Day 11: Dog-Tired, Today They Learn Football and Cricket and Visit the Sydney Opera House

Weird face. Casey looks happy!

Got a call from Katie a little after noon - morning her time - and she sounded wiped out! I guess they got sleep last night but the two nights before, not so much.

They toured the aquarium last night and she said, very deadpan, "Great. Fish." Of course that's the one thing we have plenty of around here.

The other thing she said was hard was the food. I guess they have all gained weight (so they think, their clothes aren't fitting all that well) because most of the meals have been fried food and dessert. She didn't complain about it being particularly bad food, just really fattening. I assured her vacation weight comes off pretty easily when she gets back home.

They got to see fireworks last night over the harbor. They look a lot better than the fireworks we saw on July 4th. She mentioned that first thing so it must have been exciting.

Today they are going to do "something sporty" she said with little enthusiasm. Did I mention how tired she sounded? Looks like its some Australian rules football (the ball is super weird - it's not like American football or soccer) and cricket. It says they will be playing with some Aussies. After the "big flirt" with the New Zealand boys, this could be good!

She was excited they end up today at the Opera House. It looks like a dinner cruise too. And then hopefully, another good night's sleep.

I think this is at the airport waiting to go to Sydney.

"Great. Fish."

From the People to People Itinerary:

1. Sport is an important aspect to the Australian culture and lifestyle. Today have the unique opportunity to learn about some of the most popular Australian sports; Aussie rules football and cricket. After learning the basics, you will have the chance to try and play them with some local Aussies!

• Examine and handle exquisite opal, Australia’s national gemstone, during a cutting and polishing demonstration at an opal establishment.
• Get a backstage pass to the world-famous Sydney Opera House. Enter areas that are not accessible to the public during an exclusive guided orientation of this iconic facility, a masterpiece of late-modern architecture.
• Enjoy a dinner cruise on the Harbour, with Sydney’s skyline as your spectacular backdrop.

This is pretty cool. This guy mines opals about five months out of the year. This is his camp. His blog is interesting and tells his story and has some examples of the opals he mines. Do you know what a Dunny is?