Ahhh Australia at last!

We arrived in Sydney Australia on March 6 and were greeted by Tante Christel at the airport.


We think we’re “home” now because we’re surrounded by family and we’re staying in a home that feels like home to us. Dieter was especially anxious to meet his Onkel Dieter and I guess he was a little apprehensive in case he didn’t meet his Onkel’s expectations.

We were thrilled to meet cousin Celeste and three of her four daughters: Stephanie (11), Amber (7) and Jessica (2). The children get along famously and Erik and Dieter have told us they’d rather stay here at Tante Christel and Onkel Dieter’s than travel around Australia.

On our first weekend here Celeste joined us for a fun day in Sydney. We had quite an adventure traveling by bus (because they were working on the railway line as they often do on weekends) into town. Our first destination was the Sydney Opera House where we participated in an hour-long tour. We learned all about the 100 million dollar project that took over 16 years to complete (they had initially anticipated a 7 million dollar budget over three years).

The opera house was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and was constructed between 1959 and 1971. We will go to an opera on March 26 where they will perform “Carmen” in French. Initially we were told the opera was sold out but moments before we arrived to purchase tickets there was a cancellation! I will be sitting in the single seat just four rows from the stage as no subtitles are visible from that location and the rest of the family will be together a few rows behind me. We have been told there will even be live horses on the stage during this performance so we’re sure Dieter will also enjoy the event. Wow!

After a twenty-minute ferry boat ride we arrived at Manly beach where we spent the rest of the day.


This is the beginning of Autumn here in Australia. The time is seven hours behind Saskatchewan and a day ahead. So if it is 8:00 p.m on Saturday in Regina it will be 1:00 pm in the afternoon on Sunday in Sydney. If it is Spring in Regina, it will be Autumn in Sydney. The children are just beginning their school year here. They finish their year about a week before Christmas and after a two-month break for summer holidays they return to school the last week of February to a new school year.

There are so many things to see and do here in this HUGE country (the biggest island in the world) so we’re carefully planning what we can fit in during our brief stay here. Our next tour will be of the Jenolan Caves and Blue Mountains.