it’s my last night in Sydney, tomorrow i’m off to Hawaii, Oahu to be exact. before i leave i wanted to capture a few misc. items of interest.

on my first night we went to see the Black Keys play at a local venue. so much smaller and cooler than seeing them at the Oracle Arena.

we made our way to the Hunter Valley wine country one day for a little lunch and wine tasting. wine tasting is free here, how nice is that?!

Sculpture by the Sea is a great exhibit that runs along the coast from Bronte Beach to Bondi Beach. i lucked out getting to see it, as it finishes on Nov. 4.

thanks Sydney, it’s been fun!

funny, typing in the title of the blog, it kept wanting to change it to zoo gastric, which really makes no sense at all. not that zootastic is even a word, but still…….

yesterday (and part of today) was spent at the Taronga Zoo. the zoo opened in 1916, and it sits on 75 acres of land. the zoo opened before the bridge was built so it was actually affordable; now it’s one of the most expensive places in Sydney.
we arrived at 6:15 PM and went to our tents to settle in. then we had a happy hour and met some creatures including a python, tree frog, little turtle, and a bearded dragon. we then made our way to the food market where dinner was being served. after dinner we went on a night zoo walk and saw lions, sun bears, tigers, and dholes (wild dog). we made our way back to camp for a little tea and dessert.

nature is not quiet, therefore sleep wasn’t great, but waking up to the roar of lions was pretty cool.

breakfast was served at 6:15 AM and shortly after we started the “behind the scenes” tours. we fed giraffes, snuggled with koalas, and got to pet a seal.

our tour ended at 9:15 AM and we had 15 minutes in the zoo before it opened to the public. we stayed for about 2 more hours and saw other animals like the wallaby, kangaroo, and a fishing cat. sadly no penguins on this trip, but the wombat is pretty cute.

now it’s time for a nap. although spending the night in a tent at the zoo is pretty awesome, there is something to be said for the quiet comforts of home.

i arrived in Sydney on Tuesday morning and it’s been go go go ever since. i had hoped to get a post or two in before this, but it just didn’t happen, sorry.

that’s one of the biggest differences between traveling solo and with friends. when i travel by myself i often have evening time to write a post and go through pictures; but when i’m with friends we’re usually out and about.

it’s been great weather since i’ve arrived, so there’s been lots of walking around. i’ve enjoyed a ferry trip to Watson’s Bay for fish n’ chips at Doyle’s, a tour of the Sydney Opera House, a walk across the Harbor Bridge and some super tasty gelato at Messina’s.

yesterday ended with dinner at Hurricane’s, bowling at Kingpin, and the Zumbo dessert train. the dessert bar was fun, it worked like one of those sushi bars where the items go past on a little conveyor belt and you choose the ones you want. the concept was better than the actual dessert, but it was still fun.

today starts with breakfast at Bill’s, getting some shopping in for a party on Sunday, and then some time spent at the pool. it’s going to be hot today, so being poolside will be a good thing. this evening we head over to the Taronga Zoo for the Roar and Snore Overnight Experience. yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like, we’re spending the night at the zoo! stay tuned for more on that adventure.

Zumbo photo courtesy of weekend notes.com

i was going through my Cologne photos and realized i forgot to include a post about the padlocks on the Hohenzollern Bridge.

the bridge crosses over the Rhine River, and i walked across one afternoon.  the entire bridge is covered in padlocks.  the locks are a symbol of true love.  you are supposed to walk across a bridge with your sweetheart, attach a lock scrawled with your names to the structure, and then throw the key into the river below.

i think three days of game show is enough, especially when you’re not working a booth. so goodbye GamesCom and hello sights.

there were a few things on the list to see and i saw a fair amount today. my Mom would be proud, i even made it to a museum. museums are never on the top of my list, but the Ludwig Museum was on the list of sights and it was conveniently located next to the cathedral.

the special exhibit was pop art from the 60’s, which was cool, as i don’t think i’ve seen a real Warhol before. the other pieces didn’t seem to be from one era, but more of a sampling of artists. that is actually what i like best, a little of this and a little of that. this a Robert Rauchenberg piece entitled Tree Frog. huh.

cathedral, check. Ludwig, check. next? how about a boat trip down the River Rhine? boat trip, check. these “crane” buildings are crazy. who would want to live there, is Germany immune to earthquakes?!

i stopped in at the Schokoladen (chocolate museum), how could i not? the smell alone was amazing. i didn’t actually take the tour, but i did spend ample time in the gift shop. best museum gift shop ever. i didn’t buy anything a) it was a million degrees outside and b) maybe not the same, but i can get Lindt chocolates at home.

with the boat ticket came a city tour, so i hopped on the bus and toodled around Cologne for an hour. originally i had wanted the boat and brewery tour, but alas there was a misunderstanding and i ended up with a city tour instead. turns out that wasn’t a bad thing as all of the brewery tours are in German, and my German is non-existent so, i opted to sit at the brewery and have a beer instead. drinking the beer is the really fun part of a brewery tour anyhow isn’t it?

i ended the day with a trip to see the local cemetery, Melatenfriedhof. i love a good cemetery, and this one was also on the list of sights to see. it wasn’t the best i’ve been to, but it was really pretty and very peaceful. i kept thinking it would be a great place for a picnic. it’s probably not on the top ten most romantic picnic spots, but it is beautiful.

from there i hopped back on the train and headed back to my Best Western Premiere home.

On Monday i was at the Salt Flats watching cars break land speed records and now i’m in Germany watching kids break gaming records.

i’m in Cologne, Germany at the GamesCom show, which is the world’s largest interactive entertainment expo. i have been to the E3 Expo in LA many times and i knew this show was going to be bigger, but i didn’t realize how much bigger. it’s like E3 super-sized.

the show runs Wednesday-Sunday, and will have over 275k attendees. there are 11 halls total, and the whole convention center is 120,000 square meters. (according to an online conversion chart that is 1,290,000 square feet). a couple halls make up the business area, where i spend most of my time, as it isn’t as crowded and it’s relatively quiet. there are expo halls where companies like Ubisoft, Sony, Electronic Arts, and Activision have their ginormous booths showcasing their games. then there are halls that contain activities like kart racing, bicycle racing, and table top games. a little something for everyone.

i’m off to day three of the show, wish me luck!

photo courtesy of engadget.com

sadly today is my last day at the salt. i’m off to Germany tomorrow, so i couldn’t stay any longer.

as the sun rose over the Motel 6 pool, it certainly didn’t seem like we would have to worry about thunderstorms. it would be great if the salt could stay dry today, the harder the surface the easier it is to drive.

we made our way to the pit, and promptly started working on the car. after a tasty breakfast the crew hooked up the car to the truck, and headed on down to line.

and those of us in the pits….you guessed it, waited! one new addition to the pit this year was a solar oven. we tried it out yesterday and made a batch of cookies and some focaccia bread. it turned out ok, but we knew we could do better. today we pre-heated the oven (put it in the sun with nothing in it) and waited until it got to 200 degrees before we put in the cookies. that worked a lot better and i was able to enjoy a tasty treat before i made my way back to Salt Lake City Airport.

 
while waiting for my flight to board my Dad called. the car ran, and ran well, we hit 224 mph. the record is 231 and our competition this year made it to 229, so we still have some work to do. it’s only Monday though and a lot can happen in three days. hopefully when i land in Germany tomorrow i will have a message saying the car is in impound.

as i have mentioned before, travel this year has been very sporadic due the fact that last October i bought a house.  but opportunity does knock, and in this case it was a very loud knock not to be ignored.  i opened the door and now a trip is planned!

my friend JF lives in Sydney, she’s been there for the last year.  she is planning to come home at the end of October, which sadly eliminates the chance for me to see fireworks on New Year’s Eve over the Sydney Opera House, but it gave me the inspiration to get my act together and plan a trip for a visit before she leaves.  although the cash is limited, the fact i have a free place to stay helps out tremendously.

so i cashed in my meager stash of United miles and got a one-way ticket to Sydney.  my friend and i will then return to the Bay Area together via Honolulu.  it worked out to be more cost effective to fly through Hawaii than direct from Sydney to San Francisco, and since that was the case, why not stay for a couple of nights?

i am so happy to have this trip on the calendar and i’m super grateful for having everything fall into place so it could happen.  although i’ve got the trip to Cologne first, the Australian countdown has begun!

photo courtesy of naturalwallpaper.net

my next international trip is to Cologne, Germany.  it’s a work trip so i’m only there for a short amount of time, but as always i will try to make the most of my time.

i’m the queen of buying travel guide books; there is just something comforting about having a guide book in your bag while you’re exploring a new area.  i also like to see all of the bigger books on my bookshelf at home.  it’s just a reminder of the places i’ve been and where i want to go.

since this trip is short and i’m only going to the one place, i figured i’d get a little pocket guide with a map, those are my favorite.  then i saw that Top Sights has a travel guide for Cologne.  $1.99 Kindle version available.  i do love to travel with the iPad so the Kindle version could be perfect.  i’ve spent more on less so i didn’t even think twice, click and done.

will i now carry the iPad with me while sightseeing?  will i still buy a pocket guide? that remains to be seen, but i’m excited to see what my newest guide has to offer.

photo courtesy of phonebookoftheworld.com

i’m very happy to report that my bag was delivered, as promised, to my office Monday afternoon. the driver even called to confirm, which was really nice, and good customer service. i must say for having to change flights at the airport, everyone was really accommodating and made an effort. a nice thing to see these days.

i am completely unpacked and laundry has been done. i still haven’t managed to get to the store yet, but i’m guessing by the weekend i’ll be out of frozen vegetables and soup. i’m wading through the million and two photos i’ve taken, trying to find the decent ones to include in the album. the album will be on Shutterfly.com along with my other trips. there is a link on the right side of the page.

i went back to work the day after returning, and i almost feel like i didn’t go on a vacation. i’m not sure if this makes sense, but i think i went away for too long. or maybe it’s because i was in one area (a city) for a week at the end by myself. it kind of feels like i was living in a different area for a month, but not a real vacation. i don’t know, it’s just an odd feeling.

i think in the future i will stick with 10-14 day trips, those are more to my liking. not too mention they’re more affordable and people are more apt to come with. not that i mind traveling solo, but it is fun to be somewhere different with a group of friends.

back to the photo sorting. sigh, it’s a long process, but i think i have them all facing the right direction now, which was step one.