The Australian adventure begins

After a two day saga of dodging a blizzard and other airport debacles that I'm eager to forget, I finally made it to Australia, only one day later than planned.  Upon deplaning in Sydney, I had the distinct displeasure of having to wait in the passport control line behind Kate Gosselin, her eight children and various other entourage members (who were all on my flight), which took ages longer than I would have expected.

But now that all the craziness is behind me, I am looking forward to a fantastic two month adventure.  After unwinding at the hotel and enjoying a much needed shower and change of clothes, we headed out to explore Sydney Harbour.  Seeing the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge made me beyond excited to be here.  The Opera House is even more impressive in person than in pictures.

After just one afternoon of walking around, we have realized that the sun here is extremely strong.  Given that I'm already slightly pink, I need to be sure to slather on the sunscreen if I plan to be outside for the next two months...

In the evening, we wandered around the Darling Harbour area, where our hotel is located.  Darling Harbour is an area of docks, factories and warehouses that have been converted into a waterfront park, lined with shops and restaurants.  Based on even just my first dinner here, I already know one thing - the seafood here is amazing and I can't wait to try a lot more of it.

All in all, the epic struggle I went through to get here was entirely worth it.  I even seem to have completely conquered jet lag, although I'm hesitant to speak too soon. 

It is already New Years Eve here in Sydney, and I'm excited to see all the festivities and fireworks tonight.  But first, breakfast...