvXMtfLpxS-oHRidoOgQt0AVedI125tTu8cASnHYR_2ABvedQfeNW01fhAC5D4DyNIcKWTackQR2c6t5yg/s1600/TasmanSea.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3JZdf1LjkNAFgId9yivq0ZtyTk9nLRyoen68rFnirIBOnhV24e00Mmg07PZvXMtfLpxS-oHRidoOgQt0AVedI125tTu8cASnHYR_2ABvedQfeNW01fhAC5D4DyNIcKWTackQR2c6t5yg/s400/TasmanSea.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470321499227857810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tasman Sea</span> </span></div><br />On a little side note - tour guides are full of information, but do you ever wonder if they just say nonsense sometimes because they think they can? Because tourists wouldn't really know any different? Just something to think about.<br /><br />Second side note. Look, coughing tourist next to me, I don't care how much money you've spent on a tour, or even on a vacation. If you are hacking up a lung, do NOT get in an enclosed vehicle with 50 other people who can't escape your germs spewing all over the place. Have some consideration for others and stay at the hotel. OK, rant done.<br /><br />I had to fly back to Wellington on Sunday afternoon, so I had the day very tightly scheduled. I would get up, eat breakfast, take the Skyline Gondola up the mountain to get some great views of the town. Then, hurry back to the hotel, change into a skirt, take a taxi to Sacrament Meeting, taxi back to the hotel in time for a tour on the TSS Earnslaw (a 1912 vintage steamer) across Lake Wakatipu, come back, eat lunch, go to the airport. Well, it almost worked out that way. I miscalculated how long it would take to<br />a. walk to the gondola<br />b. ride the gondola up and down (and take pictures, of course)<br />c. walk back to the hotel<br />you get the picture.<br /><br />Anyway, as I was riding the gondola down the mountain I realized that I would not have time to walk back to the hotel, instead I would have to find the nearest taxi I could and go to church in my jeans. But then I had the dilemma of where to find the nearest taxi. I think Heavenly Father was watching out for me because, just as I exited the gondola building, a taxi appeared (dropping off some tourists). Perfect. After they vacated the taxi, I jumped in and gave the driver the address I found on lds.org. He wasn't familiar with the address, so he asked me where I was going... a Mormon church. He still had no idea, so he got on his radio and asked all his taxi driver friends if they knew where the Mormon church was. I heard someone say "the funeral home on Frankton Rd." I was sure they just didn't know what they were talking about. The driver joked around with me about going to church at a funeral home. He thought it was hilarious. Wouldn't you know it, they were right. Funeral home during the week, LDS chapel on Sunday.<br /><br />So, if I thought the congregation in Sydney was small (what did I say? about 50 people?), then this was just tiny. There were, I kid you not, 16 people in Sacrament meeting. Three were visitors (myself and a couple from Australia) and two were missionaries. So, there went my plan of being inconspicuous (that and the fact I was wearing jeans and sneakers). It was a great meeting, though. The missionaries spoke. One poor missionary (from Utah) was talking about Job, and how Job was swallowed by a whale. The branch president tugged his jacket and explained that is was Jonah who was swallowed by the whale. Poor guy! The other elder was from the North Island. His talk was amazing. But seriously, in a congregation that small, how many times a year does one have to give a talk? Anywho, since it was Mother's Day, all the sisters in the congregation of a certain age (OK, there were two female teenagers, and then five older-than-teenagers) got a jar of jam and some chocolates. The sister from Australia didn't have any children, and I didn't, but hey, we got a delicious jar of jam... and did I mention chocolates?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEqbVNcbFfmjYrCOUlnBTrqI3cndd-TmazXJekCiU7BcnSAP64PFMNywRok8NVtThBM7m-560wQbjhLWG6j_cMY4GgDJX48Fz6PZN2ToRaZzY3VsJhHS0kbZHkpYZpNUb8C74RP1XBWw/s1600/QueenstownFromSkylineGondola.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEqbVNcbFfmjYrCOUlnBTrqI3cndd-TmazXJekCiU7BcnSAP64PFMNywRok8NVtThBM7m-560wQbjhLWG6j_cMY4GgDJX48Fz6PZN2ToRaZzY3VsJhHS0kbZHkpYZpNUb8C74RP1XBWw/s400/QueenstownFromSkylineGondola.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470324668059015458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">View of Queenstown from the Skyline Gondola</span> </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3Lx6b0Tku3pxEzq8au80zQlTdsSCiDT34K-MKRUDlhKcGsY1nvCf7nnUaalAjUCl3MLeZVylphuUcRD9C5aUxIJBwgiHtuef0qxVGK6CrUlSVWfF-HV1evrMsNjyRwiQKuIOdHNf1gs/s1600/Sandbags.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3Lx6b0Tku3pxEzq8au80zQlTdsSCiDT34K-MKRUDlhKcGsY1nvCf7nnUaalAjUCl3MLeZVylphuUcRD9C5aUxIJBwgiHtuef0qxVGK6CrUlSVWfF-HV1evrMsNjyRwiQKuIOdHNf1gs/s400/Sandbags.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470324665682908482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sandbags left over from the flooding</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ojCOBInjEihp5TwKmm8XnV6yaEh4LhqJQ51mfEyInkt_Jlw7n38ID1rGg1cAbrI2o-onQ6iArr70-UPB4zkMbEkUUAtuxMgF133BlWVzW91CWEswplDtYt8iexX8298PCZdS-tdN3fA/s1600/LakeWakatipu2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ojCOBInjEihp5TwKmm8XnV6yaEh4LhqJQ51mfEyInkt_Jlw7n38ID1rGg1cAbrI2o-onQ6iArr70-UPB4zkMbEkUUAtuxMgF133BlWVzW91CWEswplDtYt8iexX8298PCZdS-tdN3fA/s400/LakeWakatipu2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470324656120242818" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6u0d0KWUt2zo9lFnp2fyTWLjCbLlaK4WHxlgV_ssRcL-glrmhq8k0nIPODRqouv-Kg5iHxTCwhY4JxTfnOdIG5Dgb3Ni_pc1uQoxGQD-mShxVhkUN5Alscx0ktv53EDdym7H-cnJNGo/s1600/LakeWakatipu.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6u0d0KWUt2zo9lFnp2fyTWLjCbLlaK4WHxlgV_ssRcL-glrmhq8k0nIPODRqouv-Kg5iHxTCwhY4JxTfnOdIG5Dgb3Ni_pc1uQoxGQD-mShxVhkUN5Alscx0ktv53EDdym7H-cnJNGo/s400/LakeWakatipu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470324644805054242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lake Wakatipu</span> </span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUexAp5iZZ9yGXXx-QgXZqITCRM8J21ZKS7ediIlzZu8tMsVW4KwjkuMvKM8961ursnnhGF3k8CO2Rqtxst0NhWvOHMnZ281wOs0P3ICKIilZ2yDnsUQTFQJ9fr0x1vrPfl_Aqj_7cvE/s1600/QueenstownFromTSSEarnslaw.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUexAp5iZZ9yGXXx-QgXZqITCRM8J21ZKS7ediIlzZu8tMsVW4KwjkuMvKM8961ursnnhGF3k8CO2Rqtxst0NhWvOHMnZ281wOs0P3ICKIilZ2yDnsUQTFQJ9fr0x1vrPfl_Aqj_7cvE/s400/QueenstownFromTSSEarnslaw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470326145726614610" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Re01chKudzwQSST2J9FUqCv7rXXSdT_3nEGPP81EvGSvF64-SMC1_SRzEsP2avwCWpuInTritXe77Tatms_jAx5emfBVILHmR7YGjtYYkDweNcUd2HQQiOzdInufO-ILW4pOOjv8Kl0/s1600/TSSEarnslawVintageSteamship.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Re01chKudzwQSST2J9FUqCv7rXXSdT_3nEGPP81EvGSvF64-SMC1_SRzEsP2avwCWpuInTritXe77Tatms_jAx5emfBVILHmR7YGjtYYkDweNcUd2HQQiOzdInufO-ILW4pOOjv8Kl0/s400/TSSEarnslawVintageSteamship.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470326139745284306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">TSS Earnslaw<br /><br /><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOoQjFO-obJvD4BNt_vRW6YhB0q3qDi0IUBcUL5i1tXI-JfYV4GCaLbrmsdzXTqeKQFEx7P7wiqBN1PxLlgAfApTTjJRcqRsGi-ekk0tyjQj5sboYAzkm-lwFYqnEnFgBDpXZpM1tsC4/s1600/LakeWakatipu4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOoQjFO-obJvD4BNt_vRW6YhB0q3qDi0IUBcUL5i1tXI-JfYV4GCaLbrmsdzXTqeKQFEx7P7wiqBN1PxLlgAfApTTjJRcqRsGi-ekk0tyjQj5sboYAzkm-lwFYqnEnFgBDpXZpM1tsC4/s400/LakeWakatipu4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470326133589476482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcD9tjavo-0bJb1c6FZQC02xNhE9zYtVGPUiPX4twCBmBy_uR_3NeK01NJZVblzJCOuL4zuZnT8Z-Jb6T58MUFHxaxtqRoF60k8z9BOUnnsqPwLsf9AqhyphenhyphenLUl49n7uvprZvDYeifP32M/s1600/LakeWakatipu3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcD9tjavo-0bJb1c6FZQC02xNhE9zYtVGPUiPX4twCBmBy_uR_3NeK01NJZVblzJCOuL4zuZnT8Z-Jb6T58MUFHxaxtqRoF60k8z9BOUnnsqPwLsf9AqhyphenhyphenLUl49n7uvprZvDYeifP32M/s400/LakeWakatipu3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470326125051546994" border="0" /></a><br />The boat ride across the lake was beautiful. I mentioned that the weather forecast called for rain, but the weather was gorgeous - it didn't rain one single drop! It was a perfect weekend. Ah, well, back to the real world of work, and work, and work...Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-89294687240544363962010-05-03T01:15:00.009-06:002010-05-03T01:55:24.002-06:00Be careful what you wish forAs I was gathering up my things last Wednesday (prepping to leave Sydney on Friday), I couldn't find my fleece jacket (or "jumper" as it's called down here). I hadn't needed it the whole time I was in Sydney, so I hadn't realized it was missing. Sadly, I couldn't even remember the last time I had it. So, I had to go shopping... again. Woe is me. So on Thursday, Jane (my co-worker) took me to an outlet mall and I bought a nice red fleece. After work that day, Jane took me driving to see Manly Beach (gorgeous).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6786YMEJDTc9FHtgsz596WiTdKiAqDvm4fUkKpNg-uN-QiujLxmEMYmTY8AcHZ412So_ZfY8T2xJfiU_b1Pf8YBeNbE_JISi6cr2bVggh4V71c_thV8Zin1rXd36yvgNB64dxO94oHQ/s1600/MoonOverManly.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6786YMEJDTc9FHtgsz596WiTdKiAqDvm4fUkKpNg-uN-QiujLxmEMYmTY8AcHZ412So_ZfY8T2xJfiU_b1Pf8YBeNbE_JISi6cr2bVggh4V71c_thV8Zin1rXd36yvgNB64dxO94oHQ/s400/MoonOverManly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466947610266973986" border="0" /></a><br />Later, as I sat on the bus home, I realized that I didn't have my brand new red fleece with me. What's up with that? Luckily, I had only left it in Jane's car. Fast forward to Friday. When I checked in at the airport, I was told my bag was too heavy (I was expecting that, I mean, come on, I packed for five weeks). But I was told that I could have 2 bags, each at 23 kilos. As it so happened, I had an extra bag, so at the counter, I unpacked some of my larger bag to put it in my smaller bag. Later, as I was sitting in the airplane waiting to take off, oblivious to the fact that anything was wrong, one of the flight attendants came up to me, told me I had left something at the check-in counter, and handed me, yup, you guessed it, my brand new red fleece. I love Air New Zealand.<br /><br />Anywho, I decided to spend the weekend in Auckland before flying to Wellington on Sunday. I'm quite glad that I did. On Saturday I took a bus tour out toward the Bay of Islands. Absolutely GORGEOUS! Remember, though, how in my last post I mentioned that I preferred smaller tour groups? Well, be careful what you wish for. I was the only person on the bus tour. Yup, let me repeat that, I was the ONLY person on the bus tour. I'm kind of surprised they didn't cancel it. Happy they didn't, but surprised. It was nice not having to deal with all the other tourists, but being the only person on the bus, when the bus driver was giving his commentary, it was up to me, and only me, to respond. It was fun, though. The weather couldn't decide what it wanted to do, it alternated between rain and sunshine, but it was a most pleasant day. Did I mention that the Bay of Islands was gorgeous? We drove from Auckland to Paihia (and when I say "we," I mean me and the bus driver).<br /><br />Before we got to Paihia, we stopped in a little (and I mean little) town. The driver gave me about 30 minutes to walk around. I found these two restaurants a little strange. Who would have thought that Indian food (or Chinese, for that matter) went with Fish & Chips?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkz1eVn6tOD6re8OeBX616uy6Ax5ZfB1k87LUc03uk3_wRArLKUbJ7C6fraLwRdVjfaXK7yTQiox7wxvVlmtCsx7I12ZeSGiXixNZkrc49ilawZPBNxSRyRLVuYij7AFkr_XlGGflZqhA/s1600/FishAndChips2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkz1eVn6tOD6re8OeBX616uy6Ax5ZfB1k87LUc03uk3_wRArLKUbJ7C6fraLwRdVjfaXK7yTQiox7wxvVlmtCsx7I12ZeSGiXixNZkrc49ilawZPBNxSRyRLVuYij7AFkr_XlGGflZqhA/s400/FishAndChips2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466942278602972450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJT81QM5M0k3ya-3YKU5vcRqRka-rXAECMSUkeOn30yTyVPlz67bzlhhaykEqwrWI4WqonpK_1E7J66K1ASCIJRkIxSEKItfxa_FDFVVMOUoDTZV0FXOhKYGoNcS_llPRORT47s7TDsKQ/s1600/FishAndChips.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJT81QM5M0k3ya-3YKU5vcRqRka-rXAECMSUkeOn30yTyVPlz67bzlhhaykEqwrWI4WqonpK_1E7J66K1ASCIJRkIxSEKItfxa_FDFVVMOUoDTZV0FXOhKYGoNcS_llPRORT47s7TDsKQ/s400/FishAndChips.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466942269350375922" border="0" /></a><br />While in Paihia we visited <a href="http://www.waitangi.net.nz/">The Waitangi Treaty Grounds</a>. Learned loads of fascinating information. For example, there are 21 (maybe 22) Maori tribes in all of New Zealand, and of those 21 (or maybe 22), 20 of them live on the North Island. Evidently the South Island is too cold, and there's snow, so there's only one tribe on the whole South Island. My tour guide was actually the great, great, great, great-granddaughter of one of the British men who helped draft the treaty, so I thought that was pretty cool.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2R-QMw6_K1v11D3wb9G2CXufwRE-G8_jBOUkuGi4ILCFAx4cIzXR-dAYM17dMgP_x_ARtjch1rOu6Nn00-yscO-5FUpGMDpxcqO35T8wzl9M8KVuFKSX13-l3GGxR4W3L6a_EZkd6S0/s1600/Waitangi.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2R-QMw6_K1v11D3wb9G2CXufwRE-G8_jBOUkuGi4ILCFAx4cIzXR-dAYM17dMgP_x_ARtjch1rOu6Nn00-yscO-5FUpGMDpxcqO35T8wzl9M8KVuFKSX13-l3GGxR4W3L6a_EZkd6S0/s400/Waitangi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466940221200661090" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27tewodrh4cl2pcdrbyHkFpFRthRWOI6BnKCDiiUqU7T4_96nkkQOF40hgxF2YGpa5KlTlkZNrI7W-ly8Baj5ELxyWk12Ev6pMwp6x8Q2PKwDZTOR-YtX49l2e3lQXENibi9PAnfqfTs/s1600/FlagstaffWaitangi.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27tewodrh4cl2pcdrbyHkFpFRthRWOI6BnKCDiiUqU7T4_96nkkQOF40hgxF2YGpa5KlTlkZNrI7W-ly8Baj5ELxyWk12Ev6pMwp6x8Q2PKwDZTOR-YtX49l2e3lQXENibi9PAnfqfTs/s400/FlagstaffWaitangi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466940211868551634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">New Zealand flag (top), British flag (right), and the Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand (left)</span></span><br /></div><br />I then took a ferry from Paihia to Russell (what used the be the first capital of New Zealand). In Russell, this cute little lady took a little tour bus around the city - ok, let's not exaggerate, around the town (maybe even village). I wasn't the only person on this tour bus, others joined in. Just stunning views of the ocean.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnRPHP48rpWOR6TPT0-V-DbyaSVdqz7hFxwySlYE1yNRAy1hrZjMtnih6sRqdd8wTiG7c4VjTKYO9dkdHCldkLfFwZhT1KdpD-BQmZ6qoC45sUTrdh1ZqkUPv4Ktmm9tSPcTupbrROas/s1600/LongBeach.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnRPHP48rpWOR6TPT0-V-DbyaSVdqz7hFxwySlYE1yNRAy1hrZjMtnih6sRqdd8wTiG7c4VjTKYO9dkdHCldkLfFwZhT1KdpD-BQmZ6qoC45sUTrdh1ZqkUPv4Ktmm9tSPcTupbrROas/s400/LongBeach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466944088138364946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Long Beach</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_-RzHoiY3Jf_cGvRBYD_oSBw59XP4F4QmB4EFy-c921BlnYn7dkylQSh2Gk46isQj5LG4-UHmNVwFlz-lcQ6-ZbmD4C1k1fV1RbJ2Yv3PzpC1LkJu8kZPSlfL8ZmMEpstVM4tBICobU/s1600/BayOfIslands5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_-RzHoiY3Jf_cGvRBYD_oSBw59XP4F4QmB4EFy-c921BlnYn7dkylQSh2Gk46isQj5LG4-UHmNVwFlz-lcQ6-ZbmD4C1k1fV1RbJ2Yv3PzpC1LkJu8kZPSlfL8ZmMEpstVM4tBICobU/s400/BayOfIslands5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466944079851562066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bay of Islands<br /><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRDrk0ejRFTQEQKDEazfkNo8GfvGkBkXYeXFPD39JRxTDDbusolPo5bV6tWiE5eUdX0wUo0ycIjUHuTGAx706Rozwea678auQ3WyJxidN_6PZneaZe4ggyjfzYDOW3n93GDhN7AtvGqc/s1600/BayOfIslands4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRDrk0ejRFTQEQKDEazfkNo8GfvGkBkXYeXFPD39JRxTDDbusolPo5bV6tWiE5eUdX0wUo0ycIjUHuTGAx706Rozwea678auQ3WyJxidN_6PZneaZe4ggyjfzYDOW3n93GDhN7AtvGqc/s400/BayOfIslands4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466944071382075634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMenuIcwZmBErpWka60I94GQL9QB2F4R8I76RWTvOonKoeCPXDJLepEoc-Ji6A4tTePtHHCgD5VeBF1bNKpjrws7f5SENQIkGa0BsPKQACcWKhNtGBc_PDbhnPS7PlDa43-b0JgaC0Nv8/s1600/BayOfIslands3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMenuIcwZmBErpWka60I94GQL9QB2F4R8I76RWTvOonKoeCPXDJLepEoc-Ji6A4tTePtHHCgD5VeBF1bNKpjrws7f5SENQIkGa0BsPKQACcWKhNtGBc_PDbhnPS7PlDa43-b0JgaC0Nv8/s400/BayOfIslands3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466944062134674482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoAG80l12PIt8yVK8R1S41KxGAGbdZD2XN0D-UE0p7dsbn-OZDoP_4JGPBNoc0UKgKFEUSWQvqeLz8Jx_yXOlVf321s_nGhaf-DrXlq1NUhZiHYJ2t5POeM0Df14Am7G326m6Bc2872I/s1600/BayOfIslands.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoAG80l12PIt8yVK8R1S41KxGAGbdZD2XN0D-UE0p7dsbn-OZDoP_4JGPBNoc0UKgKFEUSWQvqeLz8Jx_yXOlVf321s_nGhaf-DrXlq1NUhZiHYJ2t5POeM0Df14Am7G326m6Bc2872I/s400/BayOfIslands.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466944057021091650" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUzJHtZZdDYJ8yM7E9xhWlk6eMWcjjIswwGih_aJ5HSIXgAHIU0WBpaJyiq88s_nuaCTyMgVDJgqtsEYkhvRnJyph-KNh0R-B07y_71MBAJMk8eP1Hm2KyUoWJF0j8kkySFjWs8XxPXo/s1600/TapekaPoint2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUzJHtZZdDYJ8yM7E9xhWlk6eMWcjjIswwGih_aJ5HSIXgAHIU0WBpaJyiq88s_nuaCTyMgVDJgqtsEYkhvRnJyph-KNh0R-B07y_71MBAJMk8eP1Hm2KyUoWJF0j8kkySFjWs8XxPXo/s400/TapekaPoint2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466945040283742290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tapeka Point</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0eagUNeLgFF001VRYLif2SuKYhbnpIbnYzbu4O58cZCmqR3phJJ8M1uvFsqA8M_MHSq3hEDwWdXl5yLXn8cs7ELwEjk79VA-TRYYR5tDCWp5aKznv-VKa2j5_v8kPbQ7_t55Vqi8M-U/s1600/TapekaPoint.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0eagUNeLgFF001VRYLif2SuKYhbnpIbnYzbu4O58cZCmqR3phJJ8M1uvFsqA8M_MHSq3hEDwWdXl5yLXn8cs7ELwEjk79VA-TRYYR5tDCWp5aKznv-VKa2j5_v8kPbQ7_t55Vqi8M-U/s400/TapekaPoint.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466945035621669826" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AZ7SyHbwWZIRrwDlgzeNCNXcx6trrjIsOz0LsNNwBcQD_Kbhrw7jye8nVdZaA2NtU6-g0hNq9Zkj8BesEunzJcXuLN_EbIr7igzfErQEyO0VKsWO4a45hI13bSDVFlVpdNQMNUyOPVE/s1600/SunDialMosaic.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AZ7SyHbwWZIRrwDlgzeNCNXcx6trrjIsOz0LsNNwBcQD_Kbhrw7jye8nVdZaA2NtU6-g0hNq9Zkj8BesEunzJcXuLN_EbIr7igzfErQEyO0VKsWO4a45hI13bSDVFlVpdNQMNUyOPVE/s400/SunDialMosaic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466945028789893186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Giant Sun Dial (with mosaic)</span><br /></span></div><br />I had a few hours in Auckland on Sunday before I had to catch my flight to Wellington, so I went up to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland_Domain">Domain</a> (something like Central Park in NYC, maybe), and visited the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Auckland, known as the City of Sails (because of all the sail boats) really is a beautiful city.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sj6l91K2P0PtksJTBdw4kHyQnBGnRwW8BEaiREjbIVAqg5dBXx2Gb0hIaAhJKms285xOWmDTkiDIc0TSl2lhjAMcpvWx81HWg4bpLdHPEcaH0efQK8a5ldIxyIcof45M4Yz8qFPdnDs/s1600/AucklandMuseum.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sj6l91K2P0PtksJTBdw4kHyQnBGnRwW8BEaiREjbIVAqg5dBXx2Gb0hIaAhJKms285xOWmDTkiDIc0TSl2lhjAMcpvWx81HWg4bpLdHPEcaH0efQK8a5ldIxyIcof45M4Yz8qFPdnDs/s400/AucklandMuseum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466946273944861682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Auckland Museum</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf_5SM8NfJIaqXK9p65nDwgyzYFNpSfEVJUChm3-Re75A6QrtZfFd7FbYCSqFuchlNaIBHhUordoYZWUeL9Rna7ortumG-DlSCJxVqs5TyZQ7dtg3wSVscNrbmnBGzjV9ovSEipIQQz8/s1600/RainbowFromtheBus.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf_5SM8NfJIaqXK9p65nDwgyzYFNpSfEVJUChm3-Re75A6QrtZfFd7FbYCSqFuchlNaIBHhUordoYZWUeL9Rna7ortumG-DlSCJxVqs5TyZQ7dtg3wSVscNrbmnBGzjV9ovSEipIQQz8/s400/RainbowFromtheBus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466946265238022082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Rainbow (from the bus)</span> </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcow3aVbFhFIWSkZpriuJ56DNUy-JaLk8Q76npyvdwzYUsSLqG-CKklkIEeDJCs2yhdrNn0cD3qTurJsRgbn7X4vl_8n7XPhzfCQ4o4ZNn0TVKHiC5JeZz6QQBCM5ikMdCGqfkn8JJtE/s1600/AucklandSkyTower.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcow3aVbFhFIWSkZpriuJ56DNUy-JaLk8Q76npyvdwzYUsSLqG-CKklkIEeDJCs2yhdrNn0cD3qTurJsRgbn7X4vl_8n7XPhzfCQ4o4ZNn0TVKHiC5JeZz6QQBCM5ikMdCGqfkn8JJtE/s400/AucklandSkyTower.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466946256441254962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Auckland Sky Tower</span> </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB69-KOfTq_0SwV049Hd4p-zH1gz4VIStn6waSyV2sWElGnmW1PuF6u_8K4vTZCLUnaaTnkHD0uck1fPmvHY5NS4zx_rnLLu7mCXC79VEe9zQ9KnsrCPVkPSknT5MkWec35-TnjJjzgE/s1600/AucklandFromtheBus.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB69-KOfTq_0SwV049Hd4p-zH1gz4VIStn6waSyV2sWElGnmW1PuF6u_8K4vTZCLUnaaTnkHD0uck1fPmvHY5NS4zx_rnLLu7mCXC79VEe9zQ9KnsrCPVkPSknT5MkWec35-TnjJjzgE/s400/AucklandFromtheBus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466946252967181714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Auckland from the bus</span> </span></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-78347379367266994152010-04-27T04:23:00.012-06:002010-04-27T05:15:24.848-06:00G'dayWow. It seems I only blog when I travel - maybe I should have just made a travel blog... Nope, I just checked, I've blogged about other things. Whew.<br /><br />Anywho, I am now finishing day 12 in Sydney (I had to open my calendar app to figure that out). Where in the world does the time go? Unbelievable.<br /><br />OK, highlights... I went to see Wicked last week. It was just as fantastic the second time. I liked the London production better (oh dear, does that make me sound pretentious?), but I'm not complaining.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday</span><br />I booked a bus tour to Port Stephens:<br />Reptile Park<br />Dolphin Watching<br />Sandboarding<br />It was a lot of fun, not quite what I expected, but fun.<br />The reptile park was kind of a let down. Here I go again, I'm going to sound pretentious... First item on the agenda: pet a koala bear (yup, at a REPTILE park). Now, koala's are adorable, and who wouldn't want to pet one? But, this wasn't my first time petting a koala. Second item on the agenda: hand feed kangaroos. Again, so adorable, etc. but also again, not my first time. And don't even get me started on the enclosed alligators. I've canoed in alligator-infested waters. Not that my friend and I knew that when we started canoeing. The park ranger who helped us put our canoe in the water casually mentioned "oh yeah, watch for alligators, oh, and don't grab any overhanging branches as there might be Water Moccasins." NICE - but I digress.<br />The dolphin watching was neat. I thought there was supposed to be swimming with the dolphins - I even bought a swim suit (since I forgot to pack mine), but what it turned out to be was "OK, now we've seen the dolphins, you can go ride on the boom net for 5 minutes." Well, I wasn't going to change clothes for 5-10 minutes in/on a boom net when it wasn't even while we were dolphin watching.<br />After the dolphin watching, we drove to the sand dunes near by and went sandboarding. It was AWESOME!! I'll admit, I was a little nervous at first - not that I'd get hurt, but that I'd look stupid - but it was so much fun. This was, really, the highlight of my day. I learned, though, that I prefer smaller tour groups - this tour was an entire bus load, and it seemed less personal and a little rushed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSTLenDHiUn9wqVQ4g5cVpaCWwrvxdibGSzAVTV6MMKU8XgFNcR0UwhT_1rGmnzSuQRHpRrjVU2LmXS4Bi1PFTr9GWs3pl4K8yITzcvrfH1VAxXKXyZEwtoBh1sw5sMnKDAqCR8V-dC4/s1600/Koala.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSTLenDHiUn9wqVQ4g5cVpaCWwrvxdibGSzAVTV6MMKU8XgFNcR0UwhT_1rGmnzSuQRHpRrjVU2LmXS4Bi1PFTr9GWs3pl4K8yITzcvrfH1VAxXKXyZEwtoBh1sw5sMnKDAqCR8V-dC4/s400/Koala.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464763226784154450" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnN7irx9LqBuCXSCsFhcq33fPDkOXsnymNVVnbqpy-C-wbg2wo2x_3S6VAYs4FXDsgzXgdwHQT5vivpThlL9jHv04aRWAghp_nHTsR1Df2Hi0fTrERGSyvJRjWyBEXMzJWY2LspQeD85U/s1600/Kangaroo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnN7irx9LqBuCXSCsFhcq33fPDkOXsnymNVVnbqpy-C-wbg2wo2x_3S6VAYs4FXDsgzXgdwHQT5vivpThlL9jHv04aRWAghp_nHTsR1Df2Hi0fTrERGSyvJRjWyBEXMzJWY2LspQeD85U/s400/Kangaroo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464763216549596338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Just because I've fed kangaroos before doesn't mean I'm not going to do it again...<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfbGN37nwQ_e1xv93u5fh3CqZjgB1NA6-12R8M4nCkdFPrrp66uR6H0SQ5kUGUW-Huyx1tTfmDMsR9gQS-pffmiSgEsSQEvON8DxYPndG0a-OZNIYAGmDjACK4suzpIA8oUJ2gq0Tr8k/s1600/EntrancetoPortStephens2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfbGN37nwQ_e1xv93u5fh3CqZjgB1NA6-12R8M4nCkdFPrrp66uR6H0SQ5kUGUW-Huyx1tTfmDMsR9gQS-pffmiSgEsSQEvON8DxYPndG0a-OZNIYAGmDjACK4suzpIA8oUJ2gq0Tr8k/s400/EntrancetoPortStephens2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464763204946457122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Entrance to Port Stephens</span></span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xLkpFDkLjfgyE_K3V4lh4b0cpbBq5NfiiMa63XFswx_sRylfmzkRAGixNmucmhlpIccWcKZnpXyBKIm6siVu29Df5Dm-Zp7JGUq8qBDkng7iHPT3bX_lNkPHCd2T1xxwUPm_lMwxlVQ/s1600/EntrancetoPortStephens.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xLkpFDkLjfgyE_K3V4lh4b0cpbBq5NfiiMa63XFswx_sRylfmzkRAGixNmucmhlpIccWcKZnpXyBKIm6siVu29Df5Dm-Zp7JGUq8qBDkng7iHPT3bX_lNkPHCd2T1xxwUPm_lMwxlVQ/s400/EntrancetoPortStephens.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464763196894205858" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTaKxe7-ZTqz39nlt50v5pgLESaIChR3cRn0bgy8w_hOkzyscyOttcTvm_PzQD7Rbsid6TBjoALBuQ_Os8XGbllIplVEm-Vfq7dn2JYiTd0_NZPBtzjjntDVp1ymKu4OwhRrvWfahX5s/s1600/Dolphins.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTaKxe7-ZTqz39nlt50v5pgLESaIChR3cRn0bgy8w_hOkzyscyOttcTvm_PzQD7Rbsid6TBjoALBuQ_Os8XGbllIplVEm-Vfq7dn2JYiTd0_NZPBtzjjntDVp1ymKu4OwhRrvWfahX5s/s400/Dolphins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464763182370102818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dolphins</span> </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMk2QYSOPgY_fXck-3lxh7JOVct2GhnD9xnC8WAee_fBKm86OecrAK4AEPlFlRlvnRdUWa-mIiLHtFWXRTKqmeHLCbb6_dS5Fwg-DIaqK3Py0Zi6Kn8Q8uZLTLsfnrmN9G0xr2X5GEqE/s1600/SandDunes2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMk2QYSOPgY_fXck-3lxh7JOVct2GhnD9xnC8WAee_fBKm86OecrAK4AEPlFlRlvnRdUWa-mIiLHtFWXRTKqmeHLCbb6_dS5Fwg-DIaqK3Py0Zi6Kn8Q8uZLTLsfnrmN9G0xr2X5GEqE/s400/SandDunes2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464765473290934898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sand dunes (from the bottom)</span> </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vh0t1KbiJUWCUWQ6wn7RCX8GJ_FM3bipyuOgJrJ6CqqG4fsJOBCg5VLoniLAvKhD6Ser71YMLM4nz4GM3iGtbAq582XssYYpm_a8wWKkFQbh5qUTE_E5TcB9_RHl0ZFzJ9RYFsBhz4c/s1600/SandDunes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vh0t1KbiJUWCUWQ6wn7RCX8GJ_FM3bipyuOgJrJ6CqqG4fsJOBCg5VLoniLAvKhD6Ser71YMLM4nz4GM3iGtbAq582XssYYpm_a8wWKkFQbh5qUTE_E5TcB9_RHl0ZFzJ9RYFsBhz4c/s400/SandDunes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464765466250146594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sand dunes (from the top)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xw2jqco80DTmNzd8PUgQ8sLLGGa2MKFDkQZig_i0Mgj3GVrPE8EGsBtDFmpsghFD3ehaqbnFSLPnccS5hyphenhyphenOjjHEQ6jl1hZsTEClukQQGcFaT98R7Ix4S7nRt6NQifJY-S9UR16ZYyxs/s1600/MeAndMySandboard.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xw2jqco80DTmNzd8PUgQ8sLLGGa2MKFDkQZig_i0Mgj3GVrPE8EGsBtDFmpsghFD3ehaqbnFSLPnccS5hyphenhyphenOjjHEQ6jl1hZsTEClukQQGcFaT98R7Ix4S7nRt6NQifJY-S9UR16ZYyxs/s400/MeAndMySandboard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464765455798477826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">My sandboard and me</span> </span></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday</span><br />Sunday was ANZAC Day.<br /><blockquote>Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries.</blockquote>Even though it was raining in the morning, I went out and watched the parade near my hotel. I got all choked up (yup, I spelled that chocked up at first) seeing the older men march by. It was really touching.<br />After the rain cleared up, I took the ferry across Sydney Harbour to the Taronga Zoo. Great views of the city!! I highly recommend it. Oh yeah, and there were animals (including a brand new baby elephant). He was so cute!! As I was leaving the zoo, the weather started acting up again (good timing), so I called it a day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBEQBCoHuEmmxwP8d4kvjZHifh5FLiqhQ_c0VVmB5PjtAA-U-eUMvyC_GDqlcQPAiH7xJhqhAX1Ji6sp4hc4trRO8xHzKMPwi75qJ0cOvXRC_3qhKT7FrMjwbyRCyQabirZHGXx9LMn4/s1600/BabyElephant.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBEQBCoHuEmmxwP8d4kvjZHifh5FLiqhQ_c0VVmB5PjtAA-U-eUMvyC_GDqlcQPAiH7xJhqhAX1Ji6sp4hc4trRO8xHzKMPwi75qJ0cOvXRC_3qhKT7FrMjwbyRCyQabirZHGXx9LMn4/s400/BabyElephant.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464764557297769778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Baby elephant (so cute!)</span> </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6y8ZtNiTNa4i5wf1CRDnEIrBtXPm-ZByI7xRrc4bpkVzUyDSfpaEKTnE6oKOPIPcUWiwKiNSS7spJnaoOONFfIIkNd5wonLBy4p8Fy1WodYc6MpgHO1lSqvNAMFl2djEZg61yPrfMME/s1600/SydneyHarbour2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6y8ZtNiTNa4i5wf1CRDnEIrBtXPm-ZByI7xRrc4bpkVzUyDSfpaEKTnE6oKOPIPcUWiwKiNSS7spJnaoOONFfIIkNd5wonLBy4p8Fy1WodYc6MpgHO1lSqvNAMFl2djEZg61yPrfMME/s400/SydneyHarbour2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464764551225061250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sydney Harbour from the zoo</span> </span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IXk6aWbWScc8fH39fiVntC4dRkxBSF0Q3cKDffvyv8F2tbxYlLUpKBv8zocowAtYCRfXZif9ClewFU8PLF2Jclvee8hnKqPC-gDqAK_dqummdrDjNa7p9yUGS2lMqRcXeHekcSKSx2s/s1600/HarbourFromZoo2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IXk6aWbWScc8fH39fiVntC4dRkxBSF0Q3cKDffvyv8F2tbxYlLUpKBv8zocowAtYCRfXZif9ClewFU8PLF2Jclvee8hnKqPC-gDqAK_dqummdrDjNa7p9yUGS2lMqRcXeHekcSKSx2s/s400/HarbourFromZoo2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464764547089365650" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsuEucDnfoJywqAJ-cRHzs7XPD72nupEi8KWv74DVyGSlopzgRjHnjscv_tByxTnsz_ihYWZxA4wkC1-s0SYCgW-IEvWu3kWc8ImecY1NL-NJuZMEgMz0-Q95cyc1G9ERoH39BVeQzX0/s1600/ANZACDay2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsuEucDnfoJywqAJ-cRHzs7XPD72nupEi8KWv74DVyGSlopzgRjHnjscv_tByxTnsz_ihYWZxA4wkC1-s0SYCgW-IEvWu3kWc8ImecY1NL-NJuZMEgMz0-Q95cyc1G9ERoH39BVeQzX0/s400/ANZACDay2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464764532498146002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">ANZAC parade</span> </span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_QB4cYExWWRbAuKOHCip7kk6LjPKa3FDIfhw7gWaH2nEeHFOOFNuJXNf7XJMvqvsAABYb8TXs9RvXnKfL9kveQFHM5x1uWrT-UqK9tkJPsVygS7ZTjA7MnAja7_VTNXIp6I8xWLjevc/s1600/ANZACDay.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_QB4cYExWWRbAuKOHCip7kk6LjPKa3FDIfhw7gWaH2nEeHFOOFNuJXNf7XJMvqvsAABYb8TXs9RvXnKfL9kveQFHM5x1uWrT-UqK9tkJPsVygS7ZTjA7MnAja7_VTNXIp6I8xWLjevc/s400/ANZACDay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464764522630938786" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cx3w0b0lVIpFm3uXPa1uQLCTpiYr8ptT_-K-4njO0I9-vjcv30riTdTCeBHaZi4nPSd0UlWPT-AwZzAEUyypZeAm35MUWryLmzBAwdobyTC248VvVudAppI2ig7kPDlSBn7YQbjax8A/s1600/Giraffe.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cx3w0b0lVIpFm3uXPa1uQLCTpiYr8ptT_-K-4njO0I9-vjcv30riTdTCeBHaZi4nPSd0UlWPT-AwZzAEUyypZeAm35MUWryLmzBAwdobyTC248VvVudAppI2ig7kPDlSBn7YQbjax8A/s400/Giraffe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464766043717352674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Giraffe with the city view</span> </span></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Monday</span><br />Because Sunday was ANZAC Day, Monday was a public holiday, which meant that no one would be working at the Sydney office, so I got the day off, too. I took a bus tour to Canberra (pronounced Can' bur uh NOT Can bear' a - oh yeah, make fun of the silly American), the national capital. It was quite fitting, I thought, for the ANZAC Day holiday, right? One of the guys in my office here described Canberra as an interesting "non-place."<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities, being an entirely planned city. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by the Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913.</blockquote>We visited the National Museum, Parliament, and the War Memorial. I must have been having an emotional weekend, because I got all choked up... again (and yup, spelled that chocked up... again). I learned that, sometimes, I really don't like the constraints of being on a guided tour. There was a street of war monuments (kind of like the U.S. National Mall) that I would have liked to walk up at my leisure, but, oh no, we had to stay on the bus as we quickly drove past them with the driver saying "On the left is the Vietnam Memorial," "Oh, on the right is the..." I couldn't even focus my camera before it was out of my view. Very frustrating.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwm2LKyUVCD1MVvVNKOSQT3dX0PQGBVyvbG9cBLPYm5UgdYzBAq89c5VrsbeQ1Yj88jPWPNQI3EjWS1ngdn3ZW4XuMXOr_aGYjJSTZQ3YrtuxTHAamwsgYj2cVuXSqL4gDmyu73Nb7ZA/s1600/RollofHonour2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwm2LKyUVCD1MVvVNKOSQT3dX0PQGBVyvbG9cBLPYm5UgdYzBAq89c5VrsbeQ1Yj88jPWPNQI3EjWS1ngdn3ZW4XuMXOr_aGYjJSTZQ3YrtuxTHAamwsgYj2cVuXSqL4gDmyu73Nb7ZA/s400/RollofHonour2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464766858738875090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10TUbKfhDMuaZh1o5sGn4JqLpkBrojfUbB2XfUzDaBl7VWFrXGepaY78NsdjiyI_T2EDjgsQggUVpt3FlB0oCy9hWEvXJ3kb_gl9OVqqw0DbwF2vz2NaJgGTm3Uuj_RhasPWaberxzTo/s1600/RollofHonour.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10TUbKfhDMuaZh1o5sGn4JqLpkBrojfUbB2XfUzDaBl7VWFrXGepaY78NsdjiyI_T2EDjgsQggUVpt3FlB0oCy9hWEvXJ3kb_gl9OVqqw0DbwF2vz2NaJgGTm3Uuj_RhasPWaberxzTo/s400/RollofHonour.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464766846952185938" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfImKBykcSBYZBIPuqPfCjwZGAM29CGkSf6wdYcflgkOGjlbjiTlDeavMDHzJxUC9zuPzTybXnFAziJ39IDo6dpQUy6Oyn2nZlMecFDPjdxZoByrdn94RsY3gcdWfXberErFfVnz-XNc/s1600/Parliament.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfImKBykcSBYZBIPuqPfCjwZGAM29CGkSf6wdYcflgkOGjlbjiTlDeavMDHzJxUC9zuPzTybXnFAziJ39IDo6dpQUy6Oyn2nZlMecFDPjdxZoByrdn94RsY3gcdWfXberErFfVnz-XNc/s400/Parliament.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464766842476455554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Parliament House</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFO2jhc_UiNYnAz9vlxnA6spLkweAVBVpze04_M6Km8m3f4WBgeEqKs0_-LAhq9-r0GDAFR159KGpM14_wasc_2vITKeZEPk-q933HG1_Fvwv3PybPxD92E-TW2b1bWOZUIQvaWlkvcY/s1600/LakeBurleyGriffin.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFO2jhc_UiNYnAz9vlxnA6spLkweAVBVpze04_M6Km8m3f4WBgeEqKs0_-LAhq9-r0GDAFR159KGpM14_wasc_2vITKeZEPk-q933HG1_Fvwv3PybPxD92E-TW2b1bWOZUIQvaWlkvcY/s400/LakeBurleyGriffin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464766829066694386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lake Burley Griffin</span><br /></span></div><br />Wow, I hope this entry doesn't make me sound too negative. I really did have a great weekend. I know that I'm quite blessed to have this kind of experience!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-86683735688704010972010-04-20T16:25:00.001-06:002010-04-20T16:26:45.210-06:00Livin' in a land down underLast Wednesday evening, I flew, for the second time ever, to Sydney. Having done it once before, I had prepared myself for 15 ½ hours in coach. I hadn't even bothered to ask Delta to upgrade my seat because I knew that it was impossible because my ticket wasn’t purchased in the right “class.” As I was waiting in the Delta Crown Room in Los Angeles I head the most beautiful words ever: “Will Sydney passenger *me* please check in at the front desk?” My heart started beating a little bit faster… I had dared hope that something like this would happen, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up only to get them dashed. So, I checked in at the front desk. Joy of all joy, the lady handed me another boarding pass telling me that coach was overbooked and so the folks at the gate upgraded my seat. Business Class, baby – for 15 ½ hours! I couldn’t believe it. We even had the cool seats that reclined flat – like a bed. Granted, the flight was still 15 ½ hours, but it was SOOOO much nicer. Have I mentioned how much I love Delta right now?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkzLAj-mmyvXaUdZjpMxalmyOa8V3s6hrv0lFTqhs4KMNNFuSBFAdmGrV-fiAFAZSxgR-qBViXYjets3W5Tgd2M8Kc1-n3g9jQuyHrm0sMbNYwF-4Q_T42bISr2DbpMavV3A-Tje9v1A/s1600/DeltaBusinessClass.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkzLAj-mmyvXaUdZjpMxalmyOa8V3s6hrv0lFTqhs4KMNNFuSBFAdmGrV-fiAFAZSxgR-qBViXYjets3W5Tgd2M8Kc1-n3g9jQuyHrm0sMbNYwF-4Q_T42bISr2DbpMavV3A-Tje9v1A/s400/DeltaBusinessClass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462346129407741762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Business class seats</span> </span></div><br />So, I arrived in Sydney Friday morning, met up with my colleague to get some work done later in the day, and generally just lazed about.<br /><br />My hotel is right on the edge of Chinatown, so there are dozens upon dozens upon dozens of Asian restaurants near me. The only difficulty is figuring out which restaurants are good and which restaurants should be avoided. And, of course, there are the restaurants where the menus aren't in English, so I wouldn't even know what to order. On Friday night, down one of the streets in Chinatown, there were several street vendors out selling food, so I bought some dinner from a little Dim Sum place. So yummy! However, since I can’t eat Asian food every night, I’ll have to expand my wanderings.<br /><br />On Saturday I spent the morning trying to find a swimsuit. I have a weekend activity planned, and it requires a bathing suit – I thought I had packed mine, but alas… I went to a Target and a Kmart (yup, they have Target and Kmart here), however, I couldn’t find one. My colleague is going to help me look later this week. I’m hoping for the best.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0o8ldsAVRXHsAWHM06hpCEAQAMQ2wvKZ_RJdLBckeMp20fISTt0jfF3fEGBbhHkzkSc9aVFkxXmmvxboEPtluD9udMRQ9trKkzW-A4S1jivZLPps4H2F4kPsdFa-akoFNN_MCbXLBas/s1600/WaterFountain.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0o8ldsAVRXHsAWHM06hpCEAQAMQ2wvKZ_RJdLBckeMp20fISTt0jfF3fEGBbhHkzkSc9aVFkxXmmvxboEPtluD9udMRQ9trKkzW-A4S1jivZLPps4H2F4kPsdFa-akoFNN_MCbXLBas/s400/WaterFountain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462348261311342866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Water Fountain near Darling Harbour</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1Y_KhnDqzpw1T9elLi2AODsCq7plN_2qLThjMh1xE4-e0LdPRiO4EkrXBnGSl0gMjuyT0-oukQgAzsS4RwDXSxv0adgicmp1Me6xJJkZmns94nK1UNgDgkkCnJ86vT0VVkaaCySbwsw/s1600/DudePlayingBottles.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1Y_KhnDqzpw1T9elLi2AODsCq7plN_2qLThjMh1xE4-e0LdPRiO4EkrXBnGSl0gMjuyT0-oukQgAzsS4RwDXSxv0adgicmp1Me6xJJkZmns94nK1UNgDgkkCnJ86vT0VVkaaCySbwsw/s400/DudePlayingBottles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462348244300365186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A guy playing drums and bottles on a street corner</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><br />Also on Saturday, I visited the Chinese Friendship Gardens near Darling Harbour. It’s quite a beautiful little place in the middle of a bustling city.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWGH-CqnQGd0yzgUY0dy9PYDkKqRoolvka-GxnMpCXc5kyf60YJ1NL1I3I4IrcWsEZEw4eEoF8-IXBsTL4P4fsKtmD57s8QDgMpfIdufhF1Bj1ym_7KI9XgLECqH9HthyFphP88Ew7xs/s1600/ChineseGarden5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWGH-CqnQGd0yzgUY0dy9PYDkKqRoolvka-GxnMpCXc5kyf60YJ1NL1I3I4IrcWsEZEw4eEoF8-IXBsTL4P4fsKtmD57s8QDgMpfIdufhF1Bj1ym_7KI9XgLECqH9HthyFphP88Ew7xs/s400/ChineseGarden5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462347076097028946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-a9cxPMWXg3qDZY2uoMlCEfcbKHX34DIOf1LHaGtPRn4ugWt3j53vHxbW8E73hsNZag3c2dK2L2b7Bn8ryKB2yEDK6XKDzTYbj27VV__0v0loegWQS8P-jLRl9oShJ7AEve_BG7Ju6w/s1600/ChineseGarden4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-a9cxPMWXg3qDZY2uoMlCEfcbKHX34DIOf1LHaGtPRn4ugWt3j53vHxbW8E73hsNZag3c2dK2L2b7Bn8ryKB2yEDK6XKDzTYbj27VV__0v0loegWQS8P-jLRl9oShJ7AEve_BG7Ju6w/s400/ChineseGarden4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462347065786490930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCSqTevInrCKV8xhAIELBpwjFI1CQdx-qMyuUNLIvpHASdHRYSjZ1ibvsoQi92n41ztTBJTDMSBZ0MJUOkCGDPbQFjmxFLt-FZilTVZnkHEydMS0PcYPOKV5J4dJpat4wTHiA_5zthsY/s1600/ChineseGarden3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCSqTevInrCKV8xhAIELBpwjFI1CQdx-qMyuUNLIvpHASdHRYSjZ1ibvsoQi92n41ztTBJTDMSBZ0MJUOkCGDPbQFjmxFLt-FZilTVZnkHEydMS0PcYPOKV5J4dJpat4wTHiA_5zthsY/s400/ChineseGarden3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462347058745282418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt70MBWFeZPFjFx7n_7d3elVGlkQdIy7UHAxK3R2J4dHGtscO2Spja2vEpDcH3vCIMirSwvVYIhZRqox0-OOpzbM6lS3fSjejZuyJJMDwTeoLk7H7AxHQgxpatOEOaBPeOcyG8XlfEt44/s1600/ChineseGarden2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt70MBWFeZPFjFx7n_7d3elVGlkQdIy7UHAxK3R2J4dHGtscO2Spja2vEpDcH3vCIMirSwvVYIhZRqox0-OOpzbM6lS3fSjejZuyJJMDwTeoLk7H7AxHQgxpatOEOaBPeOcyG8XlfEt44/s400/ChineseGarden2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462347050515304802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3E6-GIO7Ircx0-ai7r_ujauktX0GUfQgdl8qK51ImT4oFf7hWsNJWOxJR90f2VlOy85SntjJMNvv8fT7UYXRuuHCvyPK9AmEARZZuV7QzpZRP3oFP88L4kPuWW2Ojvr1c4Pp9__5G7s/s1600/ChineseGarden.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3E6-GIO7Ircx0-ai7r_ujauktX0GUfQgdl8qK51ImT4oFf7hWsNJWOxJR90f2VlOy85SntjJMNvv8fT7UYXRuuHCvyPK9AmEARZZuV7QzpZRP3oFP88L4kPuWW2Ojvr1c4Pp9__5G7s/s400/ChineseGarden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462347042305005858" border="0" /></a><br />Found a church on Sunday – there were all of 50 people in Sacrament Meeting (if that), and four of the 50 were missionaries, and one of the 50 was me. After church I had to hike a mile or so to catch the train back to Sydney – good thing I took a cab TO church or I would have been all sweaty for church – icky! I didn’t realize how hilly the Sydney area would be. The walk was beautiful, though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kMeek9k6ReuPpXDUl3BxdYMXa1BrhuNYMBs7bVa-6JuwpaUBtKP7brzu4X8T83n9_OYNLTraQvDElKqxgG0mhN-k6OXE71A7lk5Qbe6baTdw2qo9t4gSC2stL5OFthFmDYxofTqNsmc/s1600/WalkFromChurch.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kMeek9k6ReuPpXDUl3BxdYMXa1BrhuNYMBs7bVa-6JuwpaUBtKP7brzu4X8T83n9_OYNLTraQvDElKqxgG0mhN-k6OXE71A7lk5Qbe6baTdw2qo9t4gSC2stL5OFthFmDYxofTqNsmc/s400/WalkFromChurch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462348252798957794" border="0" /></a><br />More to come…Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-48830363305057613332010-04-03T17:18:00.006-06:002010-04-03T17:26:52.672-06:001st BirthdaySo, the Saturday before I left for Boston, I went to my great-nephew's first birthday. He is just too, too cute. Thanks, Amber, for letting me come join you!<br /><br />Watching him eat his cake was so cute (and yet, I had to watch my gag reflex). I guess the only baby cake Amber could find was red velvet... makes an amazing looking mess.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcGXS3guDHqRSodbfdvDWfBpO4Rkjq2cB0boe91Sw-RdB7CSp1R1vlYT7X6WB2LdSgCeCCkWMxrP1O1_7G7ySx5DBvJQsr2E5zMBCag_w04fNQ8yJrj-gfB1a9ztmJE8ldoXAUUZHPb0/s1600/EastonAmberNoah2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcGXS3guDHqRSodbfdvDWfBpO4Rkjq2cB0boe91Sw-RdB7CSp1R1vlYT7X6WB2LdSgCeCCkWMxrP1O1_7G7ySx5DBvJQsr2E5zMBCag_w04fNQ8yJrj-gfB1a9ztmJE8ldoXAUUZHPb0/s400/EastonAmberNoah2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456055223088186034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsArJrvafCRfjNqWU_xn4HHPP2AGQJsckEfasVusD3tTmmy2DgIubg5VDpAbYXBRU6tYT_C0QcRGZhX7STGm-gjofpNSwkd3ap0M28GOiC6vyfRiQ8HBPHUDoxJGwHjZNvnGC0SBzbA8/s1600/Step1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsArJrvafCRfjNqWU_xn4HHPP2AGQJsckEfasVusD3tTmmy2DgIubg5VDpAbYXBRU6tYT_C0QcRGZhX7STGm-gjofpNSwkd3ap0M28GOiC6vyfRiQ8HBPHUDoxJGwHjZNvnGC0SBzbA8/s400/Step1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456055230125872402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4CaOKh882rj_0p3zBmoDJLwRDPkzizmrOW-K9Ihth7Yw2ISib4ZwZ1b8GZnSeEslJSAYJmKwBB2tp-7u3yPU7IpfPwrj40jhOI8HAyBG7DOP-SJzItv08v0Z31Kv9Qkv6nr7pl1-bTU/s1600/Step2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4CaOKh882rj_0p3zBmoDJLwRDPkzizmrOW-K9Ihth7Yw2ISib4ZwZ1b8GZnSeEslJSAYJmKwBB2tp-7u3yPU7IpfPwrj40jhOI8HAyBG7DOP-SJzItv08v0Z31Kv9Qkv6nr7pl1-bTU/s400/Step2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456055239643068002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPvLSic_ZygqAQh298BEneI5xxOrYbTOyyDXzICtxDkg0DRNZOYuIjhErId8GvpRYoxNPEz92mxWP5Sbv-pMvcfQdMDSJ9VRmcDJG_EUzMIyCpbd3zC06AXBGG9rHDz9VSpG3-UTkjJE/s1600/Step3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPvLSic_ZygqAQh298BEneI5xxOrYbTOyyDXzICtxDkg0DRNZOYuIjhErId8GvpRYoxNPEz92mxWP5Sbv-pMvcfQdMDSJ9VRmcDJG_EUzMIyCpbd3zC06AXBGG9rHDz9VSpG3-UTkjJE/s400/Step3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456055247144575506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-G51tkA89YLxX-BUFFolDELtRK808KaoWicMzqw3sAY8_T9SBe3nmhTOjGzs-oFLbEM_Ax_by2CJN84Db8bbMmXGgYpaws9nCzA_5wPaO44jR4olTHiAAXN8XTSMcilGgkaZ_pK-n4c/s1600/Step4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-G51tkA89YLxX-BUFFolDELtRK808KaoWicMzqw3sAY8_T9SBe3nmhTOjGzs-oFLbEM_Ax_by2CJN84Db8bbMmXGgYpaws9nCzA_5wPaO44jR4olTHiAAXN8XTSMcilGgkaZ_pK-n4c/s400/Step4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456055258519566706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlZEdQdv_jl_nIwgJHqlJtohFfh-_hmnEG-ouyTdNA68qBGxEye2X1ZPKWiEdmGv49Yz0vOQeGAVJ5QqVc0948iHT4QOgh70SYq5QDw2xhoAx8RpEQ0ZdXPPwZDvFv63elLk1sYb2qhA/s1600/Step5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlZEdQdv_jl_nIwgJHqlJtohFfh-_hmnEG-ouyTdNA68qBGxEye2X1ZPKWiEdmGv49Yz0vOQeGAVJ5QqVc0948iHT4QOgh70SYq5QDw2xhoAx8RpEQ0ZdXPPwZDvFv63elLk1sYb2qhA/s400/Step5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456055540194570226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvmDRP1MKqqe83a4yh8KbJr7tnsg7-buNS8oBQhan-fWm0ZrDd9hc0TAxhTIv1tX9HdTSGaN3qB6ip1Y6qjd-aUqq-Pi25A24Wn_vHDU3TkcPWqcX-XkOTjOhes-lxrLMnsBBkuwy2yg/s1600/Step6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvmDRP1MKqqe83a4yh8KbJr7tnsg7-buNS8oBQhan-fWm0ZrDd9hc0TAxhTIv1tX9HdTSGaN3qB6ip1Y6qjd-aUqq-Pi25A24Wn_vHDU3TkcPWqcX-XkOTjOhes-lxrLMnsBBkuwy2yg/s400/Step6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456055553321731874" border="0" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-83476609553154969822010-04-03T16:45:00.008-06:002010-04-03T17:02:19.034-06:00Chocolate ComaSo, while searching for things to do in Boston, Amanda found a <a href="http://www.trolleytours.com/boston/chocolate-tour-boston-restaurants.asp">chocolate tour</a> - only available from January through April. We both decided that it was so unique, we had to do it (not to mention… chocolate). It was a lot of fun, but after it was over, the thought of chocolate (or even anything sweet) made me want to puke. Even the little chocolates placed on our pillows that night were just too much.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRO6025GQg23_ExaQFo7Kg9J2gvMypg-ZtmAVe9QsE33uAhhMT4vHmQnOtcIuyuHY4PfLP1d_ODblKHY9v7EdDsB8FYOmjdcNwE66qJsVfIkIhj3Dl7CmUn1OlT7j6L8IgfqTwBraykB8/s1600/ChocolateTour.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRO6025GQg23_ExaQFo7Kg9J2gvMypg-ZtmAVe9QsE33uAhhMT4vHmQnOtcIuyuHY4PfLP1d_ODblKHY9v7EdDsB8FYOmjdcNwE66qJsVfIkIhj3Dl7CmUn1OlT7j6L8IgfqTwBraykB8/s400/ChocolateTour.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456049165890641602" border="0" /></a><br />We started the day off by having a chocolate cannoli and hot chocolate at a local bakery in the North End (<a href="http://www.mikespastry.com/">Mike’s Pastry</a> – it came HIGHLY recommended, and now I can highly recommend it). It was so yummy, but, looking back on the events of the day, it probably wasn’t the best idea to start the day of our chocolate tour with… chocolate. We should have had some protein or something. Oh, well, what’s done is done. (and, it really was good).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKPfxDl5qePycEy_pNzcbx7Ec-S9HT7JD9FGSbXrAqW3S_yAXV8VlByT9IpVTLIzBXA1g_vO_zaquMa4OGVIQzvz212JY-zT9axCMh1nrKyeFrdmykzh_dFkNb8F_16lzGYxuoMTGvV0/s1600/Cannoli.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKPfxDl5qePycEy_pNzcbx7Ec-S9HT7JD9FGSbXrAqW3S_yAXV8VlByT9IpVTLIzBXA1g_vO_zaquMa4OGVIQzvz212JY-zT9axCMh1nrKyeFrdmykzh_dFkNb8F_16lzGYxuoMTGvV0/s400/Cannoli.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456046570337541730" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORhpzzqzLgR1yhKmKittt5sXcN4RY36BXenNmnFs1veVM7vBLtLEzQXzT4DaDtcoTgQ6FQd-MDYLlTpK3VpjXQo-LoBVhPsSCLqkNPKWGivs1nh7J0LVtteNJBTylFAJgBVdlWiUvNYI/s1600/Breakfast.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORhpzzqzLgR1yhKmKittt5sXcN4RY36BXenNmnFs1veVM7vBLtLEzQXzT4DaDtcoTgQ6FQd-MDYLlTpK3VpjXQo-LoBVhPsSCLqkNPKWGivs1nh7J0LVtteNJBTylFAJgBVdlWiUvNYI/s400/Breakfast.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456046558498952738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTotbmVP-d7VJW7us3pRe0ZBuKUw_ru7k0PsKOW-j4tmL3CX6UWZmR63ul-QRuQLXwlFddwc5n-8RBkHruMWlj9tZgEISDklk0Dujq2inmmKy00yyPKTt7B33DSqUYbP2VDrK9YR8wvXw/s1600/HotChocolate.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTotbmVP-d7VJW7us3pRe0ZBuKUw_ru7k0PsKOW-j4tmL3CX6UWZmR63ul-QRuQLXwlFddwc5n-8RBkHruMWlj9tZgEISDklk0Dujq2inmmKy00yyPKTt7B33DSqUYbP2VDrK9YR8wvXw/s400/HotChocolate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456047062300039746" border="0" /></a><br />So, our chocolate tour started at 12:15. We started off by going to the Top of the Hub restaurant (52 stories up – great views). Our tour guide mentioned that we would probably get something light and airy at this restaurant, and we were in no way to ask for more (holy crap, what a thought). However, we didn’t get something light and airy… we got a dense chocolate torte-like thing, and a small tart on the side. Here we were guided by Chef Amour (a guy dressed as a chef with a fake French accent - I was tempted to speak to him in French just to see what he'd do).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwFnMBo2hJxXFleJ_KywsJ_5Ivfj_ownpnLZwEy-xJ00HNrEgzdZOgLfcFnl_EJ0YQa_2-dW971KAlvN811KXuuD5PqmNL7LJvcV9IxB0drdbpSXkjFb7APZIUs23zdZZbamnV7yOSNk/s1600/FromTopOfTheHub4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwFnMBo2hJxXFleJ_KywsJ_5Ivfj_ownpnLZwEy-xJ00HNrEgzdZOgLfcFnl_EJ0YQa_2-dW971KAlvN811KXuuD5PqmNL7LJvcV9IxB0drdbpSXkjFb7APZIUs23zdZZbamnV7yOSNk/s400/FromTopOfTheHub4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456047510908962354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5pa5W7RIPAyTJL3UjGYBF1Zu77tnKsmVsZ8A1KAPhBubdLbndbBqpxZoRsXOv2UnHVc1YIYB7f7NS25i2psmvtRbiPlL-M2XdlgsT8OXv-mxkwu0VOYH2o9PqD2CxfOCatYqI7NWHNA/s1600/FromTopOfTheHub3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5pa5W7RIPAyTJL3UjGYBF1Zu77tnKsmVsZ8A1KAPhBubdLbndbBqpxZoRsXOv2UnHVc1YIYB7f7NS25i2psmvtRbiPlL-M2XdlgsT8OXv-mxkwu0VOYH2o9PqD2CxfOCatYqI7NWHNA/s400/FromTopOfTheHub3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456047491478390882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRLM8RXOIgRQzTpma5hyphenhyphenJKUpkjTqRbMg0uP1g__mNnY2TEroR64X0kLqDmO8xgE4hiMNDLmx6x1IeaW2tcnjo1927-o_hTROe_vubMQOQmLYWBG8TS7pY2Hf_yJMCjK2WiFyq9e6u5Hw/s1600/FromTopOfTheHub.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRLM8RXOIgRQzTpma5hyphenhyphenJKUpkjTqRbMg0uP1g__mNnY2TEroR64X0kLqDmO8xgE4hiMNDLmx6x1IeaW2tcnjo1927-o_hTROe_vubMQOQmLYWBG8TS7pY2Hf_yJMCjK2WiFyq9e6u5Hw/s400/FromTopOfTheHub.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456047484808832306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SG4xdBEX51ye898RgzXu2lmWe7ODjtWM8hz1U-C-tH1xA6iOHe2wwApRY95V8RAhtrQu2OV2rYytVAagEOakRUiRGVSoAVRIPBsa2pxdcpKVidibQczhLOC9E0O45_LSOEiICxePFN8/s1600/TopOfTheHubTorte.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SG4xdBEX51ye898RgzXu2lmWe7ODjtWM8hz1U-C-tH1xA6iOHe2wwApRY95V8RAhtrQu2OV2rYytVAagEOakRUiRGVSoAVRIPBsa2pxdcpKVidibQczhLOC9E0O45_LSOEiICxePFN8/s400/TopOfTheHubTorte.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456047474305698290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4vTx45SGEN8gEx-tC-53YH29NdbTg2fDC6GhcLyiZYwe7qOkImcUAIXPmANTGfiWwaRz9etW8s9NH83TgelRlcIlC0J9nEsnGFafeBcqnqPOFuPGmYJVXw80nggIuIPJ9Fi-CjOYXVQ/s1600/CrazyChef.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4vTx45SGEN8gEx-tC-53YH29NdbTg2fDC6GhcLyiZYwe7qOkImcUAIXPmANTGfiWwaRz9etW8s9NH83TgelRlcIlC0J9nEsnGFafeBcqnqPOFuPGmYJVXw80nggIuIPJ9Fi-CjOYXVQ/s400/CrazyChef.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456047462664944274" border="0" /></a><br />After Top of the Hub, we went to the Omni Parker House Hotel (home of the Parker House Roll, and America's longest continuously operating luxury hotel). Beautiful décor, and a delicious slice of Boston Cream Pie (OK, I keep spelling cream in French – crème – so if that shows up… sorry).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rx2QEXoyvNUfd7jfvaqwd3XP11IRE-9tXNWWi-sVSZAyAbwWsgxz0KY2kcilEu14cjPjH1kXJMS5OIhgqJ5oqi6aORky9-GjC6YTioO3o1Mt0yzcxvaX2rob6e-eN8mk4ANhAxtwHeg/s1600/OmniParkerHouseBostonCremePie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rx2QEXoyvNUfd7jfvaqwd3XP11IRE-9tXNWWi-sVSZAyAbwWsgxz0KY2kcilEu14cjPjH1kXJMS5OIhgqJ5oqi6aORky9-GjC6YTioO3o1Mt0yzcxvaX2rob6e-eN8mk4ANhAxtwHeg/s400/OmniParkerHouseBostonCremePie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456047933617980610" border="0" /></a><br />For the final act, we went to a chocolate bar at The Langham. Holy cow – chocolate and more chocolate. There was a chocolate fountain, chocolate crepes, chocolate pasta, chocolate mousses, specialty cakes, fresh made donuts, fresh baked cookies, tortes, a signature chocolate bread pudding and more. I know why this is the last stop on the tour – by this time, we were very limited with the amount of sweets we could eat. At least I was.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuf3Zvy2d86V1LJhWdSH7wbBP_77HQ-QIrjXqblOGDL9vVM7LT9fVwKWRiwnbqepEQPljebcJWw5HAf5odwsldRc2torCsFZApLs5fd6VwHZlv91nRUm1iZBznK6hdOkdbgjz_bZ0x-U/s1600/ChocolateFountain.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuf3Zvy2d86V1LJhWdSH7wbBP_77HQ-QIrjXqblOGDL9vVM7LT9fVwKWRiwnbqepEQPljebcJWw5HAf5odwsldRc2torCsFZApLs5fd6VwHZlv91nRUm1iZBznK6hdOkdbgjz_bZ0x-U/s400/ChocolateFountain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456048334779184994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPFWUx4GqnNrEZORMMsZiSc-wHlyarHgAhnJJ7Fi_Ik5InPvUUgCaELKuD__hr11SgdKQ1JNeXB7LBYVUzIoAqlX7y0JMlIawWsssj9UgZpvAccb7nRykvRwQNkGzRJ9pndw5bqb99_g/s1600/ChocolateBar4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPFWUx4GqnNrEZORMMsZiSc-wHlyarHgAhnJJ7Fi_Ik5InPvUUgCaELKuD__hr11SgdKQ1JNeXB7LBYVUzIoAqlX7y0JMlIawWsssj9UgZpvAccb7nRykvRwQNkGzRJ9pndw5bqb99_g/s400/ChocolateBar4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456048327994277586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uBKE-khkd6dwkCsNpjXFxZrniTMYFMEleW5CEASsvUYBJoZPO9NGM5refDwqSbWkBvPCk03uoLYyutS2cT4CrMl5rOUBAtjg8QVozbgCtVrKzD_TCLnZGfpLEG-PHVhV2VyyQPdwZfA/s1600/ChocolateBar3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uBKE-khkd6dwkCsNpjXFxZrniTMYFMEleW5CEASsvUYBJoZPO9NGM5refDwqSbWkBvPCk03uoLYyutS2cT4CrMl5rOUBAtjg8QVozbgCtVrKzD_TCLnZGfpLEG-PHVhV2VyyQPdwZfA/s400/ChocolateBar3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456048321485037698" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWfLwC6pujhro5dGkfjMuggaekdIf3VDKJRCCxXJ9Ry4nqFC2wlh4Osb_akKnJQ0baO_om3tCZ7rpCm37GfJJcFQf4wZ3AUyDNFA28-XelQ1l4P1WdkVgMyT0A8g3cpfGwjPlv9uiQ1E/s1600/ChocolateBar2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWfLwC6pujhro5dGkfjMuggaekdIf3VDKJRCCxXJ9Ry4nqFC2wlh4Osb_akKnJQ0baO_om3tCZ7rpCm37GfJJcFQf4wZ3AUyDNFA28-XelQ1l4P1WdkVgMyT0A8g3cpfGwjPlv9uiQ1E/s400/ChocolateBar2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456048308369573234" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSbk4vb-wycW-ucA8qagnpWgYc-FHXnOBxNN1FT-iphfgmduILcHT5PnV2IXyyRwuyuGDEfxkJsDTD19hkbyIem1ye6xX5l7sPdykMo1bGmkguRTunIcCqmR9o_t09pnB_luLVnBOjN4/s1600/ChocolateBar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSbk4vb-wycW-ucA8qagnpWgYc-FHXnOBxNN1FT-iphfgmduILcHT5PnV2IXyyRwuyuGDEfxkJsDTD19hkbyIem1ye6xX5l7sPdykMo1bGmkguRTunIcCqmR9o_t09pnB_luLVnBOjN4/s400/ChocolateBar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456048303316345906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">From all that was available, this is what I had (the mango pudding and fruit tart were just to mix it up a bit)</span> </span></div><br />I’m really glad Amanda found this – it was a very “out-of-the-ordinary” thing to do.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-26506043846897887102010-04-03T16:29:00.006-06:002010-04-03T17:02:19.035-06:00A week in the HubI learned something last week (while I was working in Boston) – weird, I know. Anyway, did you know that Boston is called “The Hub?” I didn’t. Why is it called the Hub, you ask? Evidently, in 1858, Oliver Wendall Holmes referred to the Boston State House as the “Hub of the Solar System.” With a few modifications, the nickname stuck.<br /><br />It happened to be Restaurant Week in Boston – meaning that participating restaurants offered 3-course dinners for a fixed price. So, of course, at least one night, my co-workers and I had to take advantage. The restaurant we originally intended to go to didn’t have any reservations until late, so we decided to just walk down Newbury Street (recommended by the hotel and the folks at the Herald) and find something. We found 29 Newbury Restaurant, and it was delicious! I think my co-workers were a little embarrassed that I was taking pictures of my food, but who cares, right?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLK-0tjVFRsYuT6zjb7tYIz1DAVFcYXX89bIY9AckAOgqztCXPeFPBzb0HJTi7znVuUP8xKCOJy6YeWuhWNxYcyg05GOTY3VbnB0fpLN6J2keCBSEu1DN-HSbe3Ae_8ih1JGvc8-fizks/s1600/LegalsLobsterRoll.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLK-0tjVFRsYuT6zjb7tYIz1DAVFcYXX89bIY9AckAOgqztCXPeFPBzb0HJTi7znVuUP8xKCOJy6YeWuhWNxYcyg05GOTY3VbnB0fpLN6J2keCBSEu1DN-HSbe3Ae_8ih1JGvc8-fizks/s400/LegalsLobsterRoll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456042269065895890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >L</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">obster Roll at Legal's</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7-XN6fioLFwZW-YV54zpVZKqYFV38kn-QEHWOIkXWYY0shdKp7u1tItDOsb_BNys8PgJMBMJLk1L56Pt3CoNSQrrBylM3huSWAhiAHkBg7QeRjMCI77NRzMAP_3oQOXzA0uDzhx_SXE/s1600/RestaurantWeekScallops.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7-XN6fioLFwZW-YV54zpVZKqYFV38kn-QEHWOIkXWYY0shdKp7u1tItDOsb_BNys8PgJMBMJLk1L56Pt3CoNSQrrBylM3huSWAhiAHkBg7QeRjMCI77NRzMAP_3oQOXzA0uDzhx_SXE/s400/RestaurantWeekScallops.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456042261995451330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Seared scallops with oranges</span> </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18klQz3FmBnWkJDxQFzIOICTRrXRucbeK-gtogMHSTe6DY3QDDaJ9Ch3QPzBtVhrQjunzAghowiuqjXJST73AWD79v1-Fsr_B9hXvAHhHyLyZcjwehcv1mJMD9V_HAf160XEHwxJzeHI/s1600/RestaurantWeekDinner.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18klQz3FmBnWkJDxQFzIOICTRrXRucbeK-gtogMHSTe6DY3QDDaJ9Ch3QPzBtVhrQjunzAghowiuqjXJST73AWD79v1-Fsr_B9hXvAHhHyLyZcjwehcv1mJMD9V_HAf160XEHwxJzeHI/s400/RestaurantWeekDinner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456042252887155938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Peach chicken with beets and a risotto cake</span></span><br /></div><br />Anywho, my friend, Amanda, has been working in New York for the past several weeks, so we decided that she should fly to Boston Friday night and we’d be tourists over the weekend. In addition to the basic tourist-y stuff (you know, like the Freedom Trail), Amanda found a 3-hour chocolate tour – I’ll talk about this in a separate entry.<br /><br />When I had packed to leave for Boston, weather.com said that temperatures were supposed to be upper-40’s/lower 50’s (which they were until Friday), so I packed accordingly. However, the weather on Saturday was in the 30’s. Since I wasn’t prepared for cold, I had to go shopping for a scarf on Friday. I know, poor me, yeah? Amanda and I started early on Saturday (since the only flight from Boston to Salt Lake on Sunday was at 6:30 a.m., we only had Saturday to play), and since it was soooo cold, I ended up buying some gloves, too. I hadn’t packed any sweaters, so I had to layer my shirts. All of this resulted in a color disaster.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdSZIsm4ZHBxRdugTN0WwG_Et2ctDD9fFuMbXWeuKgYcuhiY3PKOEAKVm7lJo_yjgOgi5k8ex0_Lr_YqVajtowiZ2fxl-SZREFMD-yQ3KSzUJBaj0yEKA60_qitZMsPX8P417hTRP2eI/s1600/ColorFashionista.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdSZIsm4ZHBxRdugTN0WwG_Et2ctDD9fFuMbXWeuKgYcuhiY3PKOEAKVm7lJo_yjgOgi5k8ex0_Lr_YqVajtowiZ2fxl-SZREFMD-yQ3KSzUJBaj0yEKA60_qitZMsPX8P417hTRP2eI/s400/ColorFashionista.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456042978760945922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Color fashionista - flashing my html symbols</span> </span></div><br />Amanda and I walked the Freedom Trail, took our chocolate tour, froze, shopped, and ate at an Italian restaurant in the North End for dinner. The food at the restaurant came highly recommended, but the reviews we found online said the service was severely lacking. Maybe the reviews planted thoughts in our heads, but we found the service to be severely lacking. However, the food was delicious (I had the Pasta Bolognese)! When our waiter tried to give us the dessert menu, Amanda practically shouted “No dessert menu!” Our chocolate tour had satisfied our sweet tooth (and then some), and I really couldn’t contemplate even looking at a dessert. Boston is an amazing place – so much history.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCh_bak9RE0rqCjf-ErCCtjqwpDbVk69fItUb5ubfNEm2-n2vkAvBeNmKYiDZxpHYqpKE2Cn6bPDas9pe8ixVCpzhB8-hGkwU9klm9Zy4l04FpR6X4uIG-7DHZrwqkYP3RGNkn_Jt4es/s1600/MammaMariasBolognese.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCh_bak9RE0rqCjf-ErCCtjqwpDbVk69fItUb5ubfNEm2-n2vkAvBeNmKYiDZxpHYqpKE2Cn6bPDas9pe8ixVCpzhB8-hGkwU9klm9Zy4l04FpR6X4uIG-7DHZrwqkYP3RGNkn_Jt4es/s400/MammaMariasBolognese.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456043895057427394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pasta Bolognese</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTWAM9ojWlTIYV5jU1PwPIVoZxHAa9vIWgqS4ha-labv80w97tX5gQCBw8hYidMaC8psSplxpIDt2nL4vB45Eie1EyNb43zbRKIyVvV9iglyEcTKitmzOeV9nwza-mgYAaD9rJWJSYJ8/s1600/PaulRevere'sGrave.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTWAM9ojWlTIYV5jU1PwPIVoZxHAa9vIWgqS4ha-labv80w97tX5gQCBw8hYidMaC8psSplxpIDt2nL4vB45Eie1EyNb43zbRKIyVvV9iglyEcTKitmzOeV9nwza-mgYAaD9rJWJSYJ8/s400/PaulRevere'sGrave.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456043884031624962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Paul Revere's grave</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6aYyU1VmC6d8CeqdhHtGG5tNZo6zCXM0w8YqXBNwFyFPp3ZgoUp7R3KiFr4rabHh0XpwA7OcOjUE-HYudfiuEOzvqIueG_wZyoRCVa_yZsqFDhRTzXLmDHyp79D4PqEeCtQxwfeADVs/s1600/WalkingTheFreedomTrail.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6aYyU1VmC6d8CeqdhHtGG5tNZo6zCXM0w8YqXBNwFyFPp3ZgoUp7R3KiFr4rabHh0XpwA7OcOjUE-HYudfiuEOzvqIueG_wZyoRCVa_yZsqFDhRTzXLmDHyp79D4PqEeCtQxwfeADVs/s400/WalkingTheFreedomTrail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456043873887641810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Walking the Freedom Trail (yes, the bricks mark the trail)</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-FASBmtJprf4cnIvIBpTUlXWI6-ebeRNSnqLFAxNZvt3miFm9RY_GVZThY52WUitxBpvmbXaMNky8GmncAO7pDCQUi3KSW5WGd6wSYbclpPYgOqzWbUYJ37MkJhLbKyja5-jIO7Y0gc/s1600/PaulRevere'sHouse.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-FASBmtJprf4cnIvIBpTUlXWI6-ebeRNSnqLFAxNZvt3miFm9RY_GVZThY52WUitxBpvmbXaMNky8GmncAO7pDCQUi3KSW5WGd6wSYbclpPYgOqzWbUYJ37MkJhLbKyja5-jIO7Y0gc/s400/PaulRevere'sHouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456043504047041010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Here lived Paul Revere</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQz7ZLp-RRDaD-TzVj7EmQKnSVv9AykUk1j00desHwAszVR1cTFlhNn-SIaq0CVf1qQsf85Mc60_3uAluoNoMOllRSJcEOcpCuGurAb82k4kUECs4FRnD8wxLPP2M1HUr2i9xLp6ufh00/s1600/OldStateHouse.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQz7ZLp-RRDaD-TzVj7EmQKnSVv9AykUk1j00desHwAszVR1cTFlhNn-SIaq0CVf1qQsf85Mc60_3uAluoNoMOllRSJcEOcpCuGurAb82k4kUECs4FRnD8wxLPP2M1HUr2i9xLp6ufh00/s400/OldStateHouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456043494931286210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Old State House (near the site of the Boston Massacre)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlrYtCriU7hGSTdjbfAtxAIE9pdZud19gPOmbh8OEXAAfSrUFLMLfkF2GewSYdq-BIL75aBKl3BL1cv_0M3P3dK67lVyhyphenhyphen7TVHHr_GmWn1hERB5qf2DqqcaY2CNFZ_hbBoqH9eg4bQCU/s1600/OldNorthChurch.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlrYtCriU7hGSTdjbfAtxAIE9pdZud19gPOmbh8OEXAAfSrUFLMLfkF2GewSYdq-BIL75aBKl3BL1cv_0M3P3dK67lVyhyphenhyphen7TVHHr_GmWn1hERB5qf2DqqcaY2CNFZ_hbBoqH9eg4bQCU/s400/OldNorthChurch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456043485243151682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">One if by land... the Old North Church</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWuNPo0KL5DuVFLxqTfwi3Y7hwiq4kRarAENDm9jPOONTmfpq6G3A09QD2ugOz4xDtW63A9ShEUj50SoRUd-qJDKnXWi30_UJlE8dhoP0XXGi4_HGkhvbod9vyCbjZfipAYkiK5OWBgc/s1600/FaneuilHall.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWuNPo0KL5DuVFLxqTfwi3Y7hwiq4kRarAENDm9jPOONTmfpq6G3A09QD2ugOz4xDtW63A9ShEUj50SoRUd-qJDKnXWi30_UJlE8dhoP0XXGi4_HGkhvbod9vyCbjZfipAYkiK5OWBgc/s400/FaneuilHall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456043481451580034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Faneuil Hall (don't even ask Amanda to pronounce this...)</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jJ2jmEDFc8N-owz7orK08ba7og9X-cE_3Hb0YRaxbrgNU9aP_9E586L3Of4oVF1wrsfGYY2yBaMhbJIHzMdiA8Qkj7L2b4QpTHoTFaKQKlA6wEpU6XsxSWV_T2qynbGu1oUuoIV6Eek/s1600/BunkerHill.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jJ2jmEDFc8N-owz7orK08ba7og9X-cE_3Hb0YRaxbrgNU9aP_9E586L3Of4oVF1wrsfGYY2yBaMhbJIHzMdiA8Qkj7L2b4QpTHoTFaKQKlA6wEpU6XsxSWV_T2qynbGu1oUuoIV6Eek/s400/BunkerHill.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456043472912823474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bunker Hill (I was told by the folks at the Boston Herald that no self-respecting Bostonian would go here... good thing I'm not a Bostonian)</span><br /></span></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-29612766810848785042010-01-24T18:07:00.004-07:002010-01-24T18:44:51.268-07:00Philadelphia FreedomWhat can you find in Philadelphia? The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Rocky – and me. My friend Amanda was in Philadelphia this week for a sales demo. Since she’d never been to Philadelphia before, she wanted to stay a couple of extra days and she asked me to join her. It was great taking a couple of days to just be tourists. I really appreciated the fact that there weren’t that many other tourists around – nobody should be allowed to be a tourist except me, right?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtM4cURg1p0UlsbPi6y8wv2-hg6HaekrjhiC352spQ-8OHu5dH-czLwTfxdOo5E3RqXeuQTW4NPa1aPSeu1pHPJR2pDSdKtOCIozXSK-zUeev-5PhTAd-KXzuLJ49Z3VCMtaZcWf9zleM/s1600-h/YummyCrepe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtM4cURg1p0UlsbPi6y8wv2-hg6HaekrjhiC352spQ-8OHu5dH-czLwTfxdOo5E3RqXeuQTW4NPa1aPSeu1pHPJR2pDSdKtOCIozXSK-zUeev-5PhTAd-KXzuLJ49Z3VCMtaZcWf9zleM/s400/YummyCrepe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430478888648143122" border="0" /></a>We went to Reading Terminal Market on Friday morning for breakfast. There was so much to choose from, but we finally stopped at a creperie. Here is my Caramel, Strawberry, Peach crepe. It was delicious!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRQbLvkMp9gfeo5h-YvtWkZyFzYErgQYxhRlqVeOvN_Szb_X-ttrwvNYIJhScY3TvlF78H6ETJAY4Mt3Gdb_lLnOVCGlpYolUhN05z__I2egIJgY6xNTnv9ghtfDIC7W32QPfkIQGXsk/s1600-h/TheThinker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRQbLvkMp9gfeo5h-YvtWkZyFzYErgQYxhRlqVeOvN_Szb_X-ttrwvNYIJhScY3TvlF78H6ETJAY4Mt3Gdb_lLnOVCGlpYolUhN05z__I2egIJgY6xNTnv9ghtfDIC7W32QPfkIQGXsk/s400/TheThinker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430478877169633122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Thinker outside the Rodin Museum</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg349LuIZEopXOLQKOn5IvBMaRrxnNIM004pRc0JBQXsG4C477oCgFUzNJ9JSerOSgklXtC3HfYjySW2s6VXnw_aWVJIBCtfPbH2KF4Ef37avlrANMniNZxFYe_bq_QmTu3Wn5uvcUEjT4/s1600-h/RockyStairs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg349LuIZEopXOLQKOn5IvBMaRrxnNIM004pRc0JBQXsG4C477oCgFUzNJ9JSerOSgklXtC3HfYjySW2s6VXnw_aWVJIBCtfPbH2KF4Ef37avlrANMniNZxFYe_bq_QmTu3Wn5uvcUEjT4/s400/RockyStairs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430478868590653490" border="0" /></a>We ran up the Rocky Stairs in front of the Art Museum. I bought the Rocky Theme on my iPhone to play while we ran up the stairs (see my iPhone still in my hand?). It was quite inspirational - and we ran all the way up. I was impressed that I wasn't very winded. Go me!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCQonx9ReF-bawolOGB1kr1_wg6dDCtO-OmgmgMXZf9kDK1MbVO97POzPN4DWv5ZkltZUHiqCNcBJdBlUt_ybJIwldfhpNuVXX50JkjjTzT41E6fzGV4XCcYKPm-1EjSiJah37GOxxA8/s1600-h/Philadelphia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCQonx9ReF-bawolOGB1kr1_wg6dDCtO-OmgmgMXZf9kDK1MbVO97POzPN4DWv5ZkltZUHiqCNcBJdBlUt_ybJIwldfhpNuVXX50JkjjTzT41E6fzGV4XCcYKPm-1EjSiJah37GOxxA8/s400/Philadelphia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430478612257266562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Philadelphia from the top of the Rocky stairs</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHv1moJakMREqCoA3vfqPGJrP2MDeurL0XL5l5J1KdCDJCo4MFDoNeRhYm39jWas1wlgC_2Dv762CycqNamWcNmnLZkZais6Xkvf7SHvABD9CI32fVQ1Lr0eYfRH2cRr57sA60oAattA/s1600-h/LOVE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHv1moJakMREqCoA3vfqPGJrP2MDeurL0XL5l5J1KdCDJCo4MFDoNeRhYm39jWas1wlgC_2Dv762CycqNamWcNmnLZkZais6Xkvf7SHvABD9CI32fVQ1Lr0eYfRH2cRr57sA60oAattA/s400/LOVE.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430478609183958738" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5OAqgmEiU9949jzelczqUJZwdCCAV2wRmQJIu9Y9YSp-c1mEQaNbxBktng6mEv7SnvWV3yjqDG-v76aKTSTES-tWTn2dPbiVe0j4VDPN6cVUUdXPChJMJZA3vaRw-0l-8BO3TyDy4oU/s1600-h/IndependenceHall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5OAqgmEiU9949jzelczqUJZwdCCAV2wRmQJIu9Y9YSp-c1mEQaNbxBktng6mEv7SnvWV3yjqDG-v76aKTSTES-tWTn2dPbiVe0j4VDPN6cVUUdXPChJMJZA3vaRw-0l-8BO3TyDy4oU/s400/IndependenceHall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430478599669474082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Independence Hall</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-ZNjb9GsxPnv-ZTAsWxGQcmwMAAulane41ZttHSF0OIq2zwwvlEOWAa4yyq-lJuNq3foADLFh7-2HeQlYSc6b4fCpc-qV4E_6dyQKM-psf23bOCSOTQfmwIfCFYWtODwbteh1MN8IXA/s1600-h/ConstitutionSigningRoom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-ZNjb9GsxPnv-ZTAsWxGQcmwMAAulane41ZttHSF0OIq2zwwvlEOWAa4yyq-lJuNq3foADLFh7-2HeQlYSc6b4fCpc-qV4E_6dyQKM-psf23bOCSOTQfmwIfCFYWtODwbteh1MN8IXA/s400/ConstitutionSigningRoom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430478592444518098" border="0" /></a>This is the room where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution was signed. I can't imagine how hot and smelly this room would have been in July (filled with dozens and dozens of men).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRW1rN4dO0mDfprQ3MGqswZyY9jqs_wT5JxmiVHsnH41epAZCS9_j969bYhACbMSadIdl0lj8xj2AY7A89ioFwciwGwrPNgpSxTJNP8NPrknNYtsnGrLqs3G3tTBC_uuwzQpnT_JzblzM/s1600-h/ChineseFriendshipGate.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRW1rN4dO0mDfprQ3MGqswZyY9jqs_wT5JxmiVHsnH41epAZCS9_j969bYhACbMSadIdl0lj8xj2AY7A89ioFwciwGwrPNgpSxTJNP8NPrknNYtsnGrLqs3G3tTBC_uuwzQpnT_JzblzM/s400/ChineseFriendshipGate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430478583222782146" border="0" /></a>The Chinese Friendship Gate. I was surprised to learn that Philadelphia has the third largest Chinatown in the country (third to New York and San Francisco). Weird!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-47626935807716571042010-01-23T09:56:00.005-07:002010-04-03T17:04:04.571-06:00This is what winter tourists look like<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmK1QRN016dLU2Cr8f8NiT9bLlNOGMAr9wgAbkeb6Rch5F6LQZRfzoO_CBrjagt3-8Z_E0DqfOEUjyINTkouRnYuTIFKwpcDbpwE84zfD3Bz_3KCeXCatNdot9BURpxxBQFtV3GRN-HHI/s1600-h/ScarfFace.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmK1QRN016dLU2Cr8f8NiT9bLlNOGMAr9wgAbkeb6Rch5F6LQZRfzoO_CBrjagt3-8Z_E0DqfOEUjyINTkouRnYuTIFKwpcDbpwE84zfD3Bz_3KCeXCatNdot9BURpxxBQFtV3GRN-HHI/s400/ScarfFace.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429980267558652450" border="0" /></a><br />Last week I had the opportunity of going to New York City…again. This time I was with a couple of friends/co-workers. Amanda and I even stayed an extra day to sightsee. I’ll say one thing, New York in the winter BEFORE Christmas is a totally different looking experience than New York in the winter AFTER Christmas.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVq1y71lCK-OHaeyAEfypb6Cum1M6EQ-A0niQJ3BmOSHJQ6bef9ZXJtwjHP2eh8uwOe_1Xcv4ohyphenhyphenZ430-zT-wnrrSeDLtAg5X1UjtcZgs2OowP88Y_wfoM5yAQNSIIzOq2IPgETOOmBcU/s1600-h/HugeReuben.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVq1y71lCK-OHaeyAEfypb6Cum1M6EQ-A0niQJ3BmOSHJQ6bef9ZXJtwjHP2eh8uwOe_1Xcv4ohyphenhyphenZ430-zT-wnrrSeDLtAg5X1UjtcZgs2OowP88Y_wfoM5yAQNSIIzOq2IPgETOOmBcU/s400/HugeReuben.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429980670204674114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Huge Reuben from Carnegie deli</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg15p0IxqETy6DHVudzVDbQyMwCy-vFvLqL7DfZejY5xWGBZhf5pFE2F5J3HcBW4v-CATeYB73InUtE1mlOQ6tuay65kSDElXE-CY_L5azJM0lJKShOO8cKCn_FdZPDI_BD4H9jsbiMHA/s1600-h/WashingtonSquareArch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg15p0IxqETy6DHVudzVDbQyMwCy-vFvLqL7DfZejY5xWGBZhf5pFE2F5J3HcBW4v-CATeYB73InUtE1mlOQ6tuay65kSDElXE-CY_L5azJM0lJKShOO8cKCn_FdZPDI_BD4H9jsbiMHA/s400/WashingtonSquareArch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429980676657159186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Washington Square Arch</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kO1Mq-UqDduNthd1qY_Gdl0ROnkA-29nUKmKvKowydNLJlpGWDHlRKda69Darzy9J0i0hF0CaWqri99UHk4PrZGGhOOqBv3kNlCxgwJ_nKAfYHxb7BIcrMn9ysE8-lq2FE9OcZFZ9KY/s1600-h/Dinner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kO1Mq-UqDduNthd1qY_Gdl0ROnkA-29nUKmKvKowydNLJlpGWDHlRKda69Darzy9J0i0hF0CaWqri99UHk4PrZGGhOOqBv3kNlCxgwJ_nKAfYHxb7BIcrMn9ysE8-lq2FE9OcZFZ9KY/s400/Dinner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429980660668656418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">We had huge sandwiches on Monday (or Tuesday), and weren't hungry for dessert, so we decided to come back later in the week and ONLY order dessert. YUMMY!</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB00Tik8rnyJAPDg2Ab84qH02V46sSAAQj4IJOEt57U5z2d4jR1Vl-UrsmuGzReTM08y0-9Knyh5jYFgWR3S4ZNNj6jkkGx833iajeUbs9mik9L_4WLjNBkGJmt5NDVJZck0ww5fmMwGw/s1600-h/Billboard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB00Tik8rnyJAPDg2Ab84qH02V46sSAAQj4IJOEt57U5z2d4jR1Vl-UrsmuGzReTM08y0-9Knyh5jYFgWR3S4ZNNj6jkkGx833iajeUbs9mik9L_4WLjNBkGJmt5NDVJZck0ww5fmMwGw/s400/Billboard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429980653154308882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Scandalous billboard near Times Square</span><br /></span></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-1006643420584642232009-12-19T11:49:00.003-07:002009-12-20T17:21:32.317-07:00Start spreading the newsSo, on Monday a client finally decided that my boss and I were needed in NYC on Wednesday. Of course, this was after weeks of on-again off-again plans. But, hey, it was a trip to New York, so I wasn’t too upset. My boss had never been to New York, so we did some sightseeing Tuesday night. We went up the Empire State Building – something I haven’t done since I was just out of high school, so 5 years ago? :-) Then we walked through Times Square and on up to Rockefeller Center. I love New York at Christmas time.<br /><br />It was a good thing we did some sightseeing on Tuesday because Wednesday night we went to dinner with clients and Thursday night I wasn’t feeling well (came down with a cold, darn it - maybe it was all that walking around).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg020gOna2kvvI9mmu9k9LndrmvNHDnsJreD0_7lnTjKUNNw8nsz8FYV9Vs1JImig3D-Af2n0siQ0ZXU6Q92PUFJOkBiB1emRqI-Uvgdnunygu-DdVXH55Q3_1TnjYa9tpijr5676mfGzY/s1600-h/TimesSquare.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg020gOna2kvvI9mmu9k9LndrmvNHDnsJreD0_7lnTjKUNNw8nsz8FYV9Vs1JImig3D-Af2n0siQ0ZXU6Q92PUFJOkBiB1emRqI-Uvgdnunygu-DdVXH55Q3_1TnjYa9tpijr5676mfGzY/s400/TimesSquare.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417021898598040706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZXp6mji1cVOTEOXNmDkV6cd0fYhmppMaRXa4oWIKFXPwKHTMRa_MtvGYLjpJikKeIxEzddtbI00OQbBhxuN9mKHfKJrNiN-s4rSAG5DjJBQ1S2KKFO49VxzxJMQcOy13oxUIKbjyaZM/s1600-h/RockafellerCenter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZXp6mji1cVOTEOXNmDkV6cd0fYhmppMaRXa4oWIKFXPwKHTMRa_MtvGYLjpJikKeIxEzddtbI00OQbBhxuN9mKHfKJrNiN-s4rSAG5DjJBQ1S2KKFO49VxzxJMQcOy13oxUIKbjyaZM/s400/RockafellerCenter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417021890803426818" border="0" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-86697345025231040372009-11-02T21:09:00.002-07:002009-11-03T19:34:09.351-07:00A whole new meSo, after months (and months) of thinking about it, I finally just bit the bullet. You never realize how long your hair is until you see it on the floor, right? I like it, though...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDT6bxAC6wqiFdeqTXSy9G9LEidTJD1Mfz2FcApLtcoqDvuvdkKqAs215I-sUgnh_TAnH35wvbz2DgQ957ItTQu4TAoKPLRDrWGezfAhn5WwVhHZ60BkCQuC0cDewL0MwFSUBbq3KYxg/s1600-h/HairCut.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDT6bxAC6wqiFdeqTXSy9G9LEidTJD1Mfz2FcApLtcoqDvuvdkKqAs215I-sUgnh_TAnH35wvbz2DgQ957ItTQu4TAoKPLRDrWGezfAhn5WwVhHZ60BkCQuC0cDewL0MwFSUBbq3KYxg/s400/HairCut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400070954629516034" border="0" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-71864613885003440492009-10-21T18:42:00.005-06:002009-10-21T19:00:32.461-06:00Alas, no Hugh Jackman sightingsSo, Sunday was my last day in Australia. In true tourist fashion, I bought an all-day ticket for those red, open-air tour buses. As gorgeous as the weather was on Saturday, it was just that rainy on Sunday. But, since it was my only day left, what can you do? Of course, at the end of the afternoon the sky cleared.<br /><br />I still can’t believe I was fortunate enough to visit both Australia and New Zealand – two places on my list of “must sees.” Check!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcW14biw7dYgANo8mx5lHd63X-69yRB3eFcokD620x3NJGkzKOuWIKB0qzMP_8V91piW8Mvbii74IyKzHRKgEBbxQqL0ttrA67hwNm1jpc9drYWhYq7wnF8aPl2sK_7BWJbtfvNho7tyc/s1600-h/ViewFromSydneyTower.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcW14biw7dYgANo8mx5lHd63X-69yRB3eFcokD620x3NJGkzKOuWIKB0qzMP_8V91piW8Mvbii74IyKzHRKgEBbxQqL0ttrA67hwNm1jpc9drYWhYq7wnF8aPl2sK_7BWJbtfvNho7tyc/s400/ViewFromSydneyTower.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395219503327106658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">View from Sydney Tower</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANcmf53LhFQ5KmtsKksfMfunToIg0NE_SfVEfdNs4Y_9PyepVOktuRzOPxqN1EuEBwYSvIHf9Pr2H6_q-Y9gY0PUlEAnyYIhVpZDGNitCeIg5UyEAbLvFFJAH_aY9IEpdDDnRp6eTCYU/s1600-h/TownHall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANcmf53LhFQ5KmtsKksfMfunToIg0NE_SfVEfdNs4Y_9PyepVOktuRzOPxqN1EuEBwYSvIHf9Pr2H6_q-Y9gY0PUlEAnyYIhVpZDGNitCeIg5UyEAbLvFFJAH_aY9IEpdDDnRp6eTCYU/s400/TownHall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395219496905725266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Town Hall</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs91Dmo7HqPl8deuSA6QOXjrKWZPmyBqm7KJohOXSpTccjtuhylWG39Smol50LJ5baNTMShc7SQ8XVfLGV98kEzSdEI4IXQU4pASllNr3MY7JBWLsJNQCjcIwTOKJ_bKY06Qq-iWK2VSI/s1600-h/SydneySkyline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs91Dmo7HqPl8deuSA6QOXjrKWZPmyBqm7KJohOXSpTccjtuhylWG39Smol50LJ5baNTMShc7SQ8XVfLGV98kEzSdEI4IXQU4pASllNr3MY7JBWLsJNQCjcIwTOKJ_bKY06Qq-iWK2VSI/s400/SydneySkyline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395219490574377106" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgXwj9S_iiFGFGMpE3dzQGDNPcb3gIkHoC-eLwfyzG8oAzfmmlBEIvLzfyU4cqYfg1FNcBHVDQeFWY_xo900UgjELZaoMOVwiwoDJe0fOGS5U0oXtSmzHK3JogDEw9WqqfhvlmsdO6uk/s1600-h/HydePark.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgXwj9S_iiFGFGMpE3dzQGDNPcb3gIkHoC-eLwfyzG8oAzfmmlBEIvLzfyU4cqYfg1FNcBHVDQeFWY_xo900UgjELZaoMOVwiwoDJe0fOGS5U0oXtSmzHK3JogDEw9WqqfhvlmsdO6uk/s400/HydePark.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395219485595350498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Hyde Park</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDXIg4IHvR5oLzeVMHFZNtBJlLjA-_zkJmhLgIuKFbXGbd4FPBgynIbjAHGB-G2KG9LsngzTNQD6aza3mu_QVl0zbzyoIJQ2kpqbfxBwr2tEww8SAJOWQcrrG12bFdr1rwsl035zEZh4/s1600-h/HarbourBridge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDXIg4IHvR5oLzeVMHFZNtBJlLjA-_zkJmhLgIuKFbXGbd4FPBgynIbjAHGB-G2KG9LsngzTNQD6aza3mu_QVl0zbzyoIJQ2kpqbfxBwr2tEww8SAJOWQcrrG12bFdr1rwsl035zEZh4/s400/HarbourBridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395219268369966146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Harbour Bridge</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cJStI42s2ymMUwOkVQut1v2-IAPw1X05NAWftUW05k8obmL0K1uoVk2mU5My43hgBs8F3agmWbazVt1VXXYeBadt_bErRcHoLx7myPrYv_DcUMCSydsg1dSaPqF8Q7rSzqnKNuFp6-s/s1600-h/DarlingHarbour.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cJStI42s2ymMUwOkVQut1v2-IAPw1X05NAWftUW05k8obmL0K1uoVk2mU5My43hgBs8F3agmWbazVt1VXXYeBadt_bErRcHoLx7myPrYv_DcUMCSydsg1dSaPqF8Q7rSzqnKNuFp6-s/s400/DarlingHarbour.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395219257548414562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Darling Harbour</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdAmcqkiaZ_f5oxeqv6252X5N9PlN-MSG9TDXnZv9WcKAzOVpN6ffv5JWGXtFhOMWfyGNKw38R6tFXu5hefPZuk7vEt8UYEN3cr5Qy9HqHLnfU3vMDVgQv4Nz9pf4tvBlKC_0AMZd6CA/s1600-h/BondiBeach3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdAmcqkiaZ_f5oxeqv6252X5N9PlN-MSG9TDXnZv9WcKAzOVpN6ffv5JWGXtFhOMWfyGNKw38R6tFXu5hefPZuk7vEt8UYEN3cr5Qy9HqHLnfU3vMDVgQv4Nz9pf4tvBlKC_0AMZd6CA/s400/BondiBeach3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395219252848721970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bondi Beach</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34jcqYaOuWpESDYiRWW2M0-cNJCCD-Ygb3973DD3bniSKtbTkeuj9Z1eRpPv1GJxAysJCBZmva35p31gcN4GfNk4TxSKzVzHiIcuph0gQQ3uIb3qv2q0oQtM33OXgxVEvxa8DzI-86Sg/s1600-h/BondiBeach2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34jcqYaOuWpESDYiRWW2M0-cNJCCD-Ygb3973DD3bniSKtbTkeuj9Z1eRpPv1GJxAysJCBZmva35p31gcN4GfNk4TxSKzVzHiIcuph0gQQ3uIb3qv2q0oQtM33OXgxVEvxa8DzI-86Sg/s400/BondiBeach2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395219246552369346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIdc6qYE9UzZoKfmNtEuo-TexKxksP0-BxGixSKJdRzlso5Re-KEb6vYNZD_B3Si0QpmUVqsE_JrBnvVppiUN4w4k-XgT6J7RzLw_xrxE_COBvcvsPiusRnKXF2Dv7k1aDG3QHoCdDWo/s1600-h/BondiBeach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIdc6qYE9UzZoKfmNtEuo-TexKxksP0-BxGixSKJdRzlso5Re-KEb6vYNZD_B3Si0QpmUVqsE_JrBnvVppiUN4w4k-XgT6J7RzLw_xrxE_COBvcvsPiusRnKXF2Dv7k1aDG3QHoCdDWo/s400/BondiBeach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395219239701386738" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZyLUFEq8ZemYv-qGysLxTPSEbZjWsk_vMFyGRyqu4I17a90KpBXiflOIGsj443oCFQXnCNVNcx8NWtI2E8Xxo5ZhrLFnpRxGcR1y2CKKeOhqDdVHkK2io4_W_nf7nk6vDDyby1l3ZDg/s1600-h/OperaHouseRoof.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZyLUFEq8ZemYv-qGysLxTPSEbZjWsk_vMFyGRyqu4I17a90KpBXiflOIGsj443oCFQXnCNVNcx8NWtI2E8Xxo5ZhrLFnpRxGcR1y2CKKeOhqDdVHkK2io4_W_nf7nk6vDDyby1l3ZDg/s400/OperaHouseRoof.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218754488161698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Roof of Opera House</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN89-QWPTa5kTadcQ-npwEYFVQYUn338xNmGCBxVRj-rMqXMAoIRb9hGTMGS8obUQ0RxlKv4_pos_OLws6h_L6x1XT_S9qCo6V1H_hfsS_3nqeZZQ2ZWp7dDhd0KaA3vNzfqSOy5wu69g/s1600-h/OperaHouse6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN89-QWPTa5kTadcQ-npwEYFVQYUn338xNmGCBxVRj-rMqXMAoIRb9hGTMGS8obUQ0RxlKv4_pos_OLws6h_L6x1XT_S9qCo6V1H_hfsS_3nqeZZQ2ZWp7dDhd0KaA3vNzfqSOy5wu69g/s400/OperaHouse6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218749821103794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTe2Y5Qeo0oNojo1rGO-rO28qL6GMirEh2suKOaZ16vS-TIPLE5CpIJxb5KfqEVwrTdAi2ceHy_lKHtfJFuHWwEUDyreaPshYUc5Dg-TM10PihRIBwENn5cYBsqoM-qqtivs2fqo0xh8/s1600-h/OperaHouse5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTe2Y5Qeo0oNojo1rGO-rO28qL6GMirEh2suKOaZ16vS-TIPLE5CpIJxb5KfqEVwrTdAi2ceHy_lKHtfJFuHWwEUDyreaPshYUc5Dg-TM10PihRIBwENn5cYBsqoM-qqtivs2fqo0xh8/s400/OperaHouse5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218742964716946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfYuQw39FUPuLfwu2zP9Uphy7bSix21Aejz9FhX2K7TVfp7E9p0Y_jQ4LTG2pVzULyy8VJFJpENEeTD2dyb8jVWSM_2vn_HehO9hH2J0MXCehnG24vMSh8W6jUwt3XPbL9WS6cBE55IU/s1600-h/OperaHouse3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfYuQw39FUPuLfwu2zP9Uphy7bSix21Aejz9FhX2K7TVfp7E9p0Y_jQ4LTG2pVzULyy8VJFJpENEeTD2dyb8jVWSM_2vn_HehO9hH2J0MXCehnG24vMSh8W6jUwt3XPbL9WS6cBE55IU/s400/OperaHouse3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218732139575426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsM1b6zKhV8fatPD0zJLq1TBoBbgxgWkkuacSMVFZ8HriuXym0IScDeu9YIK1lyzQS_Hmykf-igeCKbZ4niI81IkrNfNMSOO46xCuv2qRWn5N0CIT1F1lUvHr0RKkK6bm1T7VIHHEXjU/s1600-h/OperaHouse.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsM1b6zKhV8fatPD0zJLq1TBoBbgxgWkkuacSMVFZ8HriuXym0IScDeu9YIK1lyzQS_Hmykf-igeCKbZ4niI81IkrNfNMSOO46xCuv2qRWn5N0CIT1F1lUvHr0RKkK6bm1T7VIHHEXjU/s400/OperaHouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218730446584178" border="0" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-40015586733701383472009-10-18T02:34:00.008-06:002009-12-30T10:24:28.154-07:00The “non-politically correct” tourSo, I left New Zealand on Friday – it’s amazing how quickly these last three weeks have gone by. Amazing. Anyway, since I left New Zealand on Friday, that means I arrived in Sydney, Australia on Friday. When I was first planning this trip, I was thinking, you know, that New Zealand and Australia were close to each other – like a 90-minute flight or something. Uh huh, right. Try 4+ hours. I’m not kidding.<br /><br />Last week, as I was trying to figure out what to do while in Sydney, I found a “Top 10 things to do…” list online. One of the things mentioned was visiting the Blue Mountains. I thought about renting a car and driving out there (it’s about 2+ hours from Sydney), but never did get around to renting one. But then, when I checked into my hotel, right there at the reception desk was a list of things you could book through the hotel – one being a <a href="http://sydneygreatescapes.com/tours.html">guided tour of the Blue Mountains</a>, leaving directly from the hotel. OK, sign me up. We left at 7:30 Saturday morning and it was FANTASTIC! The guide was hilarious and informative – emphasis on hilarious. Well worth the money. I would recommend it to everyone. But, I digress. About 20 minutes into the tour Rob (aka Oi Boy, or tour guide) asked us (there were 10 of us total – 9 Canadians and me) whether we wanted the politically correct tour, or the non-politically correct tour. Which do you think we chose? I’ll give you a hint – did I mention that Rob was hilarious? We started at a Wildlife reserve where we got to pet Koala bears and Wombats (did you know that Wambats aren't bats?), pet and feed Kangaroos (or were they Wallabies – I can’t be sure), and see other native Australian wildlife. It was really cool. I even saw a dingo, but it did not eat my baby.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Qg1cbLvFzMqmyE2_udKaCscoElW5Ova9WhlQ-1wioc9hvmvzWvq3S6rWBmZf2upwg2dS_7BT4FNoPAsYLF_2OvH2WD54XoDFmfHYaD14QJ2u3Xdm996AzbQIKWeILJqQPTrknlLgSBs/s1600-h/PettingKoala.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Qg1cbLvFzMqmyE2_udKaCscoElW5Ova9WhlQ-1wioc9hvmvzWvq3S6rWBmZf2upwg2dS_7BT4FNoPAsYLF_2OvH2WD54XoDFmfHYaD14QJ2u3Xdm996AzbQIKWeILJqQPTrknlLgSBs/s400/PettingKoala.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393857516698302482" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUTgxQOBN3gKB5Y-_7sQ4McQDLqVGRon35oykFnOlsz5xfsUvYt6-oFMOMlh3Z923C-hYabjmZHy8lw9-ghZLk3jC9rR6VqrymqFmP4-FHGAflA42h_YOTlhId9FQN4ByahR5k8WlLXU/s1600-h/PettingKanga.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUTgxQOBN3gKB5Y-_7sQ4McQDLqVGRon35oykFnOlsz5xfsUvYt6-oFMOMlh3Z923C-hYabjmZHy8lw9-ghZLk3jC9rR6VqrymqFmP4-FHGAflA42h_YOTlhId9FQN4ByahR5k8WlLXU/s400/PettingKanga.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393857506538654738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">You can't really tell, but the kangaroo (wallaby?) is licking my arm - so cute</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlEbq2XnqRtVeAfJM10x-Df5XCmbbGFqwMf9ZCgFtWF7puhCauSrQisiIpZCOC2s25VwgCTzd6qlqsgWTXL1OYPmbMwpVaBP8_8lg6M1e5FUI3nK8-ENKJGmd-M8dzNZck-42QJM5XwI/s1600-h/Peacock.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlEbq2XnqRtVeAfJM10x-Df5XCmbbGFqwMf9ZCgFtWF7puhCauSrQisiIpZCOC2s25VwgCTzd6qlqsgWTXL1OYPmbMwpVaBP8_8lg6M1e5FUI3nK8-ENKJGmd-M8dzNZck-42QJM5XwI/s400/Peacock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393857269664872610" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWmVWjho9CRxzWp-uWBPOwqm37mSXBJy1HQPkVGxeux0xOjMxTcQ2TZmpVwx4rMyStydigFxPBsf15eufGmg-abV5vkE6beSHg2EtmIsFwc4szBNw2v-laeSfyDa3u5u5BKS5Z1spKLM/s1600-h/Joey.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWmVWjho9CRxzWp-uWBPOwqm37mSXBJy1HQPkVGxeux0xOjMxTcQ2TZmpVwx4rMyStydigFxPBsf15eufGmg-abV5vkE6beSHg2EtmIsFwc4szBNw2v-laeSfyDa3u5u5BKS5Z1spKLM/s400/Joey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393857246448632754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">See the little joey?</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzwpsOf9SLA-Sa8OEgvHW5Erl5uqAIqTTR0GOmAkgV0EdlfQNSzBvG4Z6ZYZS5GSQUldbME8A_dPUeyNAI80EB8HbcAWdmDXLTv89eN_PWYldvB1CDH1HD2rBOoO8Gy0TMGsWZMK_Gdg/s1600-h/FeedingKanga2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzwpsOf9SLA-Sa8OEgvHW5Erl5uqAIqTTR0GOmAkgV0EdlfQNSzBvG4Z6ZYZS5GSQUldbME8A_dPUeyNAI80EB8HbcAWdmDXLTv89eN_PWYldvB1CDH1HD2rBOoO8Gy0TMGsWZMK_Gdg/s400/FeedingKanga2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393857240309182354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">We fed the kangaroos food in ice cream cones - those were edible, too</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrjLn1sL7s6eDGTNp-MjGQxhLEX7f7NC5UFN_bbAOEbCO8Nv8h5QRKNWLRkkWgDYOYS8iNg_a6SKlixNxEEikThh67lD_M-QP77UEZy7MCCoxkdujQu__mGG41fhx8_jlYFX43UcdnrI/s1600-h/FeedingKanga.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrjLn1sL7s6eDGTNp-MjGQxhLEX7f7NC5UFN_bbAOEbCO8Nv8h5QRKNWLRkkWgDYOYS8iNg_a6SKlixNxEEikThh67lD_M-QP77UEZy7MCCoxkdujQu__mGG41fhx8_jlYFX43UcdnrI/s400/FeedingKanga.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393857227464226530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Again, you can't really tell, but the kangaroo is "holding" my hand with its paw - not wanting me to take the food away, I guess</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_V7fCcx9779Al5LbmZv1NcvUaxRJgcC5MDuZDdmn55eUUDUdA1hZxLN9zqkGPCK6CCfvqUrsTS4sH-6eC93AD2XmvAymfKFdQhFWizukc_MTaiuS9PSsHF0W5K-kn7qu95d74SjpuYg/s1600-h/Koala.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_V7fCcx9779Al5LbmZv1NcvUaxRJgcC5MDuZDdmn55eUUDUdA1hZxLN9zqkGPCK6CCfvqUrsTS4sH-6eC93AD2XmvAymfKFdQhFWizukc_MTaiuS9PSsHF0W5K-kn7qu95d74SjpuYg/s400/Koala.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393857260284036770" border="0" /></a><br />After the Wildlife reserve we drove up into the Blue Mountains (named such because the evaporating oil from the eucalyptus trees gives off a blue hue). Gorgeous!! Of course Rob kept telling us that these mountains were nothing like the Canadian or Utah mountains we were used to, but he admonished us to never laugh about the size of a guys mountains, so I ooh’ed and ah’ed in all the right places. But really, it was gorgeous!<br /><br />One thing about doing a tour like this by yourself is that, sometimes, other people in the tour take it upon themselves to “adopt” you. There were two couples from Alberta who adopted me. They were really cute. Everyone offered to take my picture for me, hike with me, etc. It was very nice of them.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuh0AitsR8MU5oWQ_qbY7WQl47YgHHSYVTIJmIDcMJCbDyLK_yep02cfSFBebeESaKXkOmNUIGMNafbhp1inefCaU8u7kFmvWUXaQY2YlhxPEj-GrzvM_m6NzvpfKUFpn7HTxs4HJV8M/s1600-h/WildKanga.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuh0AitsR8MU5oWQ_qbY7WQl47YgHHSYVTIJmIDcMJCbDyLK_yep02cfSFBebeESaKXkOmNUIGMNafbhp1inefCaU8u7kFmvWUXaQY2YlhxPEj-GrzvM_m6NzvpfKUFpn7HTxs4HJV8M/s400/WildKanga.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393856589215212706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">We saw this kangaroo in the wild - no feeding or petting this one. I guess they can be pretty vicious.</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kzcS2ffrZ1iKDsV7LMPzvf1SMZfCHS2-EJgPEWqfH3tF-60_23Sj2CdrQq2uklJ7fDjZEhc1TvqFxe2Q1XGRRKO5SKOmrASANNG71xMhcFU5tucmqhy1M1lxh4BBJDblTLuaQQAZQpM/s1600-h/ViewFromMountains.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kzcS2ffrZ1iKDsV7LMPzvf1SMZfCHS2-EJgPEWqfH3tF-60_23Sj2CdrQq2uklJ7fDjZEhc1TvqFxe2Q1XGRRKO5SKOmrASANNG71xMhcFU5tucmqhy1M1lxh4BBJDblTLuaQQAZQpM/s400/ViewFromMountains.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393856582945495474" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdBp0fz3-jNUwIjZHyf8TR0nArwZGVCekxpPCO-9rAUPwHLM4V4e0IFvGscEKZIMeWLwWi8ySnFPSHfFju2jvSEQ9U3G4ZJe9wjyn1s9UymFEV6GBf5_lS4nE1LPg-0xQtkzIYHZECsA/s1600-h/ThreeSisters2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdBp0fz3-jNUwIjZHyf8TR0nArwZGVCekxpPCO-9rAUPwHLM4V4e0IFvGscEKZIMeWLwWi8ySnFPSHfFju2jvSEQ9U3G4ZJe9wjyn1s9UymFEV6GBf5_lS4nE1LPg-0xQtkzIYHZECsA/s400/ThreeSisters2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393856574915877250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Three Sisters in the background</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjtCylddSQ9WIU22dcqKBYF90B7-_dqQ9I4esJv2Ek9xt554w267CmdTAF1GANxR_86xEypyUoVt05hI_h5SeaprMYtTfeXiCFkK517Cv8BWQXn_CZEk7xp887Liq6eNHe6KUmVnTIhM/s1600-h/ThreeSisters.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjtCylddSQ9WIU22dcqKBYF90B7-_dqQ9I4esJv2Ek9xt554w267CmdTAF1GANxR_86xEypyUoVt05hI_h5SeaprMYtTfeXiCFkK517Cv8BWQXn_CZEk7xp887Liq6eNHe6KUmVnTIhM/s400/ThreeSisters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393856565705069490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Three Sisters</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-GKJf5JA0BxtN__KXSMWXXZHdkMXHUNFhjl5BBKmOApdqzxqhmUMVHiuGMekQRrekLqQmdSTivZ2pdw7RYyPRdVNK9iqurSS0aHmDPi4utx6LMeeXkjOXyfJlyny_9-56q94yzqj-JQ/s1600-h/BlueMountains5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-GKJf5JA0BxtN__KXSMWXXZHdkMXHUNFhjl5BBKmOApdqzxqhmUMVHiuGMekQRrekLqQmdSTivZ2pdw7RYyPRdVNK9iqurSS0aHmDPi4utx6LMeeXkjOXyfJlyny_9-56q94yzqj-JQ/s400/BlueMountains5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393856117340595554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH2-EOQgaAlbWQtmTdg6OnryclJFfwLYx5xwt1wwN-mb8VpUHl2nLnaJ_HTFIFSmgMmW4OlEzCFUfGa-tzYwsGDIxw9Nt20is9uLkSJF-3614oQk70vrxFiXRm0gm7Xf5BFgUtrNdcZQ/s1600-h/BlueMountains4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH2-EOQgaAlbWQtmTdg6OnryclJFfwLYx5xwt1wwN-mb8VpUHl2nLnaJ_HTFIFSmgMmW4OlEzCFUfGa-tzYwsGDIxw9Nt20is9uLkSJF-3614oQk70vrxFiXRm0gm7Xf5BFgUtrNdcZQ/s400/BlueMountains4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393856110558600546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn5LlKEWsvSVkr7CgG27RFAcvqZDRke76wBPh4hWf86Ajt3qgs9LLgETDN71yuLkfqyAkgwfSjqwiszfECSecECfJy9I_tDQqMfJPgSXafryosiJwxkB9LnTZTy_z9MB3BAs1aJD-ZwA/s1600-h/BlueMountains3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn5LlKEWsvSVkr7CgG27RFAcvqZDRke76wBPh4hWf86Ajt3qgs9LLgETDN71yuLkfqyAkgwfSjqwiszfECSecECfJy9I_tDQqMfJPgSXafryosiJwxkB9LnTZTy_z9MB3BAs1aJD-ZwA/s400/BlueMountains3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393856100620064642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLVdvvYSvvdZJ0C6no67DQHgWe62J-cj25A314gRVbLlRQ3Izn-lBzK5Cpuc0OMh9y4klV98kfkjYWPk10ZFPTM1PW1D_N52eMSExla6u3XymD_-deD-jH5lFOvs7D6-xwxGyxTJ6Jg4/s1600-h/BlueMountains2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLVdvvYSvvdZJ0C6no67DQHgWe62J-cj25A314gRVbLlRQ3Izn-lBzK5Cpuc0OMh9y4klV98kfkjYWPk10ZFPTM1PW1D_N52eMSExla6u3XymD_-deD-jH5lFOvs7D6-xwxGyxTJ6Jg4/s400/BlueMountains2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393856085108723602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcSWWfu23pVM18Mww_SH0ZmeIcXDumqlAMeLoZWGEWfVNykW9tGMk0C12Jh66SRJ7LLzfWJMQdcEkctgGFd4BO0U8xO4JVZkR8wiruij9ABkLvuFvdRay9dOoXJ8iNBf4MuYRIF5Fcqg/s1600-h/BlueMountains.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcSWWfu23pVM18Mww_SH0ZmeIcXDumqlAMeLoZWGEWfVNykW9tGMk0C12Jh66SRJ7LLzfWJMQdcEkctgGFd4BO0U8xO4JVZkR8wiruij9ABkLvuFvdRay9dOoXJ8iNBf4MuYRIF5Fcqg/s400/BlueMountains.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393856076465697922" border="0" /></a><br />The tour took about 10.5 hours. After getting back to Sydney, I walked to Darling Harbour and had a delicious dinner at an Indian restaurant, Zaffron. Food is really expensive here, by the way. I bought a bottle of water and a snack bar to take on the tour with me for $7+ (I converted it to U.S. dollars, so, yes, that’s $7!).<br /><br />A couple of random bits of knowledge I learned today from Rob (there were lots of them, but these two are most interesting):<br /><br />1. It’s totally legal for bicyclists to ride on the freeways – wish that had been the case when I was on my mission in France…<br />2. The kangaroo and emu, of all the native Australian animals, appear on the Australian coat of arms because they are the only animals that cannot walk backwards, so the coat of arms signifies “always moving forward.”<br /><br />I thought they were interesting bits, anyway…Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-25224450961492336852009-10-12T12:22:00.006-06:002009-10-12T12:32:52.375-06:00And Now for Something Completely DifferentSo, last weekend I visited glorious beaches and mountainous coasts. This weekend, not so much. That’s not to say that what I saw wasn’t glorious – I didn’t mean to give that impression. It’s just that what I saw this weekend was, well, something completely different.<br /><br />I flew to a town on the North Island called Rotorua. Sadly, I couldn’t arrange any flights on Friday that a. left late enough in the afternoon or b. were still relatively inexpensive, so I flew out early Saturday morning and flew back to Wellington Sunday afternoon (which, due to a <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10602782">“crippling computer fault”</a>, turned out to be Sunday evening). Flying out Saturday was actually OK because I got to go to the pub with my co-worker and some blokes from the site here in Wellington (it was Fahad’s last evening in town after a nine week stay). I was quite happy to sit and visit drinking my Diet Coke (which I switched for a lime and soda later on in the evening) while everyone around me had their beer (and other drinks). I was asked a few times if I was offended hanging out with people who were drinking. First of all, I wouldn’t have been there if I was offended or uncomfortable. Secondly, should I be offended? I mean, just because they drink doesn’t mean I have to drink, and just because I choose not to drink doesn’t mean I think they shouldn’t be drinking either, right? I’ll admit, though, as the conversation became more and more slurred (and sometimes incoherent what with drunk people AND the accents), it was quite amusing for me to be the sober person. BTW, the weather on Friday and Saturday was horrific – rain, cold wind, brrr… I thought it was supposed to be summertime around here.<br /><br />Anywho, after arriving in Rotorua, I was picked up by a shuttle bus to take me to Wai-O-Tapu (a geothermal wonderland). I took a nice walk. Yes, there was hiking involved. There was even a part of the walk that said it was "very active", but I chose to do it, and at least this time I went in eyes open. It was absolutely amazing – totally different to what I saw last weekend, but nonetheless amazing. Everyone at NZPA kept warning me about the smell of Rotorua (sulphur). Yes, there was a smell, but it wasn’t as bad as everyone (except Fahad) led me to believe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnKdIY2HdlQik-UNcciUfq9ybBFQiU04EzVPULNEsNGJLKefLV0Cq1MsY_R47OeKSiTCxP3ArYxzbP8P24IQjAcp1121NTMtjT9ZQ9t2VqmWFsPCUnl6BaDPyabceM5P82jHpHh10waA/s1600-h/WaiOTapu7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnKdIY2HdlQik-UNcciUfq9ybBFQiU04EzVPULNEsNGJLKefLV0Cq1MsY_R47OeKSiTCxP3ArYxzbP8P24IQjAcp1121NTMtjT9ZQ9t2VqmWFsPCUnl6BaDPyabceM5P82jHpHh10waA/s400/WaiOTapu7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781683294487378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pdYw3Cx4320QFEGilmWladj4DUG5e7SNuteIsTUHLhyG8Nrxs8gnhV-pSsavl4Sgoo07VE3rZNxwtpPuvKH3cft3-ISzGALZcCZrmiBVqq8GN3fJypjHYF-oYX8gnMhh3jEqVLZw8xw/s1600-h/WaiOTapu6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pdYw3Cx4320QFEGilmWladj4DUG5e7SNuteIsTUHLhyG8Nrxs8gnhV-pSsavl4Sgoo07VE3rZNxwtpPuvKH3cft3-ISzGALZcCZrmiBVqq8GN3fJypjHYF-oYX8gnMhh3jEqVLZw8xw/s400/WaiOTapu6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781640457301074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTP5egUI6OEz9Z4oER3d_0ZKGc1BSrbyzg02F63F8-qGS56JncFRW5Ax9IIx_hhGWAgRb7ZFVpXe3pNew868M83rph_BMn7U1fE-0z-uJTd8NtvyKy1ymn6EBtOB9bul46kNEeiCLTyQ/s1600-h/WaiOTapu5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTP5egUI6OEz9Z4oER3d_0ZKGc1BSrbyzg02F63F8-qGS56JncFRW5Ax9IIx_hhGWAgRb7ZFVpXe3pNew868M83rph_BMn7U1fE-0z-uJTd8NtvyKy1ymn6EBtOB9bul46kNEeiCLTyQ/s400/WaiOTapu5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781611364479794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAw4PJVy8Lmuijnf6dbUGdjmu8isdPiitg0XW1V5LSntjH4YG0tzsc7p-wRjvn8vuBocJHT_HAuopJNwzvFW1lJHAVouIpdVAsYsv1g7irIZcmsfRGHuyMhxf3ZkpDWTWQnn6SAH3Ipg/s1600-h/WaiOTapu4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAw4PJVy8Lmuijnf6dbUGdjmu8isdPiitg0XW1V5LSntjH4YG0tzsc7p-wRjvn8vuBocJHT_HAuopJNwzvFW1lJHAVouIpdVAsYsv1g7irIZcmsfRGHuyMhxf3ZkpDWTWQnn6SAH3Ipg/s400/WaiOTapu4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781569182638402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulTbsJMVLylSTzao3rRRPhWYekIkC5In2dgX9FlY-5tr33QnETey9VTNPBgqLWcXU_BOUEk6s8sHslsYYotZc0vij1Ysz9TeK3zEDwWdiSTUzr2AFnygVDYMFs4OJtrlnGFDHWV9IKko/s1600-h/WaiOTapu3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulTbsJMVLylSTzao3rRRPhWYekIkC5In2dgX9FlY-5tr33QnETey9VTNPBgqLWcXU_BOUEk6s8sHslsYYotZc0vij1Ysz9TeK3zEDwWdiSTUzr2AFnygVDYMFs4OJtrlnGFDHWV9IKko/s400/WaiOTapu3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781368121675938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAU9TpeyoaDgzvChbz0I9W8ll5jLcYEkcjmkLbRrSTccHx3PuVfgWTDNH5cv42KPm8SOMRhvxM3gFUDvi27ZvhszbMgHRGKfPP02dWlzyCGLZfCtrxUt0V2ikxl9Su2zYhhyphenhyphenlt9kuI4M/s1600-h/WaiOTapu2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAU9TpeyoaDgzvChbz0I9W8ll5jLcYEkcjmkLbRrSTccHx3PuVfgWTDNH5cv42KPm8SOMRhvxM3gFUDvi27ZvhszbMgHRGKfPP02dWlzyCGLZfCtrxUt0V2ikxl9Su2zYhhyphenhyphenlt9kuI4M/s400/WaiOTapu2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781360634245954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrDhUmfrrt93lPY_9uyiP68HRAO9t_TEx2F95g0ZAbi4gjjvulQ2VzBEN-VBlBD_4Af-1nKlAwYOgcZYfP4FNPd6nA1_7nutl3bYgETBlCF_i9DG3-9hh_h6QEy6gxwm8fKpDAQAnLg4/s1600-h/WaiOTapu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrDhUmfrrt93lPY_9uyiP68HRAO9t_TEx2F95g0ZAbi4gjjvulQ2VzBEN-VBlBD_4Af-1nKlAwYOgcZYfP4FNPd6nA1_7nutl3bYgETBlCF_i9DG3-9hh_h6QEy6gxwm8fKpDAQAnLg4/s400/WaiOTapu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781350782485426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YwKRq15RC0oQaEbnEIrlucOQGPIVSHXXxnX39nuFza4iXHeRM3paU0i-IeUo6HerX5yCsIz8QomW70NEqVvyx2px5zcvxnvaXVUAAi39UCFCkecMbLGdB4yMU6zMf7_jFKjx1iZ8hFk/s1600-h/MudPoolWaiOTapu2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YwKRq15RC0oQaEbnEIrlucOQGPIVSHXXxnX39nuFza4iXHeRM3paU0i-IeUo6HerX5yCsIz8QomW70NEqVvyx2px5zcvxnvaXVUAAi39UCFCkecMbLGdB4yMU6zMf7_jFKjx1iZ8hFk/s400/MudPoolWaiOTapu2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781340478889938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiz39FuHU2wQClWZ2NWBnUcos10NkPj-_yM0G-nShqs3KChwotUQtaT2SGCuYBRXNClVRwpWi1QjD4irOcT2wHzWuLnYPCxPddkUcyKMDyAFWih44IoB18SabhgAjHOldFWh0ja7LgAc/s1600-h/MudPoolWaiOTapu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiz39FuHU2wQClWZ2NWBnUcos10NkPj-_yM0G-nShqs3KChwotUQtaT2SGCuYBRXNClVRwpWi1QjD4irOcT2wHzWuLnYPCxPddkUcyKMDyAFWih44IoB18SabhgAjHOldFWh0ja7LgAc/s400/MudPoolWaiOTapu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781331449640402" border="0" /></a><br />That night, after a quick nap in my hotel room (I was up late on Friday being the designated “walker” back to the hotel, and had an early flight on Saturday), I was picked up by another shuttle and taken to a Maori Village for a performance and dinner. Kind of reminded me of the PCC in Hawaii. It was really cool, but by the end of the evening, however, I was so cool (LOL) that I was ready to be taken back to the hotel. Met a nice couple from Sydney (nope, didn’t meet up with the folks from last weekend) and we had a nice visit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0wEi6Q4RBK5_CZT8Mirds1cp0QwP7QGY1alXYqQciGu2MJERi1dqM8_C9JvP7WORuJuCxW-skvBGhxGNCO0O8_MUKXID-E5xMvWZDVJ-1R3ecnIbr-hiEXv2bAjGXL_Gd6ka9dR7NC8/s1600-h/MitaiMaoriVillage2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0wEi6Q4RBK5_CZT8Mirds1cp0QwP7QGY1alXYqQciGu2MJERi1dqM8_C9JvP7WORuJuCxW-skvBGhxGNCO0O8_MUKXID-E5xMvWZDVJ-1R3ecnIbr-hiEXv2bAjGXL_Gd6ka9dR7NC8/s400/MitaiMaoriVillage2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781076367688242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPc1a0zBfy692XLY2EvoaxRcRGzZZfGXPgjQfbfau70xt_WQnNG-SPdabFfJys4z7eNKX_y1L22vBartS6xfu0Dh4vT4GEGisOrzoA59u9VZ4c9Qm79GEkHn1N5y5j9sfPax9JMzeAzA/s1600-h/MitaiMaoriVillage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPc1a0zBfy692XLY2EvoaxRcRGzZZfGXPgjQfbfau70xt_WQnNG-SPdabFfJys4z7eNKX_y1L22vBartS6xfu0Dh4vT4GEGisOrzoA59u9VZ4c9Qm79GEkHn1N5y5j9sfPax9JMzeAzA/s400/MitaiMaoriVillage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781068768797906" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLdW9WxG6iC-i0ixdkd4prMifzPbwHMSgXS_g-y4IDQPKLHd8E6X5uIvXLtQq58XdL0tl0zB-hWv1XpYpI_wgY63irdVt1Y7MxW50Ui0HvdJeINixJHfzq1Seeleg397NqYNaxxdaxm0/s1600-h/Hangi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLdW9WxG6iC-i0ixdkd4prMifzPbwHMSgXS_g-y4IDQPKLHd8E6X5uIvXLtQq58XdL0tl0zB-hWv1XpYpI_wgY63irdVt1Y7MxW50Ui0HvdJeINixJHfzq1Seeleg397NqYNaxxdaxm0/s400/Hangi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391781057758575698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Food for our </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C4%81ngi">Hangi</a></span><br /></div><br />Just a little side note, next time I’m in NZ, I’m just going to bite the bullet and rent a car – my friends from the UK drive in the States without a problem, most of the time, so why shouldn’t I be OK driving on the other side of the road? I’m just going to do it.<br /><br />Turns out, my hotel in Rotorua was next to the Polynesian Spa, so I figured… why not? I soaked in the hot springs and then had a massage (and mud) treatment. Ah, so relaxing (except for the “disposable g-string” they gave me – ARGH).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RSXeTR5DoqlRACAz9r0B8sdIocE8FrLVPYqaQ1WUsfOXtKvcnMTj6ZVq603M904uY0bmLcR2OOjkV1K6rdOxnzYE9zKQWzxh7nnHdVdArHlW5fEtp7D0ZOOnZy-wFCaNVcG7Ni4xrVg/s1600-h/LakeRotorua3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RSXeTR5DoqlRACAz9r0B8sdIocE8FrLVPYqaQ1WUsfOXtKvcnMTj6ZVq603M904uY0bmLcR2OOjkV1K6rdOxnzYE9zKQWzxh7nnHdVdArHlW5fEtp7D0ZOOnZy-wFCaNVcG7Ni4xrVg/s400/LakeRotorua3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391780751915848066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lake Rotorua</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8F-mFL01xYlodkh0fYdx7dCYJf8fMQ2ProW3MWZJOGoTABEWmwVxudSslKYNM8qWl0mYUjqployCPz4awP4fENjyYd3H0bWVshh1Z2TpWVtLF2Flbznlm8wV73_TWWRAnTPLFx4PL8E/s1600-h/LakeRotorua2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8F-mFL01xYlodkh0fYdx7dCYJf8fMQ2ProW3MWZJOGoTABEWmwVxudSslKYNM8qWl0mYUjqployCPz4awP4fENjyYd3H0bWVshh1Z2TpWVtLF2Flbznlm8wV73_TWWRAnTPLFx4PL8E/s400/LakeRotorua2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391780742307321778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RO65p86HcbKNWxw1ylAlCYuSX6DwJFms2bhSSwJFBgtkCQKE7XEXWLDdNjNKVy5QUvFL9KSnaS9zZqRLHogtna6oo_lyQcRunL9suCU9ja6NVeBeRoS-1AQB4mIuuVCsDQI7SNrtcJg/s1600-h/LakeRotorua.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RO65p86HcbKNWxw1ylAlCYuSX6DwJFms2bhSSwJFBgtkCQKE7XEXWLDdNjNKVy5QUvFL9KSnaS9zZqRLHogtna6oo_lyQcRunL9suCU9ja6NVeBeRoS-1AQB4mIuuVCsDQI7SNrtcJg/s400/LakeRotorua.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391780728376848786" border="0" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-65501163703000357162009-10-06T00:43:00.003-06:002009-10-06T00:55:26.644-06:00Walk - AddendumI was reprimanded for not having any pictures of myself from Abel Tasman. Since I was by myself, they were all self-portraits (and thus, way too close up), but I'll post some anyway. YIKES!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3O7HgNf_w7DrPMErUHDKqL4HPWjEZIVXQyLHn9ea5KEUn3e_5gnTKNxZCj1ZfH8sBp9I5_aBguzf2aIYDrHo7oBthPvUndlT8-1L0oyDSZfHWOAfm7UHo3znctitexG6dqpw4ly8gnfA/s1600-h/MeAtAbelTasman4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3O7HgNf_w7DrPMErUHDKqL4HPWjEZIVXQyLHn9ea5KEUn3e_5gnTKNxZCj1ZfH8sBp9I5_aBguzf2aIYDrHo7oBthPvUndlT8-1L0oyDSZfHWOAfm7UHo3znctitexG6dqpw4ly8gnfA/s400/MeAtAbelTasman4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389376290661135554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWLuSx_DBcUmQ9u5MtQV2Wi2_mJe_EDhXW-poUB7QOSGh81QFWMfwwgA3ULzDMG0J9aRs-tZB-SZXo6-2s935BbsbVX354irSLsetCQp7aaxoCBgLzO8n8L6y28aLw0bb7ble-5kjzIg/s1600-h/MeAtAbelTasman3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWLuSx_DBcUmQ9u5MtQV2Wi2_mJe_EDhXW-poUB7QOSGh81QFWMfwwgA3ULzDMG0J9aRs-tZB-SZXo6-2s935BbsbVX354irSLsetCQp7aaxoCBgLzO8n8L6y28aLw0bb7ble-5kjzIg/s400/MeAtAbelTasman3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389376277391758050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4a6fZQx-Qow7O9GBQ-2fLm2h53AwIkYIB4Zv4FWqZccViLSVlqx8otFdcTHSk1D_RBoz7gVUPYtlrv6_uDVM517RrHkKHVQ62zDErMy8DmWyCZkpb0hu8_WjTaMFodjoWs8YSCNyr54/s1600-h/MeAtAbelTasman2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4a6fZQx-Qow7O9GBQ-2fLm2h53AwIkYIB4Zv4FWqZccViLSVlqx8otFdcTHSk1D_RBoz7gVUPYtlrv6_uDVM517RrHkKHVQ62zDErMy8DmWyCZkpb0hu8_WjTaMFodjoWs8YSCNyr54/s400/MeAtAbelTasman2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389376266829960498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XUz6iH0gVGUzIFYJMYoxKZhScse-OFAYvuNj0ncjgPpr2CIQw7kjKk17W0QdjY-FYSmrLgu31-DyzFaQ1Uba0Iamplq_7yAGjrdySwcnKRpfHHsddffPNXXt9uR1k4N8B_qpmWl6268/s1600-h/MeAtAbelTasman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XUz6iH0gVGUzIFYJMYoxKZhScse-OFAYvuNj0ncjgPpr2CIQw7kjKk17W0QdjY-FYSmrLgu31-DyzFaQ1Uba0Iamplq_7yAGjrdySwcnKRpfHHsddffPNXXt9uR1k4N8B_qpmWl6268/s400/MeAtAbelTasman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389376256410354658" border="0" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-84378324396555736032009-10-05T02:28:00.008-06:002009-10-05T03:20:04.508-06:00Walk doesn't always mean walkI had a glorious weekend. On Friday I flew from Wellington to Nelson - a whole 25 minute flight. At the airport I didn’t even have to show ID or go through security. Weird. I had booked a day cruise/walk online for the Abel Tasman National Park, which is about a 90-minute bus ride from Nelson. My bus (or coach, as they said here) was going to pick me up at my hotel at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. However, as I was getting ready (say, at about 6:45) my phone rang and the front desk said that my coach to Abel Tasman was there to pick me up. Ummm… my email said 7:30. Anyway, there was a coach at 7:30, so I was ready for that one. Whew – didn’t really want to rush to get ready.<br /><br />The scenery just driving to the National Park was gorgeous. I had been worried about the weather – it’s been rainy and cloudy here in NZ, but I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. The boat ride along the coastline was gorgeous – windy, but gorgeous. I kept singing <span style="font-style: italic;">How Great Thou Art </span>in my head as I was watching the landscape go by.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03xkSas48fNhdkugYTqSkeMMUPM2BfaafQPy3D3SlLKX9ueG6adsEjUPUetn51jbXvYCdsmM_T9X1rTgZcsImbWxRJrciv3Y69BvEb8-bvVyqHkBz8gckSbqXAinTZT8hrb2kVMKphe4/s1600-h/AbelTasmanCoastline7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03xkSas48fNhdkugYTqSkeMMUPM2BfaafQPy3D3SlLKX9ueG6adsEjUPUetn51jbXvYCdsmM_T9X1rTgZcsImbWxRJrciv3Y69BvEb8-bvVyqHkBz8gckSbqXAinTZT8hrb2kVMKphe4/s400/AbelTasmanCoastline7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389040420712947010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9kxKs1Wjx3g_9kmqNY4T3PS_O79C85B_kEdb8xwc6vD-zjyNuQ-mIudWarWQEC5VGPmBrxMjrk-tGysrnQQWCVay-zo9VMZs-CmLyv-NcMOvepBkBS6ddLovu1Ov3NF0LsnG8I_6VSw/s1600-h/AbelTasmanCoastline6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9kxKs1Wjx3g_9kmqNY4T3PS_O79C85B_kEdb8xwc6vD-zjyNuQ-mIudWarWQEC5VGPmBrxMjrk-tGysrnQQWCVay-zo9VMZs-CmLyv-NcMOvepBkBS6ddLovu1Ov3NF0LsnG8I_6VSw/s400/AbelTasmanCoastline6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389040410615512546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3hJO8ubRoBkFGAXB_qJXBno7YnEgQJS5MTPY94nMu16OTDW7_OuiOd60-BYf2JrpGamPweOIix29Lg7c2eaua7oCugbaF-uhzDHjpafY05jHcLMcnIojVC1_w2zVt26QVjcH7sAvHH8/s1600-h/AbelTasmanCoastline5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3hJO8ubRoBkFGAXB_qJXBno7YnEgQJS5MTPY94nMu16OTDW7_OuiOd60-BYf2JrpGamPweOIix29Lg7c2eaua7oCugbaF-uhzDHjpafY05jHcLMcnIojVC1_w2zVt26QVjcH7sAvHH8/s400/AbelTasmanCoastline5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389039815173295090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcS5qJVFbuHqmWwij53t7aTbTu_FGrwU4PbP0yU1MsKoGdDgVfcba2pENwVki5-z1QjWp8d9rPwbAGKSW-gRmqUfBQclZ05D76ZkAhOYYsZ7P3_UCT1QKfGPaTMst56O3rnYeiyGYnYVI/s1600-h/AbelTasmanCoastline4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcS5qJVFbuHqmWwij53t7aTbTu_FGrwU4PbP0yU1MsKoGdDgVfcba2pENwVki5-z1QjWp8d9rPwbAGKSW-gRmqUfBQclZ05D76ZkAhOYYsZ7P3_UCT1QKfGPaTMst56O3rnYeiyGYnYVI/s400/AbelTasmanCoastline4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389039804684388002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfwpdRAw4QdXDSMJT2v4Q1bSvvYRahSWUCUs0J97U5rSN-v1fzOLjkaQ5RU_8CLg-VHIoxjUwF4KpTUSCp9KDP_TB1sjy9yhrSlINPT8ebOl7xKzy3umkyA3ADv28Wa7yokxKy2B2HTg/s1600-h/AbelTasmanCoastline3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfwpdRAw4QdXDSMJT2v4Q1bSvvYRahSWUCUs0J97U5rSN-v1fzOLjkaQ5RU_8CLg-VHIoxjUwF4KpTUSCp9KDP_TB1sjy9yhrSlINPT8ebOl7xKzy3umkyA3ADv28Wa7yokxKy2B2HTg/s400/AbelTasmanCoastline3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389039795328184098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vGY3Bm7AoS5Zh1Jxey8XkK8i7-MvDQYd18CVqyZ5yCoVb9pG1XwM5bcM-hnKqWMEwikR0H5KU-XM6hMQKHQogH7jmPzmxo1dcqYABFtYe2AjB5FFHp8MthreMMIaKwUh3doIhtdq-EI/s1600-h/AbelTasmanCoastline2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vGY3Bm7AoS5Zh1Jxey8XkK8i7-MvDQYd18CVqyZ5yCoVb9pG1XwM5bcM-hnKqWMEwikR0H5KU-XM6hMQKHQogH7jmPzmxo1dcqYABFtYe2AjB5FFHp8MthreMMIaKwUh3doIhtdq-EI/s400/AbelTasmanCoastline2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389039787666123202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSJo6EBTQ0gKzpLNRHxbUksIS8XAXEOJaNCGqSIQfzYXZt9Y14FefsadzTnhdddiqb8R_V3I992HplFcKy_d-7t3jW1_NlNGQEhtuyEFhSpEH8QSBKu2gZT1V7fl2sxo5wd-inA1RIgs/s1600-h/AbelTasmanCoastline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSJo6EBTQ0gKzpLNRHxbUksIS8XAXEOJaNCGqSIQfzYXZt9Y14FefsadzTnhdddiqb8R_V3I992HplFcKy_d-7t3jW1_NlNGQEhtuyEFhSpEH8QSBKu2gZT1V7fl2sxo5wd-inA1RIgs/s400/AbelTasmanCoastline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389039778744532930" border="0" /></a><br />The package that I booked was the Seals & Beach walk and cruise – walk was a little misleading. The description online states: <span style="font-style: italic;">Enjoy a 2hr 15min (5 kms, 3 miles) walk over a forested saddle and around the golden sands of Bark Bay Estuary with its cascading waterfalls through lush native forest.</span> However, walk was not the right word – it was a fairly strenuous hike. At least I didn’t wear flip-flops, but I did wear my traction-lacking Converse shoes, so the wet and muddy (and steep) paths were a little difficult to manage. I only slipped a few times. So for future reference, walk = hike. On the boat ride back to our originating point, I had a great conversation with a woman from Minnesota and her traveling buddy from the UK, as well as another guy from Sydney. The woman from Minnesota (I think her name is Kat) and the guy from the UK (crap, can’t remember his name) want to meet up next weekend in another city on the North Island, so I’m working on the scheduling for that.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mXq5QMNYwOUMMM216f4YhYyNKih9Ex7_d_dSI1Mnt2NFL9PiUvjwguMwknBC7SxJSouVRVyEQt5nnzPjzPjclf9FzWuRbxQtGX_D2C2r8ixrF2BQ2IwgLe7g0qC5PJ7qJI9p3StNYts/s1600-h/hike8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mXq5QMNYwOUMMM216f4YhYyNKih9Ex7_d_dSI1Mnt2NFL9PiUvjwguMwknBC7SxJSouVRVyEQt5nnzPjzPjclf9FzWuRbxQtGX_D2C2r8ixrF2BQ2IwgLe7g0qC5PJ7qJI9p3StNYts/s400/hike8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389036786473620530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdVGaLp0gi_0_hkCD5xFuLTnNZ2ZmwNWIWv583UIN6vOSa8rMNrDliz_GPskPR-UOsPo01qj7NSy3il1rCVAnA4zK4AxbT2DZsLoWVoo1TUTYYZ9o8qCl8DIjgnxn9p25kfxngJsO1kk/s1600-h/hike7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdVGaLp0gi_0_hkCD5xFuLTnNZ2ZmwNWIWv583UIN6vOSa8rMNrDliz_GPskPR-UOsPo01qj7NSy3il1rCVAnA4zK4AxbT2DZsLoWVoo1TUTYYZ9o8qCl8DIjgnxn9p25kfxngJsO1kk/s400/hike7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389036776819599282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfMnjjBiuGNoz8JKJ5_uUxiMvIdcqG0BwEm5rc3uVujvfzIQ7elLs5qSTs9V1dzP7PbrYyTV7mysUKuKf6V0Ypg7GZPbCBEl2gJ5MB9GF7TZE_-hhH884JxjB89cSqtIMpHpEbEDcpZo/s1600-h/hike6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfMnjjBiuGNoz8JKJ5_uUxiMvIdcqG0BwEm5rc3uVujvfzIQ7elLs5qSTs9V1dzP7PbrYyTV7mysUKuKf6V0Ypg7GZPbCBEl2gJ5MB9GF7TZE_-hhH884JxjB89cSqtIMpHpEbEDcpZo/s400/hike6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389036766173650418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIXRLQ7QYbGrefr1I_s6ISpKKxvMf6AW9NigH93gA_kNrp4YFz9pPdw-2_CTPcc2waTsX_A6Xs_eSR8jkymz4myLyoNoeYVuPpSxbqgNQDc-QCWKCdNMnYKdfRtWLuMHd8EE9342NMUE/s1600-h/hike5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIXRLQ7QYbGrefr1I_s6ISpKKxvMf6AW9NigH93gA_kNrp4YFz9pPdw-2_CTPcc2waTsX_A6Xs_eSR8jkymz4myLyoNoeYVuPpSxbqgNQDc-QCWKCdNMnYKdfRtWLuMHd8EE9342NMUE/s400/hike5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389034094267152354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CAwbfzeTfVJfIyII8Y-5L4Z_m1ec7U-bz0lIyLITLt7TClmnUfiRpFk6rXRc3D0pov7PldsFoN20cKSrVMGXIlD9dE88bEW5UFVc2wKjSHmJmSEhJ74bYUKCEq14cNKW2Iv9S99cu5o/s1600-h/hike4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CAwbfzeTfVJfIyII8Y-5L4Z_m1ec7U-bz0lIyLITLt7TClmnUfiRpFk6rXRc3D0pov7PldsFoN20cKSrVMGXIlD9dE88bEW5UFVc2wKjSHmJmSEhJ74bYUKCEq14cNKW2Iv9S99cu5o/s400/hike4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389034084377652498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7MO8qxMBWgBxLA_fBzPJXwN3K76WXfIvL8KNPeRQp5CtB97oLY83RpfyUUtt4oHAwkXDg6Ada77_6gB6U58dVR4ioTRrfjZ42rAlUXOtuKepN2R_KzcBfqGt_3TOWkxqeBitIMKY8JA/s1600-h/hike3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7MO8qxMBWgBxLA_fBzPJXwN3K76WXfIvL8KNPeRQp5CtB97oLY83RpfyUUtt4oHAwkXDg6Ada77_6gB6U58dVR4ioTRrfjZ42rAlUXOtuKepN2R_KzcBfqGt_3TOWkxqeBitIMKY8JA/s400/hike3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389034076654503074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqxukZ5xB0cCeM2jhZRmdMfQcwQWJBW8wNs3B01rVLNopLe5_Mu3xmJWzJCIErgqcQkkvapsqSv2p0PDURzYNV52ilqUPKngHzITg2UAmq1FFtO6oHjTzM7efEY3lM2lVBtUfWICPAT8/s1600-h/hike2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqxukZ5xB0cCeM2jhZRmdMfQcwQWJBW8wNs3B01rVLNopLe5_Mu3xmJWzJCIErgqcQkkvapsqSv2p0PDURzYNV52ilqUPKngHzITg2UAmq1FFtO6oHjTzM7efEY3lM2lVBtUfWICPAT8/s400/hike2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389034065054873090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7UJ1K23Y-L0tvS8surYoxGzYuP7gofgpOt-wr9RczsImXAjVUzfgOlZ6aulLgRXpeDKoh-Vz78k1l6NP3nvawt-2EVZT2PCB-0yp_WspcO2wPP-G50KcbQYAHrOoEN9BmCWmDJixU3I/s1600-h/hike.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7UJ1K23Y-L0tvS8surYoxGzYuP7gofgpOt-wr9RczsImXAjVUzfgOlZ6aulLgRXpeDKoh-Vz78k1l6NP3nvawt-2EVZT2PCB-0yp_WspcO2wPP-G50KcbQYAHrOoEN9BmCWmDJixU3I/s400/hike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389034056910904642" border="0" /></a><br />On Sunday, prior to my flight back to Wellington, I just walked around Nelson. They have a huge cathedral right next to the hotel where I stayed. As I walked around the cathedral grounds, I noticed several people in the parking lot with dogs, and I also saw some rabbits and guinea pigs. I thought to myself, wouldn’t that be funny if this were like that <span style="font-style: italic;">Vicar of Dibley</span> episode where the Vicar holds a service for everyone’s pets? Well, a woman stopped to talk to me while I was walking around and asked if I had been to the service. She said it was a great service because it was a pet service (pronounced peet). Hilarious!<br /><br />Gorgeous weekend, so much fun!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJABwUuaqg97OP0v6w3uwkaagi2Bjw-dTgEkYwV6sFyFcUJ_lftpAFcLloBvJjHbRfYAiNVoZXValgNDe46O23TMbCXPaWQecZmqq-An86L7WMUYkxYCnz-7B-8m_nocShmb7cIuG_RHc/s1600-h/Cathedral.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJABwUuaqg97OP0v6w3uwkaagi2Bjw-dTgEkYwV6sFyFcUJ_lftpAFcLloBvJjHbRfYAiNVoZXValgNDe46O23TMbCXPaWQecZmqq-An86L7WMUYkxYCnz-7B-8m_nocShmb7cIuG_RHc/s400/Cathedral.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389031476479395234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXgjBcxrM9xJ2Ny9jL-beWWWD4MB8kDJofSN7R1MWpkyH0T_MIHIUOMyLgJaRPW_bY8RD2xks5miYDp_RJCfUpdreeWhyphenhyphenwzIiSsCQXPMxCZfQ8zeB3OXbawlqyDAL-kmEeLLCzv-a4wM/s1600-h/Cathedral2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXgjBcxrM9xJ2Ny9jL-beWWWD4MB8kDJofSN7R1MWpkyH0T_MIHIUOMyLgJaRPW_bY8RD2xks5miYDp_RJCfUpdreeWhyphenhyphenwzIiSsCQXPMxCZfQ8zeB3OXbawlqyDAL-kmEeLLCzv-a4wM/s400/Cathedral2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389031469404669922" border="0" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-1944152690750213622009-09-28T23:48:00.002-06:002009-09-28T23:59:56.954-06:00kia oraWhich means “hello” in Maori. Ready for a quick (maybe not so quick) update?<br /><br />Last Thursday I took the l o n g e s t plane ride of my life to Wellington, New Zealand. When I checked in at the airport, the Delta employee asked if I had my Australian visa. Um, what? Oh yeah, evidently, to get into Australia you need a visa – who knew? OK, when I looked at my printed itinerary from Delta, there was – in <span style="font-size:85%;">small</span> lettering – a statement that passport and/or visa requirements may have changed for this itinerary, but if a visa is <span style="font-weight: bold;">required</span> to get into Australia, it really should have been more specific, shouldn’t it? Luckily, it could be done all online, and the visa is electronic, not paper, so the nice Delta personnel helped me take care of it. Good thing I was early. Funny part of the story – since I was just connecting in Sydney (on this end of my trip), I didn’t need the visa. But since I’ll be staying in Sydney for a weekend at the end of my trip, I guess it’s better that I have it now, right?<br /><br />Here’s a little traveling tip. Don’t let the ticket agents stick your baggage claim receipt on the back of your boarding pass. OK, so I’ve never had a problem with this before, but this time I did. The Delta folks checked my bag all the way to Wellington, which was nice because I changed airlines in Sydney. So, nothing to worry about, right? They stuck my receipt on the back of my LAX to Sydney boarding pass. However, in Los Angeles, for some reason they had to issue me a new boarding pass (no, didn’t get upgraded, darn it). I really didn’t even think anything about it at the time. However, once in Sydney, when I checked in with Quantas, they asked to see my luggage receipt. But my bags were checked all the way to Wellington already? Well, that didn’t matter, Quantas still needed to find my luggage (using the code on my receipt) in order to get it on my flight to Wellington. So, I pulled out my Sydney boarding pass… and then realized what had actually happened in L.A. Double drat. The Quantas agent was quite helpful, though. She had me wait off to the side while she called someone to find my bag (in ALL the luggage that came from Los Angeles). The stars were aligned because it was found rather quickly, and it actually arrived in Wellington.<br /><br />Now, for the flight itself. Fifteen hours in an airplane is a LONG, LONG time. I had an aisle seat so that it would be easy for me to get up and walk around. I had my own personal movie/TV screen, which was veddy nice, so I could watch whatever I wanted (well, from the available options). Since the flight left Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m., I was hoping to fall asleep – it kind of worked. I’d start a movie or show on my personal screen, and then fall asleep while watching it. Wake up after it was over and start another one. I watched <span style="font-style: italic;">Ghost</span> three times (well, I actually watched it all the way through only once, but had it playing three times). I do love that Patrick Swayze. I watched a couple of other movies, several episodes of different TV shows, and read a book. Before I knew it, we were landing in Sydney (not really before I knew it, it still felt like a LONG time).<br /><br />So, I left SLC Thursday evening and arrived in Wellington on Saturday afternoon (you have to take the 18-hour time difference into consideration). I walked around Wellington a little bit on Saturday, but I was quite exhausted. My internet quit working on Sunday, so I had difficulty finding a church to attend, but, stars aligned again and I was finally able to get a meetinghouse address to attend 11:00 a.m. church (after I realized that New Zealand experienced a time change Sunday morning – there’s now a 19-hour time difference), even though I had been awake and ready for a 9:00 a.m. meeting. The members of the Wellington ward were extremely nice. Several people stopped to talk to me to find out if I was new or visiting. There was one sister in particular who sat behind me who was just so nice, I was quite touched.<br /><br />Not much touristing during the week… it’s too bad work gets in the way of all my fun. I will have the weekends, though, so I will take some pictures, but I may not be able to post them because I didn’t bring the cable to get the pictures off my camera. Ah, the humanity – I knew I’d forget something.<br /><br />haere ra (good-bye)Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421099673747520615.post-85365272790869313372009-08-27T10:21:00.006-06:002009-08-27T10:36:15.261-06:00Big hair, tight pants and tattoos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMBagr8DFqU_n1TQMw5Cy2R8xucnjj-7rdeDRaH8B4ak7LHM1IPWTiwbpEkO3ums9s107Pf7e5UTdSSyygRQB0oZ55fDv3X9uYle_Ci2Fkty5YecLmt-u2fPilVzt5c6iZXOd9GAqhhM/s1600-h/concert.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMBagr8DFqU_n1TQMw5Cy2R8xucnjj-7rdeDRaH8B4ak7LHM1IPWTiwbpEkO3ums9s107Pf7e5UTdSSyygRQB0oZ55fDv3X9uYle_Ci2Fkty5YecLmt-u2fPilVzt5c6iZXOd9GAqhhM/s320/concert.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374683266365539890" border="0" /></a>A couple of days ago, my friend Michelle and I went to the Def Leppard, Poison, and Cheap Trick concert. I totally loved it. (As a matter of fact, I’m listening to Poison right now – I love <a href="http://pandora.com/">Pandora radio</a> – I created my own Def Leppard “station”)<br /><br />To avoid traffic, we left early and spent some time wandering around the Usana “village.” We were going to buy T-shirts, but they were $40 to $50, I mean, seriously?<br /><br />Right before Cheap Trick came onstage, this geriatric looking fella walked on stage, and Michelle jokingly said “hey, it’s Cheap Trick.” We laughed until the guy sat down at the drums. It WAS Cheap Trick. I only knew one Cheap Trick song, so their part was OK. Isn’t it amazing how much difference it makes when you know the songs being performed?<br /><br />When Poison finally came out, I was so excited (I say “finally” because the intermission between Cheap Trick and Poison was quite long). Bret Michaels told us that their bass player (actually a Utah resident) was really sick and was unable to play, but as luck would have it, the bass player for Bon Jovi had been backstage and rather than Poison not playing the concert, Hugh McDonald volunteered to play for them and took 20 minutes to look over all the music.<br /><br />Def Leppard was amazing. I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve seen them in concert. I’ll definitely be going again! As they started, I told Michelle that there were three songs I wanted them to sing for sure, and they didn’t disappoint – but EVERY song they sang was fantastic and one that I really wanted them to sing.<br /><br />Almost as fun as the concert was the people-watching. There was a girl a few rows in front of us who kept dancing around with a full cup of beer in her hands (a cup which she kept replenishing) – I kept waiting for it to spill on the people in front of her, but she evidently had mad drunk-dancing skills and only spilled on herself.<br /><br />People always had the strangest reaction when I said I was going to Def Leppard. I’m not sure what kind of image I’m portraying (and I’m not complaining), but these reactions bring two stories to mind.<br /><br />a. When I was 19, I spent a week babysitting three of my nephews. One night I was driving my (then) 11-year-old and 13-year-old nephews to get ice cream. One of the few AC/DC songs that I liked came on the radio, so I started singing along. After a little while I noticed that there were no longer any noises coming from the back seat. I looked in the rear view mirror and my two nephews were looking at me like they had no idea who I was. “Katie, you know this song?” “Yup, I love this song.” “Wow! You’re cool!” It’s the little things, isn’t it?<br /><br />b. A few years ago, I was in Tennessee working with a couple of male co-workers. We were driving from Nashville back to Jackson – Mark was driving so was in control of the radio. He had a heavy metal station playing and it just so happened that they played something like 5 or 6 songs in a row that I knew and liked, so I sang along. Mark looked at me, aghast, and said that he would now have to change his whole opinion of me. Not quite sure what that means, but…<br /><br />Long live rock and roll!!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11034061085045306687noreply@blogger.com2