I'm Going Where?!: Last Day *tear*

I honestly cannot believe that our trip has come to an end. Today was a great last day in Sydney! We left the apartment to go to the Ship Inn for the CAPA lunch, and on our way, we met Darren Percival, runner-up of The Voice Australia, in the lobby! He was so sweet! He asked us each for our name, and shook each of our hands and said, “Nice to meet you, -insertnamehere-“. He was so down to earth, and was just getting back from a morning talk show, so he was exhausted and looking forward to getting back to his room. He also said that he really wants to visit Boston one day. We’d go to one of his shows! I wish we’d asked for a photo, but no one at home knows who he is anyway, so I’m the only one that really needs to remember, and I definitely will!

Lunch at the Ship Inn was delicious! I ordered a Cajun chicken wrap, and the wrap was crispy while the filling was slightly spicy and tender. I was pleased, and wanted more! Following lunch, we headed to the water to take group photos, and then continued on to the national office of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The manager welcomed us and had a great deal to say about the service. It’s a much bigger program than I thought – they have 61 aircrafts and make hundreds of thousands of trips each year! And they don’t only respond to emergencies – they do weekly and monthly clinics in most of the small outback towns and provide check-ups and vaccines at no charge. From there, we had a couple of hours free, so we wandered around The Rocks one last time. We browsed the Rocks Discovery Museum, which is free and shows some of the history of the early days in The Rocks. They had pottery and old tools and toys, and I enjoyed seeing some of the history. We also window shopped, which was fun. For dinner, Kathe and Mary took us to Phillip’s Foote, where we choose a cut of meat and grill it yourself! I got a Sydney Cut, which seemed fitting, and it took forever to cook to my liking! I took it off at just the right time, though – it was the teeniest bit pink on the inside, but still juicy. There was also unlimited bread and salad (Grandma – I had beets, just like when I was little!). We reminisced a bit, and Mary came over to our table and shared some of her hilarious stories – crazy homeless women, constipated dogs, etc. It ended up being a really lovely day, and a great way to end this fantastic, truly memorable trip.

We’re staying up tonight so we can sleep on the plane tomorrow and get back on EST – watching movies, eating all our extra food, drinking coffee, etc. I’ll be switching seats this time around to sit with Kate and Lianne (hopefully the seating will work out so we can be in the same row)! Returning home will be nice. A month is a long time to be so far away, but I wouldn’t have traded this month for anything. I loved every bit of this trip.