Leaving for our trip Down Under on Saturday, August 26, returning Friday, October 6, 2017.
Beautiful flowers at Wanda's
We left Detroit on Saturday, 8/26, flying to Dallas Fort Worth. Our Qantas' flight on an A380 from Dallas to Sydney was scheduled to depart at 10:15 p.m. Saturday 8/26, but left 1/2 hour late. Anne and I were offered upgrades on our seats, so we took them up on their offer, bidding some extra $$$ for the ride. Our business-class seats were on the upper level for our 16-hour flight. It was quite grand. The seats fully reclined, and there was so much space in front of our seats. We received a pair of comfy pajamas and a little amenities bag. Nice... Real nice... We hope to fly home the same way.
We arrived in Sydney at 6:00 a.m. Monday 8/28, never seeing Sunday. Sydney is 14 hours ahead of Detroit. You all probably remember seeing Australia welcome the New Year on TV so much earlier than us. We went through e-passport clearance, so we have no stamp in our passport, which bums me out. Anne's cousin Wanda Sawicki Blimka was waiting for us at the airport to take us to her home. Wanda and her husband Chris live in a Abbotsbury, a suburb of Sydney, and their beautiful home displays much of Chris' skilled carpentry, home improvements and beautiful gardens! After looking at some old photos, we took a rest. We later went to a working farm in the city near Wanda's home. We got to visit with some koalas. The male had his own enclosure. The koalas have 2 thumbs and pretty dense fur. The male has a scent spot in the middle of his chest, and he sure did have a smell. The mom with the baby hanging on her belly were cute. Their diet consists of eucalyptus leaves. We also saw a wombat, a small kangaroo joey comfortable in a market bag, sheep, lambs, miniature horses, camel and many birds. Last night we had dinner of lamb and kangaroo. Daughter Diane with her husband Paul and children Natasha and Gabriel along with daughter Eva and her husband Jason and puppy Lily joined us for dinner. We had a lovely visit with the family. Today Wanda is taking us to their home a couple hours south of here where Chris and Wanda plan to retire in a couple years. Posting this blog entry on Thursday, August 31, one of the last days of winter in Australia.
Maddy & Anne
Anne's Australian relatives
Jason, Eva, cousin Wanda Sawicki Blimka, Diane, Paul, Natasha, Chris, Gabriel and Lily
Kangaroos in the front of Wanda's retirement home near St. George's Basin
Mama Koala and baby
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