March 25 - Planes and Boats and Trains ... and Rental Cars

PLANES AND BOATS AND TRAINS ... AND RENTAL CARS

Arose with mixed feelings: sadness at leaving the natural beauty and numerous attractions of the Otway/Apollo Bay area, but looking forward to our stay at Manly Beach. The clouds were dense and the rain intermittent as we broke camp and loaded the car. There was a bright rainbow to the north,

however, as we turned in that direction to follow a winding mountainous road toward Melbourne. [cue Paul McCartney]. Once through the mountains we could have been in rural Mississippi ... broad fields of recently harvested hay; heaps of cattle (Angus, Hereford, Holstein, Brahman), as well as sheep and horses; small towns with churches, a general store, and a ball field ... only the eucalyptus/gum trees are different.  In less than 3 hours we were turning our rental car in near Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne.  Flying Tiger Air, and having learned our lesson about sweating a close call on making the cutoff for the flight last time, we checked in with a couple of hours to spare.  We had time to scout out the lunch options, order, eat, and bum around the airport before boarding for Sydney.  The flight was about an hour, but was really bumpy the last 20 minutes or so.  Once we had grabbed our bags, we headed for the light rail train, bought Opal cards (which can be used on trains, buses, or ferries in Sydney), and boarded the train for the Circular Quay.  (Since Susan and I will be backtracking this route on our way to the airport to fly home Thursday morning, I had to pay close attention to what we were doing ... and where.)  At Circular Quay we found our wharf and boarded the ferry for Manly.  Nice, familiar scenery on the ferry ride ...

Soon after boarding we noticed a long, thick, dark cloud (stalking us from Aotearoa?!?)  had formed over downtown Sydney and began following us.  It was eerie ... like the "Pillar of Fire" from the movie The Ten Commandments or the "Upside Down" from the Netflix show Stranger Things!  It followed us down Sydney Harbour, then across to Manly.  So quite naturally, as soon as we stepped off the ferry, it began to rain.  It was only a 7 minute walk to our hotel, but we had to wait about 15 minutes waiting for it to quit.  And, of course, as soon as we began walking, it began to rain again ... not hard, just enough to be an aggravation.  

We made it ... wet and tired, but there!  The Sebel Manly Beach is very nice, roomy, and conveniently located, i.e., right across the street from one of the most beautiful beaches in the world (plus near lots of restaurants and shops).  

After unpacking and drying off a bit, we began looking for a place for a late dinner.  Unfortunately our group of four seemed to be divided over whether to just get a beer and pub grub or enjoy a nice dinner.  After wandering around for awhile, impatience and fatigue began to show.  Finally we stopped for a beer ... and most decided that pub grub was good enough.  We watched a little of an AFL game, quenched our thirst, ate, and headed back to the hotel.  It had been a pretty demanding day, but we had landed in yet another paradise.  Gotta rest up so we can take full advantage.