Sara and I spent about ten days in the LA area most of which seemed to be spent on the infamous 405 freeway. That's a secret hot spot, they don't put that highlight in the tour books ladies and gentlemen.The traffic here is terrible which often means leaving hours before you plan to arrive. The weather was pretty good although we did have one day of rain, compared to the UK though it felt great. Aside from having a great time meeting up with Sara's friends we spent a day in the Beverly Hills and Santa Monica areas doing some serious people watching. It was a bit of a culture shock from the cities in South America to see so much wealth and extravagance but a great experience and very funny. We also went down to Santa Monica and went for a long walk along the ocean to venice beach.
Rodeo Drive - Beverly Hills
Of course I fitted right in here on Muscle Beach Santa Monica!!! Made famous by our "Governator" Arnold Schwartzeneger.
We took Sara's nephew Owen to Hollywood to catch the latest Winnie the Pooh movie at the famous El Capitan cinema where the Oscars used to be held. It was great fun being in the heart of "movieland" and walking the "walk of stars".
Hit me baby one more time
John Travolta's hands and feet
Goodbye USA - Hello Australia
So after a very busy ten days in LA, Sara and I packed our backpacks and headed to LAX airport for the fourteen and a half hour flight to Sydney. After jumping the international date line and never having lived the 16th February we arrived in a sunny Sydney on Thursday morning. After checking into our hostel we set off to explore the city. Our first stop was to Circular Quay to get our first view of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was a great feeling to be here at last and looking at one of the worlds most famous landmarks.
Me and Sara at the Sydney Opera House
First view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge
The next couple of days we spent aclimatising and walking the city to get our bearings. We both love the city with an almost west coast USA feel to it. The weather has been warm and sunny although we have had a couple of days of cloud. Saturday started hot and sunny so we both packed our beach towels and headed off to the famous Bondi Beach. It felt really great to be back on a beach again soaking up the rays and watching the surfers. The beach is much like California with hot sun and cool water. The surf was minimal maybe 1-2 feet but that didn't stop 101 people from renting boards and riding the white water. I think we will wait for better waves and less crowds.
Lifeguards on Bondi Beach (stop gazing Sara!!!) It is hard not to with those funny little caps. What purpose do those caps serve anyway? I think they would strangle you in a big wave. They don't float so you can't throw them to aid a drowning person. Maybe they should watch more baywatch for pointers? At least Pamela Anderson has personal floating devices!
On Saturday evening Sara had booked tickets to see Tosca at the Opera House as a valentines day gift. It was a wonderful surprise and a once in a lifetime experience to see opera at such a famous location. It was the first time either of us had been to the opera before and we were both a bit aprehensive. We didn't have to be though, it was very relaxed and easy to follow. The music, singing, acting and the whole atmosphere was incredible. The highlight of the evening though was seeing Nicole Kidman at the opera,. She was sitting just four rows behind us and stood just feet away during the interval. Sara spotted her first due to years of star spotting experience living in LA!!! All-in-all it was an amazing night to remember and something we will remember for a long time.
Going to the Opera House to see Tosca
We are here in Sydney for another four days before flying to Alice Springs for a tour of Ayers Rock. It is then off to Melbourne to see the start of the Formula One season begin with the Australian Grand Prix. Stay tuned for more updates................
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