Sydney Revisited

We got back to Sydney Tuesday morning, and got off the ship pretty early, but not early enough to catch a flight back to Bangkok, so we had decided to do one last day in Sydney, and then leave the next morning.  I had found us a different Airbnb in another part of Sydney, about half way between the harbor and the airport, so we Ubered over there.  One of the selling points of the house was that it had a big backyard.

We let the girls run around and play a bit, while I got some laundry done, and then we headed back into town.

Our extra day in Sydney overlapped with Jeff's dad and stepmom being in Sydney getting ready to go on a cruise of their own, so we were able to spend a wonderful day with them as a bonus at the end of our trip.  They were kind grandparents too, and let me pick a kid friendly activity for the day, the Australian Museum, which is a great natural history museum in Sydney.

We started in the animal section.  They were all looking at the butterflies, so I got them to turn around for a picture.

The grandparents had brought cute little notepads for the girls.  Elena demanded a crayon, and set about checking off all the animals on her "list."

After the hall of animals, there were a couple more large rooms devoted to aboriginal culture.  That part was really interesting to explore, because it's not something I've ever studied before.  The girls liked it too.

There were museum employees there, and they explained some of the hunting techniques to Vivian.

Jeff thought the display of all the different kinds of spears was awesome.

Then we went upstairs to the gems and minerals exhibit.  My kids crack me up, because they walked right by the display cases full of colorful, glittering rocks, and went right for the interactive wall display.  I think they actually learned a couple things.

Vivian and I went to check out a special exhibit on the art of the Scott sisters.  They were 19th century naturalists who drew beautiful, highly detailed pictures of butterflies and plant life in the New South Wales area.  

While we enjoyed the art, one of the things I found most interesting is that scientists today were able to use the Scott sisters' drawings to rehabilite an island that had been turned into an industrial area in the 20th century and was now being declared a park.  By the end of looking through the exhibit though, the girls had gotten a bit silly and stolen their grandparents' hats.

Luckily, the museum also has a kids play area, which is part of why I picked it.  They have these pods set up, and each one has different activities inside.

The adults took turns watching the girls and exploring the rest of the museum.  Then we finished up at the hands on discovery lab area.

The tortoise shells were a big hit.

Vivian said, "Now I know why turtles move so slow.  This shell is heavy!" The girls were getting pretty tired by that point, and I was worried about pushing our luck and staying out after dark, since it was getting dark pretty early.  Luckily, the grandparents were good sports and agreed to come back to our Airbnb place.  We also made strategic stops at a cheese and meat and a wine store along the way, so we had food and drink to entertain with.

It was such a treat to be able to spend the day with them, and we got a cute picture of them with the girls before they went back to their hotel for the night.

The next morning we got up bright and early, headed to the airport, and flew home.  We got home right around dinner time, so we were able to settle the girls into bed at the regular time and get a much needed massage.  The next day, this is what Vivian chose to wear to school.

What a great trip!  Definitely one for the memory books.