Strollering around Sydney

One day we spent walking around the city. I was expecting Sydney to feel like a different country, but it felt like being in Seattle or Chicago. All the buildings are super modern and new. I really do not know what I was expecting, but it was not that. I liked being back in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a big city. Singapore is big, but there isn't anything like the hustle and bustle there is in NYC. This was pretty close. I love city life. 

The Queen Victoria Building known as the QVB by the locals. 

Got a good look at the Sydney Tower. 

The gang at Hyde Park. I loved this place. It's beautiful, the fountain, the cathedral in the background, and....

the giant bubbles! This was a favorite part of the day because it reminded me so much of NYC. We would go all around Central Park during the summer and the bubble guys would be all around. My kids, like any ordinary kid, love the bubbles. I loved having a little piece of our NYC life in Sydney. Those bubbles brought back a lot of happy memories. Hyde Park, I really love you. 

Raphael got this bubble to all the other children's displeasure. It helps having a tall daddy. 

Raphael made his mark permanently on the New South Wales Art Gallery. There were so many things that we skipped because the kids and we did not have a lot of time in Sydney. We will just have to go back.

Taking in all the spring flowers at the Royal Botanical Gardens. 

Lyndon and the Wollemi pine, which is a protected tree in Australia. It has been on the Earth for at least 200 million years, which is how far back the oldest Wollemi fossil dates. Really cool to see this tree. Lyndon is the tree person so had to get a pic of him and this ancient tree.

We also walked around the Wishing Tree in the gardens. It is a Norfolk Pine. Brooke told us that you have to skip around it and make a wish. She and Cosette did it together. I got some cute footage of it that I am going to put into a video of the trip. 

Henry is the funniest kid you will ever meet. There were a lot of birds at the gardens, including wild Cockatoos. I am a animal nerd and was nerding out on seeing all the interesting birds around. Anyway, Henry decided that he was going to talk in a bird voice and follow this bird around. He followed it for a good bit and after it flew away he was pretending to be a bird with a long beak for a while. It was hilarious. 

This view. Seeing the Opera House was kind of emotional for me. I have always dreamed about going there, and later that evening we did! It is so beautiful and I love this view. I would stay in Sydney forever just for this view. 

The Royal Botanic Gardens are celebrating 200 years this year. Happy 200th Birthday Gardens!

Cosette had to get a pose with Daddy too.

"Look at me! I'm riding a horse!" She did that on every bench around Circular Qauy.

Hotties. What can I say? I am biased.

Didgeridoo.

Gelatissimo saved us from a couple of meltdowns. Ice cream/gelato for the win every time. Cosette finally got her chocolate ice cream. We tried a couple of gelato places on the trip and this one was the best. 

Now I can die, actually after I have been to Vienna I can die. A professor of mine said once you go to Vienna you can die. Vienna is on the bucket list, but the Sydney Opera House is incredible! 

What a view!

My boys, on a boat, with the Harbor Bridge. 

I love him. His smile, his disposition. He is the best little buddy to hang out with.

We met up with the cousins at the Australian National Maritime Museum. The permanent galleries are free and there was a kid's play place!

                       My own personal puppet show!

Sweet William fishing.

And this was not the end of the day! This trip was so much fun for us and the kids. Our kids were in heaven hanging out with their cousins. Being with our family there is why we loved the trip so much.