Honeymoon Installment #2

Second stop: Bergen, Norway

Bergen, Norway. The Frozen Land of Loveliness!

Hei! (Hey! in Norwegian)

Welcome to the cutest city in the world! It is definitely in my top 5 favorite cities in the world anyway. Would you like a fun fact? I thought so! Arandale in Disney’s Frozen was set in a town modeled after Bergen! Norway was sunny and bright when we arrived around 5:00ish that evening. After Denmark’s overcast skies, we were excited for some sun! Bergen (and, as we found, most all of Norway) is breath-takingly beautiful! The trees were so green, there were flowers of every kind, everywhere we looked, the water was blue, the old buildings and homes were adorable and brightly painted.

But best of all, our hotel looked like it was plucked right out of Frozen! Everything was purple and/or silver, or some color scheme that went with that. Even the décor and the Norwegian-style symbols on the carpet looked like they’d just come out of the movie! Luckily, the temperatures in the hotel and in Bergen were above “frozen.” ;)

Since we got there later than anticipated, we didn’t get out to do much exploring. But we did wake up early enough to go for an exploratory morning run the next day! We ran along the waterline, up a hill, around the fish market, past a couple of churches and a couple of castles, and saw some very beautiful things! Steve runs faster and farther than I, but he was sweet enough to stay with me for a while. =)

We met up back at the hotel, showered, and headed down for a real Norwegian breakfast buffet! Yes, there were almost as many types of fish we there were cheeses! Smoked salmon comes at each and every meal, and pickled herring is delicious in several types of sauces! They also put out brownies and carrot cake, fruit (including passionfruit, kiwi, pineapple, grapes, and muskmelon), crepes, cook-it-yourself eggs, hard and soft-boiled eggs, juices or many sorts, and I’m sure some more things I’m forgetting! It was a true smörgåsbord!

After a thorough fueling, we were ready to take on Norway! First stop of the day: the Funicular, or Fløibanen! Up, up, and away! The mountain, Fløyen, is 320 meters (1,050 feet) above sea level, and the views on the way up and at the top are breath-taking! The funicular was built between 1914 and 1918 to help people who worked up the mountain to get to work. It’s engineered with German parts, and as it happened, the contract was made just before the German Mark lost a lot of value, so by the time they had to actually pay for it, the Norwegians ended up paying almost nothing for it! The system has been in continuous operation ever since, and it’s the #1 attraction in Bergen! We walked around a bit up there, seeing the city from various vantage points, and got a great shot together:

We also discovered there is a witch up the mountain. We didn’t see her. We’ll have to go back!

And now for something that was completely my idea: a museum about Bergen in the 1600s! I was blown away at the items they had on display—chairs, beds, chests, tools, maps, lamps, paintings—all from the 17^th century and all just right out there in the open! Many of the things are similar to what we have at Gunston Hall, the 18^th century Colonial home where I’m a docent. Even thousands of miles apart, people used the same technology even back then!

Onward we go. I looked at getting a sweater—because that’s what you get in Scandinavia, right? But I just couldn’t do it. I could NOT make myself pay hundreds of dollars for any item of clothing, even something really cool and authentically Scandinavian! What we did find fascinating, however, is that all the shops on the Bryggen wharf are extremely slanted! Click on the link at the bottom for pictures! I guess they’ve been standing for close to 400 years, so they should be sturdy, but wow!

And speaking of Bryggen Wharf, that happens to be where the cruise ships, sailing ships, and other seafaring vessels like to dock. It was quite the lovely sight to behold, for certain! We passed by several very large ships on our walk to the castle—again, so we can go to the highest point in town! What is not widely advertised, however, is the fact that it’s actually only open on Sundays during the winter, which is mid-may, and we were there in early May. Bummer! The castle was pretty, though. We saw some beautiful birds and some gorgeous flowers. Even in late “winter,” these Scandinavian countries have the most beautiful flowers!

Steve always wants to see EVERYTHING, everywhere he goes, and since we only had the one day to see all of Bergen, we needed to get a move on! Onward we walked, all the way across town. Scandinavians enjoy their statues. And we know this because we saw lots of them in each country we visited. We saw a lovely pedestrian street (if only we liked shopping!), the outsides of a few museums (who has time to go in when you must see EVERYTHING?), a lovely lake with birds of many sorts, found where the train station is, and looked at a couple of very old churches. But my favorite thing we saw? That would be the gardens outside the Natural History Museum! You know how I love my tulips! 

By the time we got back to the hotel, my little feet were tired! I'm sure Steve's were even more tired because he ran farther than I had that morning. I have to say, even though we spent fewer than 48 hours in the little town, it was my favorite place we visited! The little row houses and shops along the oldest part of the city looked very old Western to me, which makes sense, because many Scandinavians ended up settling the West! 

We knew we needed our sleep that night because we'd be making our way to the train station at 8:00 to catch our train--we are now headed all the way across Norway by train, bus, boat, train, and train again for Norway in a Nutshell! Please join us (on Steve's and my Mom's birthday!) on our trek across the country! We'll wake in Bergen and snooze in Oslo! 

In the meantime, please see our pictures! 

BERGEN

Honeymoon Installment #1

First Stop: Copenhagen, Denmark

Greetings to you all! My apologies for the blogging delay. Thanks for your patience, and thanks for coming along with us!

So, where do two avid travellers go on their honeymoon? Where is the dollar strongest? Where is the most beautiful place? What kind of food do we want? The biggest question for us was, “Where have we never been?”

SCANDINAVIA!

And that’s how we came to that decision. Steve has had it on his bucket list for quite some time now, and I’d never been either. I’m not one for a cold climate, but once I found out Disney’s Frozen was based there, I was 100% onboard!

So, where in Scandinavia? Where do we start? Is Finland technically Scandinavian? Steve says no, but I’m still skeptical! After much debate and deliberation, I gave honeymoon planning entirely over to my Love (Steve). What a load off! And here we are to tell the tale…

Like the title states, our first stop was Copenhagen, Denmark. Yes, Hans Christian Andersen’s home country, one of the happiest countries in the world, and land of Legos! Fun Fact: Denmark is the oldest kingdom still in existence—all the way since 995 AD.

So what’s there to see in Denmark? Well, most importantly, The Little Mermaid!

We went for a run almost as soon as we got there, having spent the better part of 18 hours in airports and on planes. After figuring out the public transportation system (FYI, all tickets can be used for any public transit—woohoo!), we found our hotel, saw lots of cool old buildings along the way, and checked in. We stayed at The Admiral Hotel, which is in an old warehouse right on the water, with beautiful sea views! They maintained the old exposed beams and really utilized the space very well. They upgraded us to a room on the top floor with a loft that overlooked the water—quite beautiful!

Gorgeous views aside, we needed to run and stretch our legs! Even though I know I slowed him down significantly, Steve stayed with me until the end, even stopping with me along the way when I needed to walk or take pictures. Appropriately, the first stop on our run was the Little Mermaid! She’s just off the rocky shoreline, and just over 100 years old. Though she looked a bit forlorn, I know she was as happy to see me as I was to see her!

We ran around to see some parks and gardens (their flowers bloomed beautifully, even in the chill!), an old fortress, along the waterfront, many many many statues, and even a large replica of Noah’s Ark! Who knew Denmark was home to the Ark?

Time for bed! They may get lots of sunlight up there in the spring and summer, but Steve and I were pooped! And with only one full day to see all Copenhagen had to offer, we needed to rest up!

Tuesday morning dawned before we did, but we caught up swiftly! Let’s go see the sights! Even with an overcast sky and the threat of rain, Steve and I got to see some very beautiful and historic things. The Danes have several very beautiful gardens going on in Copenhagen. My favorite, of course, were the multitudes of tulips!

Steve was in charge of the guidebook, so he directed our route. First must-see: The Marble Church, also called Frederik’s Church. While quite lovely and peaceful, it’s made of granite, not marble—so don’t let the name fool you!

The roof is copper, like so many buildings here and throughout Europe, with the green making it stand out on the skyline. The first stone was placed in 1749, at the request of King Frederik V. A series of budget cuts (and we all know about that!) and the death of the architect delayed the project until at long last it was completed in 1894!

The church is conveniently located next to Amalienborg Palace, home to the world’s oldest monarchy. It’s made up of four identical buildings, surrounding a large cobblestone plaza. While the monarchy is ancient, the palace was just built in the 1700s! We did not stay for the changing of the guard (too much else to see and do!), but we did see the Royal Guardsmen keeping watch! The flag was up over the palace, meaning the queen was inside.

And off we go! One would think my living on the bumpy brick streets of Old Town I’d be a pro at navigating round other countries’ bumpy streets, but not so! I nearly bit the bumps many a time walking around! We got a bit off course and ended up in an area where there was nothing particularly historic to see, but got back on track quickly! Steve made friends with a sweet white puppy:

Walking around, seeing sights, and looking for postcards is pretty exhausting work, so what’s next on our list? Lunchtime! My Danish friend Kim told me that the Danish love their open-face sandwiches, and wouldn’t you know that on the menu at the fancy café we went to were open-face sandwiches. Steve got the chicken club, but I went full-on Scandinavian and got the salmon!

Yeah, it was a little bigger than I anticipated! But it sure was good. Interestingly, they put sauce (heavy mayo-based) on the plate so that the sandwich sat in it, and also inside the sandwich. It was definitely a fork-and-knife endeavor!

Now that we were refueled, it was time to be about our business! Next stop, Rosenborg Slot—also known as Rosenborg Castle. Unfortunately for us, it was closed for a private event, which was disappointing because Kim told me it was the #1 thing we needed to see, but the grounds outside were open, so we did get to see the gardens!

In Steve’s and my adventures, you may notice that we like to go up into tall things. We both love to see the city skylines from the highest point possible. In Copenhagen, the best place we knew of to do that was the Rundetårn, or Round Tower—aptly named because it is, indeed, round and a tower! It was originally built as an observatory in 1642 by then-monarch Christian IV. Up and up and up the ramp we walked. Legend has it Christian IV rode up there on horseback, and history says that Russian Czar Peter the Great rode up to the top on horseback, pulling his wife behind him in a two-wheeled carriage! Steve and I walked. It’s 34.8 meters from ground to observatory platform (just over 114 feet, approximately 11 ½ stories), but there are a few lookout points along the way. One of which has “Kyssebaenken” written on the wall, so guess who got a kiss at that lookout point! (I made him, shamelessly!) The view from the top was just beautiful—all those green rooftops, the sea, the boats, the brightly colored buildings, the trees—we loved it!

Next up: City Hall! This was also high on the “must-see” list in the guidebook, and for good reason. It is quite elaborate and ornate, both inside and out. Gargoyles guard the doors inside:

Steve made friends with them. They let us in.

There is a big plaza off to the side that comprises City Hall Square. They were setting up for an event when we were there. A little thing called EuroVision, I think. ;) You know, that contest that made ABBA world famous? That thing.

Also on the square, right next to Hans Christian Andersen Boulevard, is Hans Christian Andersen himself! Steve and I made friends with him. He was great!

Moving right along, just across the H.C. Andersen Boulevard, is Tivoli, the world second oldest amusement park! THE oldest amusement park is also in Denmark, about 10 miles out of town. No wonder this is one of the happiest countries in the world! Had it been warmer and not threatening rain, we would have gone in, but as it was, we took a couple of pictures from the outside and peered through the gates.

And speaking of moving right along, the last thing we NEEDED to see was the world’s largest pedestrian street: Strøget! The pedestrian street started in the 1960s to preserve some of Copenhagen’s historic streets from the cars that were becoming more and more popular. It’s lined with shops and restaurants for 100,000 square meters, which is nearly 330,000 square feet! Some of the most expensive shops in the world are there (Louis Vuitton, Armani, Gucci, Burberry, etc.), but so are a lot of souvenir shops as well. And we were really in for an unplanned treat… The Danish Royal Navy Band happened to be giving a free performance! We sat and listened for a while, enjoying familiar tunes, including English songs!

After stopping in a couple of souvenir shops, we decided it was suppertime! The restaurant at the hotel was supposed to be excellent, so we tried it out. It’s called SALT, which is something the Scandinavians (and especially the Danes!) enjoy and use in large amounts on EVERYTHING! The restaurant was quite fancy inside, and the food selections they had were unique and all seemed delicious! Rhubarb was a common ingredient in many of the dishes. Also, I’d been seeing “cockle” on several menus and was so curious about what it was. So, I decided to branch out and try something new. I needed to try this cockle!

Word to the wise: “cockle” is fancy Scandinavian terminology for “chicken.” But delicious chicken! As a matter of fact it might have been the best chicken I’ve ever eaten! And I never would have thought to pair chicken and rhubarb—yum!

And for dessert? Why, rhubarb porridge, of course!

The next morning, I went in search of the one Danish food I simply must eat while in Denmark—the Danish. Or Viennese, as the Danes call it. Who’d have thought? Unfortunately, my search was in vain. There were no danishes anywhere to be found! Or at least not in the bakeries I saw. So I “settled” for a chocolate croissant and a mocha (settled? Maybe that’s not the right word) in a most charming little coffee shop! Yes, I was eating a pastry while Steve was running, but that’s what we do. =)

And we’re off to the airport once more! Where we sat until our flight to Bergen was cancelled! Luckily, we got on the next flight out, just an hour and a half later—whew! Please join us for our “Frozen” Bergen adventure! Next stop: Norway!

For more pictures, please see this link!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100255690122268.1073741850.52700845&type=1&l=40212e77e7

Santa Barbara and the Flight of True Love!

Sorry for the delay in posting about Val's and my last day! It was a crazy weekend!

Off to Santa Barbara we go! After a beautiful run in their cute town of Camarillo, Val and I set out for another Californian adventure! Her Steve told us about an authentic Spanish food stand in Santa Barbara, so that's where we luncheoned! The Spanish settled California first, so that's definitely an authentic taste of the area.

The place was called... something I can't remember... and it was this cash-only, hole-in-the-wall type of place you'd only find if you were looking for it--which, of course, is usually a good sign of the type of authenticity you're hoping for! I don't remember the names of what we got, but here it is:

I think that's a beef taco and cheese sauce, which also came with tortillas, and the red stuff is watermelon water

The one on the left is a tamale, and the stuff with the white sauce was good, but shall remain nameless because I don't remember the name! 

We left full and happy! Now, onward to the Santa Barbara Courthouse! Why are we excited about a courthouse? because it's the most elaborate, beautiful, classic courthouses in the country. People get married there (and not just a civil ceremony), it's one of the top attractions, and even though it was constructed in 1929, it was intentionally built to reflect the original Spanish culture. The murals on the walls are stunning, and the decor and building materials make you think you've stepped into Spain! Please see the pictures in the link at the end of this post. 

Val and I went all the way up to the top of the tower in the courthouse, and though it was overcast and chilly, we got some great views! You can see the Pacific from there, and on the other side you can see the mountains. California has a little bit of everything! 

And off we went to wander on! The sun came out and made the whole day warmer and even more beautiful. The streets of the downtown area, particularly State Street, are populated with cute boutique shops and restaurants. There are elaborate old theaters, still operating, and the city has done a beautiful job of landscaping! The Birds of Paradise flowers are my favorite: 

Aren't they fun!

We found a cute coffee shop that does latte art and makes their pop tarts in-house, which is pretty cool, so we needed to stop in and taste what that's all about! There's a little area just off the main street with cute restaurants, shops, fountains, and statues, so we played around with them as well. One of the statues actually moves and plays music! I got my picture with Ben Franklin and the Declaration of Independence (I can't get away from the 18th century revolutionary stuff! Not that I want to!), and Val got a picture of her pointing to the CORRECT place of a dolphin's blowhole. See the pictures in the link below! ;) 

By mid-afternoon, we thought we'd better go see some ocean and then head out to the desert for hiking before the rains started up again. We drove to the Four Seasons, which is a stunning venue all on its own, and looked around in there for a bit. And just across the street is Butterfly Beach! Santa Barbara's coastline actually points south, whereas most of California's coastline looks westward, so it was interesting knowing that and getting ourselves oriented that way! It was windy, but the sun had warmed things up considerably, and sound of the ocean was like sweet, warm music. Could it possibly be January? The sand was still wet from high tide and the morning rain, and there were only a few people out on the beach. It was peaceful, and beautiful, and wonderful. I can't wait to go back! 

Off to Ojai! Ojai is a truly adorable little town in the desert. We took a windy, mountainous road to get there, with views of a lake and the sinking sun. It's a whole different kind of beautiful! The clouds had come back by the time we arrived, and it had already started sprinkling, so we opted to walk around the cute shops in town instead of going for a hike and risk getting caught in a storm! People there are so friendly! The buildings on the main street are Spanish-inspired, and I'm sure several of them have actually been there for many decades. 

Night fell and we were ready to get home! Val took us home a different way, one that included a lovely view of the Pacific. We arrived back in Camarillo just as the sun was setting. The clouds had lifted, the rain had stopped, and as we drove up, and up, and up the hill, we saw the Channel Islands in the distance! Val stopped so we could get some pictures, and they were totally worth the wait! The last few mornings had been foggy, so the Islands in the distance didn't show up well until now. And how beautiful with the pink, orange, yellow, and red sunset as a backdrop! 

But the best was yet to come. While I was sorry to leave Val, and I was so thankful for her and Steve's hospitality, I was looking forward to getting home to see Steve when he picked me up at the airport. I hadn't heard from him all afternoon, but I figured he was working hard and trying to get some things accomplished, taking advantage of not having me there to distract him. But I got a very suspicious series of texts... 

Steve: Did you get upgraded tomorrow? Should be easy to check upgrade list on your phone. I'm curious. 

Whit: Doesn't look like it. Seat is 30A. 

Steve: Interesting. Do you have the [United Airlines] app on your phone? You can check the upgrade list for your name and number. 

Whit: Looks like I'm #2 in line for an upgrade. They've already upgraded 12 people, and there's still one person ahead of me. 

Steve: Anything else interesting about the list? 

Whit: There's an OHA, S under my name...? 

Steve O'HAlek: Wow, what a coincidence! 

Whit: Weird. 

Steve: I'm at SFO [San Francisco airport]. I decided to meet you in BUR [Burbank airport] tomorrow at 6:00am instead of IAD [DC Airport] at 7:00pm. 

And that's when I called him! That is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me, and I get to marry that man! He'd been planning it for a week and a half, and he absolutely achieved the surprise! Val took me to the airport very early the next morning, and there he was! All the way in California, just to pick me up! That definitely made the trip home more fun and exciting. I love that man! 

So there's the exciting tale! I miss Val already, but I'll be back out there soon! Thanks for the memories! 

Santa Barbara: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100204097444408.1073741846.52700845&type=1&l=67c2aabf2f

Snow White and the City of Angels... and Pictures!

What does a day look like when you go to the City of Angels? Looks like Val and I took a run around the neighborhood, saw a breath-taking view of the mountains and ocean from the top of a hill, met some cool old tortoises at her neighbor's house, and Steve cooked us pancakes for breakfast! That's a pretty good start to the day if you ask me!
And then we were off to Los Angeles! Traffic wasn't that bad, since we left Val's house at 10:30, and we made it to town in just under an hour! First stop: Hollywood Boulevard! We definitely got stars in our eyes heading down the Walk of Fame. Namely Snow White, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astair, Humphrey Bogart, Kermit the Frog, and many, many more! Pictures to follow!
We found our way to the famous Chinese Theatre, the one with all the hand prints in the concrete. We found a few of our favorites, but one question remained... Who is Sid? All these famous people wrote to Sid when they left their marks, but who was he? Sidney Grauman, The owner! He built several theaters all over California, but the Chinese was his last, completed in 1927. It's been a prime place for film premiers ever since! And stars of these movies left their mark, which we still see today! We continued down Hollywood Blvd taking pictures with our favorite stars, but I hadn't seen my favorite... Shirley Temple! We decided to look it up over lunch and find it afterward.
So where did we do lunch? At Musso and Frank's Grill, Hollywood's oldest restaurant! It's been around since 1919, and it's still decorated the way it was then! We decided to split the Flannel Cakes (flannel, not funnel!), which are like crepes. We also wanted a full meal at a Thai place, so we split something small. And it was like having dessert first! We googles where to  find Shirley, and it turns out, she's not just a star on the sidewalk, she's got her mark at the Chinese, and we missed it! Got to go back!
Next up: Val wanted to stop in an old theatre/film bookstore, which was actually pretty neat! There were actors' biographies, books about movies, books about being a screenwriter, movie posters, etc. We stopped in a dress shop where all the clothes are inspired by Bettie Page. For a reformed pinup girl, she sure had cute and modest taste in real life!
Now, back to the Chinese! I needed to see Shirley! And there she was! I don't know how we missed her the first go around, but now we got her! Her imprints were left there in 1935. :)
We hopped back in the car and drove to the Thai place because Shirley's star was closer to there than where we had been. The food was a little hot for me, but it's fun to say I had Thai frog and beef liver for lunch today!
Next up, the search for Shirley's Star! We started out in the direction we thought was correct. We saw Cary Grant and others we like, we even met a nutty earth-hugger who wanted us to sign a petition for something, but there was no Shirley to be found! Oh well. At least I got to see her imprints at the Chinese!
And for our next tourist event, up into the hills we went to see the Hollywood sign! This was the one thing I asked Val if we could do while I was here--get our pictures with Hollywood! The best place to see it is from Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park--in Beverly Hills! Check that one off the list, too! The drive was a steep one, but Val's Mazda SUV (named Memphis, because she's blue!) took us up, up, up the mountain with fervor. We were apparently not the only folks who wanted to get a glimpse of the iconic sign. There were runners, bikers, hikers, walkers, and other drivers, all headed up and down the mountain and hills. How the bikers and runners got to the top is beyond me! It's steep! We found a parking spot and set out in search of a good photo-op. We could see the sign clearly, but it looks very far away in pictures. Oh well! You can still see it in most of the pictures!
The Griffith Observatory itself is quite impressive! You can see all of L.A. proper, Hollywood, etc., even through the fog. There's also a museum inside, including a pendulum that knocks down a pin at the top of every hour. Picture below:

Down, down, down the mountain we go! We saw some beautiful homes not he way down, and that's how we knew we were in the Hills of Beverly! We could tell which ones were the stars' homes... They were the ones with big gates and over grown bushes and trees for privacy. =) 

Next and final stop in L.A.: Rodeo Drive! Neither Val nor I had any interest in shopping, but it was cool to see! We drove up Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, and not only is that a good way to avoid L.A. traffic, it was a beautiful seaside drive at sunset! It also goes straight through Malibu! It was a bit cloudy, but as the clouds cleared while we headed north, the sunset made the remaining clouds a beautiful pink, yellow, and orange. It was gorgeous! 

And then we were home! Steve cooked again--I'm becoming spoiled--and we watched the movie "Jobs." I stayed up till 10:00pm, which was quite the feat for me! 

And for our next trip: Ojai and Santa Barbara! Please join us! 

Tuesday's Adventure: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100203066101228.1073741842.52700845&type=1&l=164051a9e5

Wednesday's Adventure: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100203803917638.1073741845.52700845&type=1&l=014792d512

The Blowhole!

Hello one! Hello all! Quick Whit is back for a whirlwind 2014. For our first trip: Southern California with my Gal Val! Valarie was the first friend I made in DC, and she just moved to Camarillo, CA, a few months ago. Hence the need for a little Bachelorette trip! 

Monday morning came early at about 5:00am. The temperature was a warm 34 degrees--the warmest morning in weeks! The windchill was 23 degrees. Brrr. Off we go to warmer lands! I packed my last-minute items, took out my trash and the house recycling, ran an errand, and drove out to Steve's by 7:45. A quick drive to the airport and a few goodbye smooches later, the cold temps and threats of ice and snow were behind me! Just under 6 hours on the plane and I was in San Francisco, and another short plan ride later, I was being picked up at the Burbank airport by Val and her fiancé, Steve! (I know, so cute, we're both marrying Steves this year!) Burbank was sunny and 72! It was like a little taste of bliss!

Monday evening was spent catching up and seeing their property, including orchards (more on those later!), and a good night's sleep was had by all! 

Tuesday morning dawned beautifully. Steve made us breakfast, Val and I packed our lunches and a change of clothes, and off we went to board a boat bound for the Channel Islands National Park! 

The boat ride to the islands was chilly--though I shan't complain of weather here!--but quite lovely! The water is teal, and you can see very far down. We saw a stellar sea lion, who is quite a ways south of his Alaskan homeland, lying on a sunny buoy. The boat company said they don't see stellar sea lions terribly often, so that was a real treat! Next we saw harbor seals and California seal lions popping up to say hello and to warm themselves, and dolphins raced us! Some people were fortunate enough to see whales, but they seemed shy today, so not many came out to show off. 

And then the islands came into view! We docked and departed onto Scorpion Island and headed straight to the kayak headquarters--we had much to see! Val and I were joined by another couple, Lee and Lindsey, who had just gotten married on Saturday! We all opted for wetsuits and kayak jackets to help us stay warm, and we donned the mandatory helmets and PFDs (personal flotation devices). 

Our guide, Laird, was fantastic! We received instruction on how to carry and row in a kayak, how not to tip over, how not to flip out if we do tip over, how to get into the kayak on land and in the ocean (in case we tip over), how to row, how to do basic maneuvers, and loads of other details! Val and I decided to do a two-person (or tandem) kayak, and we were warned that this could cause a huge rift in our friendship without proper communication! Since Val has loads more on-water experience than I, I told her she was in charge! I'll respect her orders! 

And we were off! Laird helped us all into the water before getting in himself, and we set out to find some sea caves and wildlife! The Channel Islands National Park is home to 15 of the top 20 largest sea caves in the world, including the second largest! The tide was too low and the water too choppy to go into all the caves we saw, but we did get to go inside one! 

Aside from caves, we saw coral, sea urchins, anemones and starfish in all colors of the neon rainbow! We learned about a type of kelp that grows here that's like an underwater tree, and Laird even made a digeridoo from a similar, but much larger, type of the kelp! We glided over these things as if we were zip lining over the rainforest. They waved at us from below and just brushed the surface with their "air bladders," which allow the plant to stay close to the surface so the leaves can get sunlight! We use the slimy stuff in which they're covered for many things, including toothpaste! 

Onward we go! While making our way around, Laird spoke with us about the history of the island (which of course I was very excited about! And I actually was the one asking him to talk about it!). The chain of islands has been called the American Galapagos because there are so many endemic (unique to the island) species! For instance, there are island foxes on each of the islands, but they all have slight variations because of the way they've evolved and adapted to their immediate surroundings, and they've not been able to move from island to island to keep things mixed up! There used to be pygmy wooly mammoths on the islands, and some of the very oldest human fossils have been found there! 

Next we came to the namesake of this post... THE BLOWHOLE! We had just started toward the east side of the island, and ... Thar she blew! The conditions were just right today to create blowholes in the sea caves! Water rushes in, pushes out the air, which creates a vacuum. Then it explodes like the blowhole of a whale! Laird said those were the biggest ones he'd seen in his years of doing this, and we sat watching it happen again and again for at least 15 minutes! It was fascinating, and I'd even call it majestic! It also looked like a water ride at Disney World. ;) 

Val and I have a long history of getting ourselves into very precariously interesting situations. And this day was no different! We got swept onto a rock and ended up at a 45-degree angle before another wave came to sweep us free! Teamwork prevailed, however, and I'm happy to report that we did NOT tip the boat or fall out! I'll freely admit I thought we'd fall out and go under, but Laird's expert training and Val's water mastery got us through on top! =) 

Onward ho! We saw lion's mane jellyfish, which look like plastic grocery bags floating around in the water, and Val got stung by a teal and purple anemone! We got out of our kayaks when we came to a sandbar and explored a part of the island called shipwreck beach--oh dear! Apparently there was a shipwreck there several years ago, and some of the pieces are still scattered about! 

Back into the kayaks and back to the beach! We had been out on the water for over 2 1/2 hours, and it was such fun! I can highly recommend the experience! We got back to the boat in plenty of time and headed back to the mainland a few minutes early. The boat stopped at the blowhole that we kayakers had discovered so everyone could see! People ooohed and ahhhed, and then a big one came a drenched the onlookers on the boat! And then it happened again!  

More dolphins came out to play on our ride back to the mainland, and some folks even saw a whale! I'm so bad at sighting anything, but I'll sure take people's word for it! Now we're back at Val and Steve's house, and Steve is making us supper! Today's adventure may be complete, but tomorrow's adventure is coming! 

Tomorrow… L.A.! I already told Val I feel like a foreigner coming to America for the first time! I'm going to L.A.! 

Pictures and Our Last Days Down Under... For Now!

Happy Thursday! Time for breakfast! We wanted to try the “Australian Brekkie” (Australian breakfast), but the place where we saw it advertised looked shady to me. So we carried on to the Esplanade. We found a place with a buffet and tried that out. Their breakfast buffet reminded me of Ireland’s breakfast because it included baked beans. I guess perhaps that’s a UK thing. Also on the buffet were stewed tomatoes with herbs (Italian herbs, so it tasted like spaghetti sauce), eggs, sausages, bacon, two types of pasta dishes, yogurt with honey, fruit, cereal, toast with jams, Vegemite, and/or peanut butter, juice, coffee, tea, and… I think that’s it. Quite the feast! I stuck with sausage, eggs, tomatoes, toast, and coffee. I’m glad we got all that fuel, because our next stop was maybe four kilometers (a couple of miles) away!

I didn’t realize quite how far away the Botanic Gardens were from the Esplanade, but that’s all right. Steve and I both like a good walk! We got there with about 15 minutes to spare before the guided tour began. There were about seven or eight other guests on the tour, and it was quite informative! We got more information about the rain forest and saw many beautiful flowers, including the largest flower in the world and the oldest and biggest tree in the Botanic Gardens! The most interesting take away for me was the discovery that vanilla is an orchid! It has no natural pollinators, so it has to be pollinated by hand—that’s why it’s so expensive. The particular type we saw was from Mexico.

After the tour, we started back to the Esplanade—we had a ferry to catch! We made it down to the wharf with plenty of time to spare and loaded the boat to Green Island. This is the one we read about most in our tour books. We signed up for a glass bottom boat ride so we could see the coral, and all we had to do was step from our boat onto the other—easy!

And what an easy way to see the Great Barrier Reef! Our tour guide and boat driver took us just a few meters away (a few yards), and though her boat was only about a meter (just over a yard) deep, we got up-close views of beautiful coral! She pointed out all sorts. They really do call some of it “brain coral,” and other types are all named similarly—by what they look like. She pointed out hard coral and soft coral (the stuff that moves, like the anemone Nemo and his dad live in), sea cucumbers, sea grass, and lots of fish! She even fed some for us so they would come close enough for us to see. After about 20 minutes, it was time to get back to land. Next stop? The beach—with sand!

We laid out for a bit (we had about an hour and a half on the island) and got ourselves nice and sunburned. I took a walk along the shoreline. It was very peaceful, and there were fish, just sitting in schools only a couple of meters from shore, so those were fun to watch! We started back to the boat, but we had to wait a while. We looked out beside the jetty and what did we see? Sea turtles coming up for air! They’re so cute. =) Back on the boat, Steve and I decided to ride up at the top in the open-air section. The water and coral and islands are so beautiful to see! Steve even saw a whale breech!

And then we grew hungry! I’d seen a place on the Esplanade called The Raw Prawn, and I’d asked Steve earlier if we could go there for dinner. They have bugs on the menu! So that’s where we went. Steve got the Cairns Duo, which included prawns (face included) and barramundi with asparagus and potatoes. I got the Bugs and Prawns Combo! Bugs are really just another crustacean, like shrimp or crab or lobster. It was certainly worth trying! I liked it—they tasted just like shrimp to me. We even got dessert this time. Steve let me pick because he’s wonderful, so we got the chocolate torte—yum! It was delicious. We made a pit stop into a souvenir shop on the way back to the hotel and just got a couple of things. The next day we were scheduled to fly back to lovely Sydney.

Friday morning we took it easy. Check-out was at 10:00am, so we left then and had the owner call us a cab to the airport. The Cairns domestic airport is quite small, but we found plenty to keep us busy while we waited for our plane! We both picked up lunch for the plane ride back, and Steve wanted to look at every shop there, just because there weren’t that many and we had the time. =) So he did that while I picked up a couple more post cards, wrote them, addressed them, stamped them, and gave them to the lady at one of the shops to post for me. Then I began to blog, and then we got on the plane—so exciting! =)

Once we landed back in Sydney, we got our train tickets back to where we’re staying, checked in once we got to the hotel, and set off on our last grand evening in this beautiful and iconic city! Steve said it seemed so familiar—like we’ve already lived here for years! He knows the city even better than I, since he goes running every morning. It’s a beautiful place to see at all times of day!

We picked up a few final items on our way to dinner. Steve asked me where I’d like to eat, and I said any place with a view of either the Opera House or the Bridge. We chose a seafood place with a view of the bridge. It was quite a lovely and enchanted evening. Tomorrow we fly home. Back to reality and back to the Northern Hemisphere—where toilets flush the other direction and people drive on the right side of the road.

And so ends our Australian Adventure: Quick Whit’s 28^th Birthday Extravaganza. I told Steve I’d never be able to give him something like this, and I can’t possibly thank him enough. If I say “thank you” again, it’ll begin to lose its significance. He said I’ve already thanked him, and he wished me a happy birthday once more. He doesn’t seem to mind I can’t give him a big trip somewhere he couldn’t simply take himself.

Thank you all for joining us on our Grand Adventure! Perhaps we’ll venture out together again soon! 

As promised... pictures!
Australia 1:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100106895941998.1073741830.52700845&type=1&l=1f1351890e

Australia 2:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100106896570738.1073741831.52700845&type=1&l=c1427d817c

Australia 3:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100106897643588.1073741832.52700845&type=1&l=f84cd420f5

Australia 4:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100108114774448.1073741833.52700845&type=1&l=6a5c5dc52a

Australia 5:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100108806039148.1073741834.52700845&type=1&l=3f498faf1f