Spending the night in LA

August 10th ,2009 (a repeat day for us since we crossed the international date line)


We have arrived back in the USA but are spending the night in LA. The trip back was not as smooth as going down…let me explain.
We got up at 5 AM Monday (Sunday 3 PM at home) to get ready for our return. Planned to be in the lobby by 6:50 for our airport shuttle pickup. Just before we went down we had a mini panic attack as the voucher for the shuttle (which was already paid for) was not with our papers. Donna had packed a bunch of papers in the bottom of her suitcase the night before. SO we had to unpack one of the suitcases and hope it was there…yes it was but we had to quickly repack, as the shuttle doesn’t wait for anyone. The shuttle came a few minutes early and we were ready. The vehicle this time was a new mini-bus, but we should have taken some cues as to how the ride was going to go by our first transaction with the driver. He opened the mini trailer door (similar to our mini van back door and held it up while we loaded our own suitcases…normally the driver takes your bags and does it all. He commented how he or someone had to hold the door up as the door doesn’t stay up and he doesn’t want to get hit in the head again. During the ride he kept playing with the radio and his language was not always the most appropriate.
We leave our hotel and head for the next pickup. Remember how we told you how different driving in Melbourne was, well we had another experience today. Thank goodness the traffic wasn’t too bad yet. He couldn’t find the next hotel, couldn’t remember how to get to there so he did a few U-turns (with a trailer behind him) right n the middle of downtown. At the first stop we moved further back in the van. A few times during our trip we had to hold on for dear life. He drove quickly and rather erratically through Melbourne. By the time we got to the airport, we both were relieved but felt a little nauseous.
Getting through security and onto the plane went well. They announced that we were getting ready to take off. It was a little warm in the plane so some people turned their vents on. There was young college girl ahead of us who was complaining of being warm, opened her vent and the next thing we knew she was getting sick. Thank goodness she wasn’t the young girl sitting next to us. We continued to taxi down the runway when an announcement came on that there was some mechanical difficulties. To make a long story short, we there was a problem with the wheels for the landing gear (they wouldn’t straighten and lock). They tried a few fixes on the runway but then needed to taxi back to the gate for the technicians to look at it. After about a 2 hour delay, everything was set to go. In the meantime the girl ahead of us got sick another time. The Qantas staff attended to her and did ask her if she was going to be okay to fly. She said it was what she ate and that she had gotten extremely warm. She thought she would be fine. They reminded her that it would be about 15 hours before we saw land and that once in the air there was no turning back. She did travel and we are glad to report that there were no more episodes.
The plane back was a bigger one than the one going down. Again it was full and filled with people of all ages, especially children under the age of 2. We had one child 2 rows behind us who was quite distressed, he didn’t just cry, he screamed for the first half of the flight. I think his ears were bothering him. We felt sorry for him but the parents never got up and walked around to help with discomfort. Thank goodness for the headphones, video games and movies. They helped to decrease the noise and distracted us from the activity going on around us. Yes Donna had a working TV this time. She rarely watched it but played the various games, FreeCell, Centipede, Crossword Puzzle, Chinese Checkers,….these kept us busy for many hours. We didn’t sleep much on this flight. The flight itself was even smoother than going down.
We arrived in LA 2 hours later than scheduled which meant we missed our connecting flight. The staff at Qantas were very organized and easy to work with. We were not the only flight that was delayed, so was the one from Sydney. While we were traveling to LA they were busy setting up alternatives. The nice thing was that you actually had some choices…go with what they had scheduled or look at alternatives, Well the itinerary that they had for us meant arriving in JFK at around midnight today but then we would have to figure out how to get home at that time since we would miss our Rochester flight.
The final decision was to stay in LA Monday and then fly out on American at 6AM Tuesday. They booked us right to Rochester via Chicago. We were lucky as we had made our own flights to Rochester, which means they weren’t required to help us get from NY to home. The staff at Qantas were very accommodating. So we are scheduled to arrive in Rochester at 4 PM Tuesday.
We were both tired so we just took it easy here in LA. Not enough time to do anything as we didn’t get to the hotel until about 1PM. We ate lunch and dinner here and did take a small walk. We are at the LAX Hilton, but nothing to do in close proximity. Guess we will have to come back for a longer visit.
Well we are going to try and get some sleep before the 3 AM wake up call. At least the trip got broken up some.
Oh by the way we played 2 games of Snookers last evening. On the first game we both improved our scores. The second game was even better for Donna but she still got beat.
Remember how we said the food was pricey in Australia, there is one thing we found cheaper…massages. Jack had 2 of them while we were there. One in Sydney and one in Cairns. Each was about 40 minutes and only $15 each.
　
　
August 10th ,2009 (a repeat day for us since we crossed the international date line)
We have arrived back in the USA but are spending the night in LA. The trip back was not as smooth as going down…let me explain.
We got up at 5 AM Monday (Sunday 3 PM at home) to get ready for our return. Planned to be in the lobby by 6:50 for our airport shuttle pickup. Just before we went down we had a mini panic attack as the voucher for the shuttle (which was already paid for) was not with our papers. Donna had packed a bunch of papers in the bottom of her suitcase the night before. SO we had to unpack one of the suitcases and hope it was there…yes it was but we had to quickly repack, as the shuttle doesn’t wait for anyone. The shuttle came a few minutes early and we were ready. The vehicle this time was a new mini-bus, but we should have taken some cues as to how the ride was going to go by our first transaction with the driver. He opened the mini trailer door (similar to our mini van back door and held it up while we loaded our own suitcases…normally the driver takes your bags and does it all. He commented how he or someone had to hold the door up as the door doesn’t stay up and he doesn’t want to get hit in the head again. During the ride he kept playing with the radio and his language was not always the most appropriate.
We leave our hotel and head for the next pickup. Remember how we told you how different driving in Melbourne was, well we had another experience today. Thank goodness the traffic wasn’t too bad yet. He couldn’t find the next hotel, couldn’t remember how to get to there so he did a few U-turns (with a trailer behind him) right n the middle of downtown. At the first stop we moved further back in the van. A few times during our trip we had to hold on for dear life. He drove quickly and rather erratically through Melbourne. By the time we got to the airport, we both were relieved but felt a little nauseous.
Getting through security and onto the plane went well. They announced that we were getting ready to take off. It was a little warm in the plane so some people turned their vents on. There was young college girl ahead of us who was complaining of being warm, opened her vent and the next thing we knew she was getting sick. Thank goodness she wasn’t the young girl sitting next to us. We continued to taxi down the runway when an announcement came on that there was some mechanical difficulties. To make a long story short, we there was a problem with the wheels for the landing gear (they wouldn’t straighten and lock). They tried a few fixes on the runway but then needed to taxi back to the gate for the technicians to look at it. After about a 2 hour delay, everything was set to go. In the meantime the girl ahead of us got sick another time. The Qantas staff attended to her and did ask her if she was going to be okay to fly. She said it was what she ate and that she had gotten extremely warm. She thought she would be fine. They reminded her that it would be about 15 hours before we saw land and that once in the air there was no turning back. She did travel and we are glad to report that there were no more episodes.
The plane back was a bigger one than the one going down. Again it was full and filled with people of all ages, especially children under the age of 2. We had one child 2 rows behind us who was quite distressed, he didn’t just cry, he screamed for the first half of the flight. I think his ears were bothering him. We felt sorry for him but the parents never got up and walked around to help with discomfort. Thank goodness for the headphones, video games and movies. They helped to decrease the noise and distracted us from the activity going on around us. Yes Donna had a working TV this time. She rarely watched it but played the various games, FreeCell, Centipede, Crossword Puzzle, Chinese Checkers,….these kept us busy for many hours. We didn’t sleep much on this flight. The flight itself was even smoother than going down.
We arrived in LA 2 hours later than scheduled which meant we missed our connecting flight. The staff at Qantas were very organized and easy to work with. We were not the only flight that was delayed, so was the one from Sydney. While we were traveling to LA they were busy setting up alternatives. The nice thing was that you actually had some choices…go with what they had scheduled or look at alternatives, Well the itinerary that they had for us meant arriving in JFK at around midnight today but then we would have to figure out how to get home at that time since we would miss our Rochester flight.
The final decision was to stay in LA Monday and then fly out on American at 6AM Tuesday. They booked us right to Rochester via Chicago. We were lucky as we had made our own flights to Rochester, which means they weren’t required to help us get from NY to home. The staff at Qantas were very accommodating. So we are scheduled to arrive in Rochester at 4 PM Tuesday.
We were both tired so we just took it easy here in LA. Not enough time to do anything as we didn’t get to the hotel until about 1PM. We ate lunch and dinner here and did take a small walk. We are at the LAX Hilton, but nothing to do in close proximity. Guess we will have to come back for a longer visit.
Well we are going to try and get some sleep before the 3 AM wake up call. At least the trip got broken up some.
Oh by the way we played 2 games of Snookers last evening. On the first game we both improved our scores. The second game was even better for Donna but she still got beat.
Remember how we said the food was pricey in Australia, there is one thing we found cheaper…massages. Jack had 2 of them while we were there. One in Sydney and one in Cairns. Each was about 40 minutes and only $15 each.
　
　

Final Hours in Melbourne

Well in less than 12 hours we will be heading for the airport and beginning the LONG trip home. It has been an awesome trip and one we don't regret taking. After we dropped off things at our hotel we headed out again for a little bit to do some final exploring. Melbourne is more of a walking sightseeing city. You don't even need to go into buildings to get a taste of the culture. The architecture is phenomenal. It is the capital of Victoria and the 2nd largest city in Australia. The sizes of the buildings and the renovations they have done turning them into productive businesses from old unoccupied churches and government buildings to hotels, restaurants, pubs or stores is remarkable.

On our walk tonight we were going to do some pub visits, but when we got to some of them we didn't stay because it was not quite our bag. Too many oddities to contend with, from how you enter to the type of patrons and not set guidelines as to what to do when you enter...wait to be seated, order yourself,.

We then walked past St. Paul's Cathedral. It is the Anglican church. We had seen it yesterday but didn't go in. I had read that it was definitely worth a trip inside and am I ever glad I did. It was spectacular. The stained glass windows were beautiful.

Leaving there we stopped at the Atrium. It is next to/part of Federation Square. I still don't really know the purpose of these 2 buildings/areas but there were huge TV screens around. The view at night is very colorful, both in decor and people.

We are back at the hotel and starting to pack. When we finish we are going down to the lobby for another game of Snookers. Donna is definitely a gluten for punishment as Jack beat her something like 51 to 2 last evening.

G'Day to all of you. We sent a lot of pictures and entries today 0n this blog so make sure you scroll down to see all the pictures and entries. The downloads in Melbourne have been super fast and free so we were able to send extra pictures.

Check back as we will probably send another note once we return home. We plan to arrive home Monday evening around 11:52 PM but that is only if we make it through customes in LA and make our connecting flight. There is only 75 minutes between the 2 flights. We both wouldn't mind getting stuck in LA for an extra day to break up the trip. Take care.

Last Day In Melbourne

Well it is hard to believe it has been 2 weeks since we started our vacation or as they say here in Australia "Holiday." Our last full day here was a busy one.

We started out the day walking to church. Thinking it was farther than it was we got there quite early so we walked around the grounds. They have lots of areas for meditation/reflection. The picture of the walkway is actually a fountain that water flows from the steps down the walkway. It was not working as it is under renovation. The church was cold inside both in appearance (comparing it to the cathedral in Sydney)and temperature. Heating that place would be very difficult but as the mass continued I started to feel heat and realized that there were heaters in the seats (placed under the seat.) So you definitely got a hot seat at mass. The other strange thing was that the seat depth of the pew was very small. If you put your bulletin on the seat it extended beyond the edge of the seat. The music books they used were 24 years old. I looked in the back for some of our older favorites but none were in there...no "Hear I Am Lord," "Hail Mary Gentle Woman" or "Sing of the Lord's Goodness". Our opening song was "I Am the Bread of Life" but the slowest rendition on organ I have ever heard. The other thing that we have noticed is how much they use incense during their masses. When you enter the church you immediately recognize that odor.

After mass we headed back towards Queen Victoria's Market. What a market. It is at least 10 times bigger than our market. It has everything you can imagine...produce, meats, food courts, clothes, knickknacks, purses shoes, etc. We ate breakfast there and the food was good. When we had finished exploring the area we walked to Lygon Street. This had been recommended by the Boyle,s as a place to get good Italian food. Even though the weather was a little cooler today, we still ate outside. the heaters out on the sidewalks really do keep you warm.

From there we headed back to our hotel to rest before heading out again. Before getting there we stopped at the Treasury Gardens. There is a memorial to JFK near the lake.

Holy Snookers ...Saturday Evening 8/8/09

Saturday evening we went to dinner at The Young and Jackson Hotel. It is the oldest and most famous pub in Melbourne. The pub was built in 1853 and began selling beer in 1861. There is a famous french painting upstairs called Chloe.

When we returned to our hotel we played a game of Snooker.Snooker is a billiard game played on a table about 6 foot wide and 12 foot long. It is played with 15 red balls and 6 colored balls. This table is actually in the lobby of our hotel and we got to play it. At one time we had to use the cue stick that was over 10 foot long. Jack beat Donna big time.

More Melbourne Pictures

Melbourne Sightseeing Saturday August 8th,2009

We are back at our hotel for a short rest before heading back out for the evening. When we got up this morning we inquired at the desk about the room safe that was supposed to be in our wardrobe. Well it wasn't there so they opted to change rooms for us. This meant packing up our things and they would settle us into another room. So we got a little later start than we had planned but we feel much better knowing our things are locked up. An added bonus at this hotel is free Internet and fast downloads. That means I have been able to send pictures right from our room.

Today we did some sightseeing around Melbourne. The hardest part was trying to figure out the tram system. We ate breakfast at a small cafe along Swanston St. Then we found our way to the visitor center to figure out which tram to take to the zoo. We stood at one location for awhile and then figured out we needed to go the opposite way on the tram. The trams are an adventure as you often have to stand in the middle of the road waiting for your tram. To make things even more complicated, trams always have the right of way and pedestrians must yield to them. If you dared to drive here, within the city center, and you wanted to make a left right hand turn, you would have to get in the far left lane and wait till the light turns amber, then and only then are you allowed to turn.

We went to the Melbourne zoo. Our goal was to see some of the Australian animals, namely kangaroos and koalas. We got to see both although the koala exhibit was every small. This zoo is the oldest in the world. The animal are placed in environments that replicate their natural habitat and not necessarily in cages. There was one kangaroo who sure liked to pose...reminded us of someone relaxing and watching their favorite sporting event. Koalas are very passive as they generally sleep 20 hours a day and tend to be more nocturnal. We only saw one koala and she slept most of the time we were there. We went back late ron during the presentation and she was more awake but tended to just stay in the same tree.

From there we headed to Queen Victoria Market but they were closing when we got there. Sarah we got to see the University of Melbourne....we first remarked on the design of the building and then realized where we were. From there we did some navigating to St. Patrick's Cathedral. After seeing the Cathedral in Sydney, this was a bit of a disappointment, especially after walking by St. Paul's Anglican Church. However the church,s design and history are remarkable. The gardens of the church were pretty impressive. They actually have stones marked with the stations of the cross. Tomorrow we will go to mass at St. Patrick's.

Well we are back to the hotel have unpacked and ready to hit the streets again. Will write more later.

AFL GAME PICTURES

Here are some pictures from the AFL game.