Three Kids and a Dog: Sydney, Australia - Jan. 2

Our flight was canceled into Sydney that morning as we boarded the bus to the airport and we didn't have to lift a finger to figure out the next flight or rearranging what we had planned for that day. That was all on the Tour Guides. They were amazing and quickly rebooked all 39 of us on a flight only one hour later.

However, due to the delay they had to change our biking tour of the Sydney Bridge. We were supposed to bike the bridge and since it had a steep ascent, Hailey and Papa (along with some fellow tour participants) were not going to do it. But, since we were now late, the biking over the bridge got changed to a bike tour around city and Papa was in so Hailey had to go even though she hadn't ridden a bike in over a year (because she refused to move to the bigger size bike). And, just for the record, it's not like riding a bike. Hailey appeared drunk, weaving all over the road, with a guaranteed accident in her near future. This is why Disney is so great though, instead of Tom or me having to stay back with her, our Disney Tour Guide scooped her up and took her back to wait at the bike place. Thank you Disney. The rest of got to experience a quick ride around the harbor where we saw the Disney Wonder (the boat we all took to Alaska) leaving the harbor at that exact time. So cool to hear those horns and very appropriate! Our bike tour was an experience though as one of our fellow tour participants broke his bike and the bike guide had to give him his and he had to run the rest of the tour route with us. Good thing it was a short tour!

But, the bike tour wasn't the first thing we did when we got to Sydney. They dropped us off for lunch at the Terrace on the Domain where we feasted on pizza, salads and pastas before we started our stroll to the Sydney skyline through the Royal Botanic Gardens. The Gardens eventually led us to an opening where you could see the Sydney Harbor and then a walkway where you held your breath around the bend before getting your first view of the iconic Sydney Opera House. It was breathtaking to be that close. Kind of like seeing the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty. After taking a ton of pictures, we embarked on a jet boat tour of the Sydney Harbor. It was a boat that did 360 degree spins and got you wet so we had to be outfitted in rain gear and take off our shoes. It was a lot of fun though and a different experience for all.

After that we walked to the bike store to get our bikes and then once were done with the bike ride we finally headed back to check into the hotel before freshening up for dinner. We had dinner in "The Rocks" neighborhood at Pancakes on the Rocks, located right by the Sydney Harbour Bridge and within a quick walk from our hotel. We ate pancakes and crepes at this casual establishment and then headed back to the hotel (The ShangriLa) to unpack and get ready for our early call the next day.

The next day, we ate breakfast on the 36th floor of our hotel which had stunning views of the Sydney Harbour plus the Sydney Opera House. In fact, we could see the Sydney Opera House from our rooms. We slept with the curtains open every night to soak in the skyline and this architectural wonder. Anyway, we traveled that day to the Fitzroy Falls where we saw some magnificent falls made better by the recent cyclone. We canoed the Wingcarribee River where we put the three kids together while Tom and I and Papa went in another canoe. Unfortunately, there was a lot of low hanging branches and another older couple on our trip tried to avoid them and made the mistake of leaning to the same side and ended up in the river. We felt bad for them but I was just glad it wasn't us because we still had to head to the Berrima Village for lunch and shopping and they were cold and wet. We ate in this cute little cafe that made the best charcuterie trays and coffees, hot chocolates and iced drinks. After a little shopping, we visited an alpaca farm where we got to walk the alpacas. Then it was back to the hotel to have dinner on our own. We sat outside at this cute pub (The Endeavor Tap Room) in "The Rocks" area again and recapped all of our favorite things from the trip before the adults headed to the 36th floor of the hotel for a nightcap and view of Sydney.

The next day was our last day in Sydney. We had the morning to explore Sydney on our own and we chose to hit Bondi Beach with some of our new friends. The kids (Austen and Peyton) had a surfing lesson and we enjoyed the sunshine before hitting the boardwalk for some lunch and heading back. Papa chose to sit this one out and explored Sydney on his own that morning. We all were scheduled to meet at 3:45pm for our private tour of the Sydney Opera House. There are not enough adjectives to describe this wonder. Amazing, magnificent, impressive...the lists go on and the inside was just as impressive as the outside. We had our last dinner together as a group - a private dinner also scheduled for inside the Opera House that evening and it was such a fitting way to end the trip. We may have altered the table cards or asked our Tour Guides to alter the Table Cards so we could sit next to all of our new friends on that last night but it was a fun way to end the night. Not wanting the night and our time in Sydney to end, we took a slow leisurely walk back from the Opera House to the hotel while others took the bus.

Sydney was stunning and I only wish we had more time to spend there. But the entire trip was just memorable and how could it not be? We did things and had access to places we wouldn't have had on our own. We had three generations there too making memories. It was every bit worth the time, effort and money it took to get there. We are all glad we went and got to have a different vacation experience than our usual beach vacations. We definitely would do it again (even though we missed our connection home due to our flight arriving 1 hour late from Sydney to San Fran) and the kids are already contemplating their next trip. As for me, I'm still digging out two weeks later!