the Blue Mountains

We are snuggly ensconced in Jo and Dave's house in Springwood, the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Jo was on exchange in Vernon last year. Shon is doing the dishes with Sam (12) and Zoe (10) while the wind blows outside. We lucked out today - spent a wonderful time in Katoomba -took a Skyway gondola ride then a cliff walk along to The Three Sisters rock formation. The weather held until we got back to the carpark then the rains came. We then drove to Dave's parents and the sun came back while we sat outside birdwatching as we drank tea and ate freshly baked Anzac biscuits (cookies). There are so many awesome birds around here! Dave is a photographer so I am going to attach his photos today instead of ours. His ones of Vancouver are incredible!

Yesterday, after we got here, we went for a hike down, down, down into a nearby gully, watched yabbies (fresh water lobster type creatures) in a pool, then hiked back up, up, up! Dave's parents then came over to watch the professional rugby league final - Manly defeated Melbourne 48-0 so it was a lopsided game but fun to watch a new sport (different style of rugby than Canada's). We then had a lovely Aussie bbq dinner of sausages, steak, and chicken.

Our last day in Sydney, we took the train across the bridge then walked back across to town and wandered around the Saturday market in The Rocks, an area similar to Gastown. Rain showers interrupted frequently but we just dodged from tent to tent. That evening, John Morellato (my former student at Davie Jones) and his wife picked us up at our hotel and took us to their area of town near the U. of Sydney (she is in dentistry, he in med school) to a dessert cafe. That area of town is very funky with narrow old streets and lots of alternate lifestyle people on the Sat evening streets - very interesting area!

Tomorrow we will take the train back to Sydney, rent a car and drive to Canberra for our next adventure. I am so glad to have seen the Blue Mountains this time. In 2000, my day trip here was shrouded heavily in fog and I didn't see the views.

The photos are of a King parrot in Dave and Jo's backyard and the Sydney harbour at night. I may also add a pic of Shon and me in front of The Three Sisters today.

Hope everyone is doing great and enjoying fall weather. Chilly and windy here tonight. Forecast to be 1C overnight in Canberra tonight! Maybe camping will be too cold!

Love Les and Shon