Pea Foam
May 26, 2013
I made it to Sydney!
The customs line in the airport was impressive (= long as hell) but clearing went smoothly. Mike and Margy met me at the exit and I was so excited to see them both. We boarded the train and headed from the airport to Wynyards, which is the closest station to their apartment. Note: The customs agent asked me if the address where I was staying was a hotel. I said, “No, it is a condo”. She furrowed her brow and said, “We call them apartments. If you say condo people might get confused.” I told her “Thanks for the tip” and smiled. She just said, “Have a nice stay.” I guess I have a lot of learning to do.
Here in Australia they walk, drive and ride escalators all on the left side. Not the wrong side, but the left side. There was a really cool, old wooden escalator at the Wynyard Station. Made by Otis, but it must have been 50 years old. Although I have no idea when the first escalator was installed but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a wooden one so I’ll go with 50 years old. Of course I floated to the right, but Mike reminded me to stay left so others could pass.
Otis Elevator Wynyard Station Sydney
The trains are really nice. You board and then have the choice to go upstairs or downstairs, so it’s a double decker. Very clean and quite. And not smelly like some of the Metro or Marta trains in the States. I can call it the States now that I’m here in OZ. And I can call it OZ now that I’m here in OZ.
Upon my arrival to the apartment Jenny greeted me with mimosas and a wonderful hot breakfast. We had scrambled eggs with yummy white cheddar cheese, fruit, and Tip Tops. What are Tip Tops you ask? They are English Muffins, but they are the BEST English Muffins ever. Put a little butter and raspberry jam on them and oh boy. Just like home only better!! I couldn’t get enough of the view out the floor to ceiling windows on two walls of their apartment. What a way to start the day!
Welcome Breakfast
I unpacked a little and then we loaded up the kids and walked to Circular Quay. We took the Sydney Ferry from Circular Quay to Manly. Our ferry’s name was the Narrabeen. I was using it in sentences like: “I Narrabeen on this ferry before”. Mike and I cracked up. It reminded us both of “Stumbalova”. Vania Stambolova was a hurdles runner in the 2012 Summer Olympics and the poor thing took a huge dive over one of her hurdles. It was just awful. Apparently others thought of the same nickname for her.
I had “Narrabeen” to Manly before!
Manly is just wonderful! It is a laid back beach town with tons of shops, restaurants and bars. Our first stop was at Murray’s where we sat upstairs and overlooked the ocean. The waves were big that day so there were tons of surfers out. Mike introduced me to Angry Man Pale Ale. It was just what the doctor ordered after 24 hours of traveling.
Murray’s Bar
Cheers & Beers!
Angry Man Pale Ale
We ordered some snacks – sliders, crab wontons and fish ‘n chips. I noticed that lots of dishes came with “pea foam”, including the fish and chips. Sure enough, pea foam is just what you would think pea foam would be. I guess they just take peas and whip them into a frenzy. It is actually quite good on a chip. Of course, I don’t have to say that chips are the same as fries but these chips were especially good and homemade. More of the potato wedge type if you will. We housed that food and then took off to the beach.
Manly Beach
We forgot Margy’s swim suit and Jane doesn’t have one so Margy swam in her dress and Jane in her diaper. There is nothing cuter in the world than a baby on the beach in only a diaper. Janie is a daredevil! She has no fear and loved the water and waves. Margy is also not shy around the surf. She cavorted about making friends, playing with the wet sand, and jumping over knee high waves.
Janie on the Beach
Margy on the Beach
Mike, Jenny and I tried to escape with only sandy feet but we all ended up with wet pants. And no one cared. We were having so much fun. The temperature was about 70 degrees with no clouds in the blue sky. How can you worry about wet pants when you look up in the sky and see clear blue heaven?!
Margy and Deeda’s Sandy Feet
We also forgot to pack any towels. We really didn’t think it would be such a full on beach/ocean experience so towels were the last things on our mind. It is really interesting to try and wipe of a totally sandy baby with just a few baby wipes. We just took off the wet stuff and replaced it with dry stuff and off we went to try some more beers.
Sandy Janie
This time it was a 4 Pines Kolsh at ___________________ bar. So far this one is my fav!
Margy and Deeda Share
After a quick stop at the grocery for burgers and sour cream & sweet chili flavored kettle chips we got back on The Narrabeen. We got the best view of the Sydney Vivid Lights from the water on the cruise back. And then even more lights on the walk from the wharf to the apartment. Mike really lives in the heart of it all!
Skyline from Narrabeen
Vivid from Narrabeen
Although I was feeling great as soon as I got home and took a shower I hit the wall. In my defense it was 8pm and from my calculations I had been up for 36 hours with only about 3.5 hours of catnaps on the flight. I think I did pretty well for my first day in Sydney. I hit the sack hard and started to look forward to the rest of my holiday down under!
Deeda is tired!
K. Dana Morris 