The push to bump this trip to the top of our list came from Andrew Johnson and his propaganda videos of winter in Brisbane. Our original goal was to see Andrew and Jo at the halfway point of our trip, but that shifted when we decided seven weeks was too long to be away from home. Instead, Brisbane moved to the end of Don's three week trip. I decided if I've come this far, I still want to see Sydney, so I added an extra week on my journey.
I wanted to be at the airport for Don in case he had any challenges with his flight, which means I arrived four hours early for a 90 minute flight. The good news for those of you following my adventures, I have bonus time to blog before my flight.
The Brisbane leg of our journey can succinctly be called Living Like a Local.
Rather than staying in a hotel in the CBD (Central Business District, no cannabis involved), we stayed at their home in the suburbs. After our 6 am flight, Andrew encouraged us to change out of our "Joey wearing every item of Chandler's clothes" wardrobe we've adopted to keep our carry on bags under 7 kg (15 pounds) into something more appropriate for the 90 degree weather. He took us to the South Bank section of Brisbane where we immediately looked for breakfast. Andrew returned to working from home. He left us with "breadcrumbs" as to how to find their home using mass transit.
This was our only hot day on the trip. We weren't fully prepared -- my hat was at their house and we didn't have water bottles. After a few hours of aimlessly walking around, popping in and out of museums, riding the Kitty Cat (boat), we decided to grab an American burger from a place called Brooklyn and take the train to their house where, after finally meeting Jo, we crashed.
By the time we woke up from our nap, the winds shifted and a "cold" front came through, as in the temperature dropped from 92 degrees to 72 degrees. Jo and Andrew took us to the Boat Club for dinner. Andrew is very persuasive (see the part about how he got us on a 22 hour flight to visit him). That skill extended to getting us to try lots of new foods from prawns (shrimp) to calamari to oysters (cooked and drenched in BBQ sauce and bacon) to a Bunning's "snag" to Aussie desserts of Carmalite Koalas and Pavlov. He also introduced us to slang and was impressed when I wrote "we got a toastie from Woolys for lunch," I should have added "in the arvo."
Friday we took it slow. Brisbane is our sixth city in less than three weeks, been on eight flights (some connecting), and finally had a place to sleep without hearing buses all day and night. Procrastination paid off as my NJ glasses were delivered at 10:45 am. Spoiler alert: the ones coming from NZ have still not arrived. I left money with them to forward when they arrive. The "if onlys" swim around, but I have to let them go and enjoy the trip. At least now I can see in dimly lit places, like museums and at night, and be able to drive when I get home.
Friday we wandered around Brisbane some more, visiting the Natural History and Art museums. It is school holiday week, so there were lots of families around. The day is a blur and I don't remember much of it. We met up with Andrew in the afternoon to see his office and catch a ride back to his home. He made us chicken and mushroom risotto in the Thermomix, a gadget popular in Europe and gaining popularity in Australia, but new to us.
Friday and Saturday we watched the semi finals for the Australian Football League, which we learned is not soccer and is not rugby. So far we have seen more sports on this trip than we see in a typical month. It helps having someone explain the rules. Next Saturday afternoon is the AFL finals (in Melbourne) so I'll try to find a pub and watch the game with the locals while having a lemon/lime bitter and a parmi, which they call "parma" instead.
Saturday we took a road trip to the Gold Coast, walking through a rain forest and on the beach. The Gold Coast faces the Pacific Ocean, but unlike in California, this Pacific Ocean is much warmer. I enjoyed dipping my toes in the water (unlike in other beaches I have sampled on the trip).
Sunday we really lived like a local by walking through a farmers market, going grocery shopping, to the fish market, and a veggie market. We also stopped for an iconic Bunning's snag -- the sausage fundraiser they are famous for doing every weekend for local charities. We took a stroll through Bunnings, their equivalent of Home Depot with more outdoors stuff, a place for kids to play and a cafe. After lunch we went to the mall so Don could get another stamp in his Lego passport (I've been charged with getting another stamp at the Sydney store, and possibly FaceTiming Don so he can do a virtual visit). Jo and Andrew dropped us off in Brisbane. We went to the GOMA and walked around downtown. We wanted to take the City Cat, or a free bus, but the timing didn't work out.
Andrew made another terrific dinner of chicken and potatoes with a prawn salad. Yes, Andrew has encouraged us to try seafood. Don's expanded dietary palette now also includes Greek yogurt. He and Don made a pavlova for dessert. I did more laundry, and packed up for the next legs of our journey.
Andrew dropped us off at the airport. I booked the flights. Don's is at 10 to Newark via Vancouver, mine is at 11:15 to Sydney. I wanted to give Don moral support, even though I am in the domestic terminal and he is in the international one. I have five full days with no plans, plus the rest of today. Sunday I fly home. Due to the quirks in the international date line, I land only seven hours after taking off.
Either this week will include lots of updates because I'll have downtime in the room, or it won't include another one until next weekend.
More detailed posts -- with pictures -- will be made in October.
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