On the Road with the Reinhard's

Our Christmas and a catch up

2010-01-04T22:56:00.001+01:00

Finally the christmas post. Since Rolf has gone I have had not much time to think – so i am sorry I havent got around to this sooner. So where were we ….. Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve was a busy day and it started off early with a lot of packing and tidying as we left the apartment in redcliffe. Due to some good pre packing from my part we were out of there in no time and headed to North Lakes Golf Club for breakfast per request from Rolf. Breakfast was yummy and before we left we had to take photos out the front per Alexandra’s request. Rolf probably has better ones on his camera.

We then left there and headed to the local shopping centre. Crazy I hear you say going to a shopping centre on christmas eve and that was what i was thinking when we saw the line up of cars to get into the car park. But we were coming in a back way so didnt have to wait long. I was planning on going on in go round the round about and back out but Rolf convinced me to do one lap of the car park and guess what … first turn in and someone just left –we got a park out the front. Bargin. So in we went. I did some quick purchases at the grocery store, did a bit of looking around and then we went left. We detoured via my Grandparents house for a nap and a small lunch. I also did some baking (boy did that feel good) and made Zimt Sternen, in the shape of circles. Before long it was time to go to Dads to get ourselves situated. We got presents out and under the tree, hung out eating watermelon on the deck and then got ready to go back to my Grandparents for dinner. It was the traditional turkey curry with string hoppers, scrambled eggs, lentils (even though they dont go with string hoppers) and other yummy stuff

We then headed back to Dad and Suzi’s to sleep. But before we headed to bed we had to write a letter to Santa – Alexandra dictated and I wrote. We got out Santa a beer, fruit salad (cause apparently Santa is watching his weight this year and when we were in the shops a couple of days before she saw Santa go get some fruit salad on his lunch break), a carrot for the raindeer and some wrapping paper (cause apparently Santa had run out and had asked us to leave some out.)

We were all asleep in no time and hoped that the kids would wake up at a decent hour the next day – oh how wrong were we.

5.30am wake up call – and had to wait till 8am to open presents – thank goodness for tv!

The kids were really spoiled by everyone and loved all their presents. Dylan in particularly loved his wiggle guitare from Santa. We then had breakfast out on the deck.

Before long it was time to move again, this time heading to mum’s for more celebrations and of course more presents. The kids were really spoiled again. Mum’s brother and his family and my other Grandmother were there to celebrate and we had friends and family drop in all day. I think we were having too much fun to take photos as I only seemed to of taken a couple.

Alexandra and Grandma made this plum pudding together and she was rather proud of herself. So when it was time to serve she brought out the chef’s hat and apron Neil had given her and had to pose with her creation.

The next day was a sad day. Rolf had to pack up and head back to Switzerland :(. He managed to take some of the heavier presents back. We put Dylan to sleep over lunch as we knew he would not understand why Rolf was going and we had planned on taking Alexandra with us to the airport but she really was not into coming – so stayed home with my Mum. It was a sad goodbye, and we are really missing him these past 2 weeks. Think its harder this way around – coming earlier was easier last time i think.

Anyway since he left we have been up to a lot.

First, Mel and I headed to the Sales while Mum babysat! Came away with an iPod touch and a pair of shoes. We then spent a lot of time inside because of all the rain. There has been a lot of rain and making going outside difficult as all the playgrounds have been too wet to play on. But we did manage a couple of times.

New Years came around quickly and we headed to Beck and Andy’s to celebrate. We all had a lovely time and ate and drank a little too much. I think we were all feeling it in the morning – well Beck and Andy didnt get much sleep as Jaxon was up a lot and I got an early wake up call from my two. Took a lot of energy to gather up to head home but once we did all three of us had a huge nap and some greasy food for dinner I was feeling good in no time.

On the 2nd we hung out with Mel in the afternoon. had a huge afternoon actually. We went to lunch, shopping, park, mcdonalds for some air con and ice cream, beck’s to pick up my charger, DFO for some more shopping and then back to Mel’s for pizza. We all came away with more new shoes. We thought that we had lost Alexandra’s pillow but found out the following day that she hid it from me as she didnt want me to take it away from her when she did something wrong – sneaky.

Sunday I spent most of the day cleaning out our stuff. Trying to start packing but i did not get that far. I can feel a last minute stress attack coming on.

Today at the last minute we decided to go on a drive to Ipswich to visit a train museum. Thomas the Tank engine and some of his friends were there and so the kids were excited to check it out.

There was so much to do, lots of trains to meet, lots of play track to play with and we were all exhausted by the end of it. On the way home we stopped at Sizzler for lunch.

We have a pretty busy schedule the next days. An indoor playground with Beck and Jaxon, Dinner with Mel and Jon, Australia Zoo with Nono and Omi, Swimming in Manly with Grandma and a visit to Nan and Pa in the middle of that somewhere. Oh and the packing – cannot forget about that.

And now you are all up to date.

So I should catch you up shouldn’t I

2009-12-26T08:33:00.001+01:00

It has really been awhile. We havent had a lot of internet connection for the past couple of weeks – so I can blame that on not updating the blog sooner can’t I.

So where do I go back to.

We arrived back in Brisbane after a great trip to Airlie Beach and stayed a couple of days at Mum’s. We did a little shopping on the Thursday and then on the Friday Beck and Jaxon came over for a couple of hours – we had a lot of fun hanging out around the house and then we headed down the beach to check out the playground and water playground. We had a lovely fish and chip lunch before we headed our separate ways – Beck home and we to Redcliffe to check into our new apartment.

We got checked in quickly and took all of our stuff into the apartment – it took awhile and then we headed to Nan and Pa’s house to say hello. We stayed and had a lovely time chatting and the kids loved playing and checking out all the cool things. Especially the christmas tree and the dog Chester.

On the Saturday we had a chilled out morning before going to lunch with Nono and Omi – we went to a lovely italian place at redcliffe. In the afternoon I had my haircut – nothing drastic just styled the length I have already before going home to get ready for our photo shoot in the afternoon. We were super lucky with weather – it was rather grey in distance, but the weather held out. Rachel Richter was a fantastic photographer and the sneak peaks we have seen on her blog have been lovely – looking forward to getting them before we leave for Switzerland. We all headed out for dinner after the photos and it was nice – even though it took a little time to serve the main meals.

Sunday we had a HUGE day. We were up early and dropped Rolf at Beck and Andy’s for a round of golf – Beck and Jaxon and later Irene and Mum and Mel all joined us to go to the Wiggles Concert. We had fab seats and the kids all loved the concert.

After the concert we headed back to Beck and Andy’s and had a nice lunch all together and experienced the typical Brisbane humidity.

To be honest I cannot remember what on earth we did during the following week. Let me think:

On Monday I left the kids with Rolf and I headed to Northlakes Shopping Center with my Grandma. We did a lot of our Christmas Shopping and crossed most things off our lists.

No idea what we did Tuesday – sure there was some golf involved.

Wednesday I think we headed up to Eumundi with Nono and Omi and checked out the markets. WOW – why on earth did we wait so long to go there cause it was fantastic – we all got a lot of great things and had a nice lunch.

Friday night we had a yummy lamb roast and Nono and Omi’s. The kids got comfortable on the sofas and settled in to watch Playhouse disney so the adults could have a nice chat and enjoy listening to the ocean :)

Saturday evening we went to Nan’s place for a Hopper party. We all had curry with hoppers – a crepe like dish that replaces rice, some of them even had eggs in them. We all really enjoyed them.

Sunday Rolf and Nono had a game of golf early in the morning think they hit off around 5.15 am. So Rolf was back home in no time and ready to spend the day with us. We got a sms from Sally asking if we wanted to meet up and of course we said yes so we headed to a rather busy Chermside to meet up with Sal, Dom, the girls and Melanie. We had a nice lunch and a good catch up. That night we felt like Chinese so we called up Nan and Pa and see if they wanted some too and picked some up on the way to their place. The kids really love playing with Chester the dog, especially Dylan.

Monday started our action packed last week with Rolf. Rolf had his last game of golf and the kids and I did some hanging out and lots of washing. When he came back we headed to Beck and Andy’s to firstly hang out with Beck and Jaxon. Before long Andy came home and Eddie and Emily joined us too. We all had a lovely evening, drinking and eating and of course catching up. Our kids were great but were very tired and we left by 10.30pm.

Tuesday we got up and headed down the coast to visit Pia and Andy. It took us almost no time at all to get down there and we were able to enjoy the great playgrounds before we met up with Pia and Andy. We first did a walk around Broadbeach and found a yummy Italian place for lunch then headed back to the beach for a swim. The kids were much better this time about getting a little further into the surf and I even got in too. After we said goodbye to them we headed to Pacific Fair for a little look around so that we wouldnt get caught in any traffic on the way home – it worked and the drive home was a breeze.

Wednesday there arent any photos cause I thought Rolf had brought his camera with him and i guess he thought I would bring mine – oh well. Anyway we got up and drove to Mum’s to drop off the kids. We then drove to Bulimba (one of our new fav suburbs) and then caught the city cat into the city. Its such a relaxing way to get in there. We then did a lot of looking around and bought a couple of things. Had a lovely lunch, especially Rolf who had a morten bay bug pasta dish. We then headed back to Mum’s to pick up the kids and heard that they had an awesome time.

Will come back tomorrow to finish off the update

It’s been awhile

2009-12-16T10:33:00.001+01:00

Sorry we havent checked in a bit we have had no internet connection and have had to come to McDonald’’s tonight to use theirs. Thank goodness for free internet connection.

Anyway just wanted to say we are all good and will try and write a good update post over the next couple of days and then come back here and upload it!

Day 23 – A swim and a bumpy drive

2009-12-08T23:41:00.001+01:00

We woke up this morning had a quick breakfast and went straight to the pool for a swim. Its a great pool here at the caravan park.

We then came back and got ready to go and have lunch with Amy and Bruno and the Twins. We had to drive about 40 mins and then we waited at a point so that Bruno could bring Amy to the resort where we were having lunch and then come back and pick us up as we could not drive our rented car on the last bit of road as it was unsealed. We finally all got there and wow what a place.

Afterwards we went back to Airlie Beach and then had a great BBQ for dinner at Amy and Bruno’s

Day 22 – Breakfast out and a trip to the Big Mango

2009-12-08T02:59:00.001+01:00

This morning we all had a nice sleep in til 8am – a nice treat. We slowly got up and ready and headed down to Airlie Beach for breakfast. We walked around and soon found a nice place to eat. We were spoiled with the view – just beautiful. Afterwards we did a little walking around and drove to a shopping centre in search for the blue thongs Alexandra wants – but didnt find them. So instead we headed back to our place for a rest.

We then decided we should drive out to Bowen and see what is up there. The beaches there are just beautiful and we got to see the Big Mango (photo on Rolf’s camera).

We searched and searched for somewhere to eat and it seemed Monday was a day to have off so we ended up at MacDonalds. Which turned out ok in the end as they playground was perfect for the kids. We then drove back down to Airlie. Today we told ourselves we were very happy that we did not end up driving up here from Brisbane cause even the drive from Airlie to Bowen was boring enough – just endless straight road.

We went home via Amy and Bruno’s for some pre dinner drinks and the kids could have a play. Bruno went to work and we said goodbye shortly after with a detour via the shops to pick up some supplies for dinner and breakfast. After a dinner of chicken chips and corn we watched a little tv before heading to bed.

Day 21 – WOW forget how beautiful the water is up here

2009-12-06T12:05:00.001+01:00

We woke up after a good nights sleep and all got ready to head out and have breakfast over at Amy and Bruno’s. Bruno had already gone to work, but we got to hang out with Amy and her boys. We met Mattias and Elias for the first time. After some breakfast, good chats and naps by the twins we headed down into down town Airlie Beach for a walk.

When we were driving there, as you come over the hill you come down to the town and see the water for the first time and no matter how many times we have seen it it still amazes me how beautiful the water looks. We parked the cars and then got all th kids out to go for a walk. We walked through some markets, saw some camels and then headed to the playground for the kids to use some energy.

We then headed to Bruno’s work for lunch. Wow what a view he has from his kitchen – the ocean. We had a lovely lunch and survived with the 5 kids. We said goodbye to them all there and headed back to our cabin at the caravan park for naps. After naps we went to check out the swimming pool here. Wow what a cool pool Perfect for us all – must take the camera with us tomorrow. It has two very cool slides and before long Dylan asked to go down – so i took him and then we all took turns going down. This place is very cool and has an awesome playground, jumping pillow, tennis court, basketball court and mini golf.

We then went out and found some takeaway Thai food for dinner and ate out on our balcony

We are now sitting inside enjoying the air con watching some tv – there just come on a show made about the birth of the baby elephant that we saw at the zoo in Sydney. Must get these kiddies to bed.

Day 20 – Heading up North

2009-12-06T12:03:00.001+01:00

So today we had a busy day.

We first did some last minute washing and packing and then headed to Redcliffe to meet Dad and Suzi for lunch and drop the car off. Alexandra and I went in Mums car and did a little detour to the shops looking for some blue and black thongs (flip flops for you non- aussies) but we came out empty handed. We then met up with Rolf and Dylan at Suttons Beach at Redcliffe and then Dad and Suzi were not far behind. We then had a lovely lunch at Sails. I had salt and pepper calamari salad and Rolf prawn salad. We had a chance to have a quick play at the park

We then said goodbye to them and left the car behind and drove back to Mums. We had a little rest before packing up and Mum driving us to the airport to catch our flight up north. The flight was quite empty and I for sure had the easy part – having Alexnadra. Dylan was not the easiest – did not want to sit still at all. The flight was only 1 1/2 hour and were arrived and picked up our luggage at the outside baggage pick up and picked up our rental car. Took us awhile to get going but we got on our way and the kids fell asleep in the car – by now it was about 6.30pm We got to our caravan park after 7pm and finally found our key and after some wrong turns thanks to me found our cabin. We just dropped off the luggage and headed over to Bruno and Amy’s for dinner – which just happened to be around the corner and took us no time at all.

Their kids were already asleep but ours were very very shy after we woke them up when we arrived. Amy and Bruno just moved into their brand new house on Friday – its a very beautiful house. We had lasagne and wine for dinner and the kids watched a Wiggles DVD. Bruno and Rolf had a nüsslikor in celebration of Klausjägern thats going on in Switzerland tonight. We headed home shortly after that and we were asleep in no time.

Day 19 – Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2009-12-04T13:22:00.001+01:00

Christmas Shopping was at the top of the list today. Rolf headed out for his first 9 holes of the holiday early this morning and when he got back Mum and I headed out to the shops for some christmas presents. I am happy to report I am almost done – just a couple last few and I will be all done - a nice feeling. We had a lovely lunch – at our usual cafe. I had a fantastic salad – roasted pumpkin yum. We then headed home to see what the rest of them were up too. They had spent the morning at the park and were having naps when we returned home.

In the afternoon we did a little shopping for dinner tonight and then got back and made a BBQ. Mum, Neil and Rolf are now outside of the great Deck here enjoying lots of wine and Scotch. Think the good stuff has been brought out. I need to head down soon and start thinking about packing as we are heading to airlie beach tomorrow – very much looking forward to seeing Amy and Bruno and their boys!

Day 18 – Feeling much better so off to shop

2009-12-04T13:18:00.001+01:00

I woke up this morning feeling so much better – amazing what antibiotics do to the body. Once we got up and going – with Dylan sleeping a little longer this time – we all headed to the park at the beach at Wynnum. It was a lot of fun and the kids just love it there. We will for sure be back there. We then came back home for a nice lunch while Grandma had her haircut. When she got back Rolf and I headed out to DFO (outlets) for a little shopping. Without kids we were able to get a lot done and got some fantastic bargins. Not sure what was in the air but we got most of the stuff much cheaper than what was on the tags. 2 hours later we were heading home with a boot full of purchases for ourselves – a very rare occurance and only one thing for the kids. We then got home and cooked up a stir fry for dinner – what we should of had last night but i just was not up for it.

Day 17 Oh to the Drs we shall go

2009-12-04T13:14:00.001+01:00

I woke up this morning not feeling at all well. Well I didnt really wake up as i did not get much sleep at all. Dylan woke up at 4.45am Qld time and so the day begun. Thank goodness Dad could get me a last minute dr’s appointment for 11.30. We then got ready and drove over to Redcliffe. Dropped in at Dad’s work and exchanged cars. After a quick hello we then went to Nan and Pa’s where i dropped off Rolf and the kids before heading to the Drs. One look in the throat and strep throat was diagnosed again. More antibiotics. I then dropped in on Suzi for a quick Hello and to pick up a phone and back to Nan and Pa’s for lunch. I just wish that i could of enjoyed it more than i did – as it was yummy. I was no feeling at all good so we headed back home. When we returned we all had good naps – and i woke up feeling a lot better. I talked to Beck and we decided it would be best to skip our visit tomorrow and so rescheduled it for next week – cant wait to see them!

Day 16 – Wiggles World and Dreamworld

2009-12-04T01:08:00.001+01:00

Well we were all up and early this morning and got everything in the house packed up. It was much easier to pack the car this morning with one less person so we could fill the boot. We were going just past 9am and the weird thing is once we crossed the Queensland boarder we went back an hour so we arrived at Dreamworld exactly the same time we left the house back in Casuarina.

We were able to go into Dreamworld an hour early – but it didnt help us out a lot as it was only for the big rides – not the kids rides – but we had plenty of time to check out wiggles world and take lots of photos. before long the rosey tea cups opened for business and the kids could not wait to get on them

We then met Captain Feathersword and finally got to ride on the big red car

We also did a lot of fun other things like ride Dora’s planes and met Dorothy, Wags and Henry – checked out the Tigers and rode the train.

By 2pm I was feeling rather ill and so we headed home lucky we did as by the time i got home i was feeling rather rough – off to the Drs in the morning -

A side note: Sorry its taking me a lot longer to upload these blogs. I got ill on Tuesday so now on Friday only catching up. Hoping to be caught up tonight.

Day 15 – Our last day at Casuarina

2009-12-02T10:46:00.001+01:00

The first port of call today was for sure the beach. Its such a fantastic beach and we really have enjoyed having it nearly all to ourselves. There were lots of sand castles made and lots of holes to dig.

We then hung around the house – making do with what was in the fridge for lunch. We didnt leave the house till the late afternoon for a drive around to the south of where we were staying – looking for somewhere to get some dinner. We ended up choosing a Thai place and took it back home to eat. It was not the best Thai I have eaten but not the worst. We have a huge day tomorrow – driving home with a detour via Dreamworld and Wiggles World

Day 14 - Sunday

2009-12-02T10:39:00.001+01:00

Sunday we said goodbye to Mel and Jon. It wasnt for long, as we had to go help out with the car that had some issues – but it was quickly fixed. We then headed home via Kingscliffe – we grabbed some lunch and played at the playground.

The rest of the afternoon we just chilled out. Grandma and Alexandra played scrabble. Rolf, Dylan and I went for a walk and along the way we found some lovely flowers and a very cool letter box.

Day 13 –Byron Bay and the Beach

2009-12-02T10:38:00.001+01:00

This morning we got up early enough to leave the house by 9.30am. We headed on a good 1/2 hour drive back down south to Byron Bay. Byron Bay was the original destination for us but as soon as i found out it would be schoolies during that time we decided that would be a bad idea. So we were excited to head down and check it out just for the day – despite the thousand drunken teenagers.

Our first port of call was the Cape Byron Lighthouse. It is such a beautiful location – and the most easterly point of mainland Australia. As usual when i have plans for beautiful photos – the weather was far from the best. But we made do with the limited blue sky and the grey clouds that moved it very quickly. As soon as we got in the car to head back into town it started to pour with rain.

We then went into town and tried to find a park – not an easy task on a Saturday in the middle of schoolies – plus the rain. Anyway we found a park and decided to split up and meet back at the car at 1pm. We walked around town, looking in all the lovely shops – and Rolf and I said for sure we would love to come back and stay here one day. Byron just has such a great feeling about it. We then grabbed a quick eat for lunch and headed back the car – I saw the 23 hour Bakery (yes opened for 23 hours a day) and then grabbed a jam and cream donut (havent had one of those in years) and an apple pie to take home for dinner – which we then forgot to eat after dinner oh well can have it tomorrow.

We came home and all had good naps. Then it was time to head out to the beach just behind our house. The beach is just fantastic and goes on for miles – pity it is not a patrolled beach but i suppose that why there arent that many people on it. We had fun running in the sand, jumping the waves and digging huge holes! Some of us even got wet! Dylan is quite afraid now for the waves and does not like it when they roll in – and does not like when Rolf goes for a swim in them either.

Before long it was time for dinner – loving the daylight saving here and going to miss it once we cross the boarder into Queensland on Tuesday – and Rolf turned on the Barbie for dinner. We had satay sticks and loads of salad. We had planned on playing some board games but a cool kids movie came on TV instead.

Day 12 – our longest drive yet.

2009-12-02T10:32:00.001+01:00

Today we were up early and packing up ready to hit the road.

We were in the car ready at 9.30am and drove all the way to Ballina. Took us about 2 hours. We then stopped at Macca’s for a break and then were quickly on the road again. We drove another 2 hours and arrived in our new accommodation by 2pm. The house we have rented is amazing – and perfect in every way. Lots of space for everyone – 3 tv’s so no fighting over who is watching what. Mum arrived shortly after we did and there were lots of hugs. She had no time at all to settle herself before Alexandra took her off showing her the house and of course wanting to hear some of her favourite stories.

We then headed up to Kingscliffe to find some shops. We found a Woolies and bought supplies for the next couple of days. We headed home ordered some takeaway pizzas and are now relaxing on the balcony listening to the sounds of the waves and crickets. Looking forward to exploring the beach tomorrow :).

Here is a sneak of where we are staying care of Rolf

Day 11 Dolphins and Seals

2009-11-26T12:24:00.001+01:00

It was a day full of Dolphins and Seals. However our first port of call this morning was the swimming pool. We then headed down to the Pet Porpoise pool here in Coffs and at first I was unsure what to expect for the $28 entry fee. We had a light lunch and walked down to where the show would be. We then were able to watch Dolphins from very close up, even touch them. Then we got kisses from seals and then the dolphins. The best photo of the day was this:

After all the kisses we then settled down for the show. Rolf was chosen from the crowd to go up and feed the dolphins. It was well worth the visit.

We then chilled at home for the rest of the afternoon and did a quick trip to the store for some dinner supplies. We have started to pack up – ready for our longest drive yet tomorrow but a nice reward at the end of it :) Looking forward to seeing my Mum!

Testing out the video function

2009-11-25T23:59:00.001+01:00

Hoping this short video of Alexandra collecting things on the beach works out!

Day 10 – Sun Sun Sun

2009-11-25T23:46:00.001+01:00

We have had such a great day today. Our first port of call was the Big Banana. We didn’t take the plantation tour or go to the water park – but we did have a lot of fun on the toboggans! We all took turns taking the kids on. Dylan was up for it from the get go – as soon as he would get off he would walk straight over to the line to go again. Alexandra took a little time to convince – but as soon as she saw Dylan having a great time she was ready to go. After we had our goes we then headed to the cafe for banana splits, choc covered bananas with sprinkles and lollie bananas.

We then came home and packed for the beach. Drove around looking for somewhere to stop – there isnt a lack of beaches here – and settles on Jetty Beach. There was almost no one of the beach and we all had a fantastic time building sand castles, digging holes, jumping the waves and having water fights! I wish i had brought my camera with me – it was such a lovely beach. I took some pics with Rolf’s camera before we left.

By mid afternoon we had enough sun and headed back for naps for most of us and the pool for Rolf and Alexandra (Alexandra will for sure sleep well tonight)

For dinner we headed out to a place called SSS BBQ – and had ribs, steaks, chicken and lamb shanks. Ok we didn’t all eat that. They had buckets of peanuts and popcorn for us to eat which was nice – but made you thirsty. The kids got a waterbottle with their meal and loved that.

Day 9 – On the Road again

2009-11-25T23:41:00.001+01:00

We packed up at our place in Port Macquarie and boy was it humid. The clouds were slowly going away so we went back out to the lighthouse to see if we could get a better picture. It was much better than yesterday but still not what i imagine it is like when the sky is perfectly blue.

We then headed out of Port via a Tomato and Strawberry Farm. The kids loved being able to pick their own strawberries!

After we were all done picking our strawberries we hoped back in the car and drove on. It wasnt long before we got to Kempsey – the home of Slim Dusty and the Akubra Hat and the best pies we have ever eaten. I have never seen so many different types of pies in the one place and boy were they good. Rolf had an Emu pie, Mel and steak and mushroom, Jon and lasagne pie and me a chicken satay.

We then got back in the car and continued on to Coffs Harbour.

We arrived at our townhouse and was welcomed by the sound of the ocean. This place is so great. 2 stories. 3 bedrooms upstairs plus a bathroom and kitchen, lounge, dining and laundry with second bathroom downstairs. The beach is a very short walk through the trees.

Once we were settled we headed to Target to get some beach supplies and Woolies for some food Surprised how big Coffs Harbour actually is – biggest city since Sydney for sure. We had a BBQ for dinner! Yummy Porterhouse steaks (only $4 each :) ) and salad. Dylan has become a very picky eater so happy that tonight he ate some peas and corn. Found some veg and fruit puree pouches for him and taking them with us when we are eating out.

Day 8 – Koalas, a bit of shopping and much cooler

2009-11-23T11:42:00.001+01:00

We woke up early enough today and were up and out the door by 9.30. For some reason the internet was working a lot better this morning so we could all check our emails. First stop was the Koala Hospital here in Port Macquarie. It is lovely to see such a great hospital to take care of injured Koalas.

We then headed into the town centre. The kids got haircuts, and we did a little shopping before heading out to the rainforest reserve for lunch – thanks for the good tip Kirsten. The food was fantastic – I loved my pumpkin and ricotta tart! They even had Fairy bread for the kids!

We headed back to our place and chilled out a little. Dylan had a good nap. Mel and Jon went out for some more shopping. When they got back we did a swap – Alexandra stayed home with them though. Rolf, Dylan and I tried to check out Lighthouse Beach and the Lighthouse but it was just to windy to get Dylan out of the car – i did risk it for some photos but the sky was so grey :(

We then went to a Mexican Restaurant which was just around the corner. It was really a nice place, extremely kid friendly, great menu for kids and their drinks served in sippy cups! We came back home well stuffed and have hung around the place. Everyone except Jon and I are in bed – he is off to bed too now – I am watching the season finale of Good News Week – Love that show. Tomorrow we are packing up again and heading north to Coffs Harbour. Hoping the weather picks up. Oh and Rolf has promised to blog tomorrow a bit in german for our german readers :)

Day 7 – On the road again

2009-11-22T11:06:00.001+01:00

We got up early this morning so that we could pack up the car and head to Port Macquarie. Our aim was to get out by 10am and we did a good job sticking to that time. I am amazed how we get so much luggage into the car but we did it no problems again. I must remember to take a photo of the back of the car next time we pack up. Before we left Rolf had to take a photo of the milk can mailbox at the cottage down the road.

We drove just under 4 hours from the Hunter Valley (Pokolbin) to Port Macquarie. We had a couple of bathroom stops and one lunch stop. I am getting a little sick of all the fast food that we have been eating and was happy that we had made sandwiches cause at the stop again there was only McDonalds and KFC. The trip went on without a hitch – well except for the TomTom telling us to turn around in the middle of the high way and the difference in music tastes.

We arrived just after 2pm in Port Macquarie and found Flynns on Surf without the TomTom! Just a good old Google Map! We checked in in record time and love the place. Great 3 bedrooms and a huge kitchen – even wireless internet – that isnt working the best in our place but will head to the pool tomorrow where it apparently works better.

Once we had unpacked we headed out to explore and ended up down on Flynns Beach. We had so much fun jumping in the waves and playing in the sand. I took so many photos down there – wishing i lived a little closer to the beach back home as it makes for beautiful photos.

The tide was coming in fast so some of the waves caught us by surprised and the kids got very wet – a little too wet for their liking so we washed off and walked back home. After we all showered we drove down the town centre in search of dinner. We found a lovely Fish and Chips place. Looking forward to hanging out at the beach tomorrow – also going into to town to see if we can get Dylan’s hair cut!

Day 6: A little cooler today – but only just

2009-11-22T11:01:00.001+01:00

No one had a great sleep last night as the air con stopped working around midnight. So you can imagine how hot it was. The four of us got out of the house early to let Mel and Jon rest and enjoy the fixed air con. We headed to a more kid friendly place – The Hunter Valley Gardens, and the kids, especially Alexandra loved it. The gardens themselves were very beautiful but what the kids loved most was the Storybook garden.

It was getting close to 40 again so by 11.30am we left grabbing some stuff for lunch on the way home. Mel and Jon were well rested so we headed out to visit the last of the wineries – Rolf stayed home with the kids and watched lots Wiggles. We visited 2 more wineries and 2 cheese shops but were not as successful as the day before.

We had an early dinner at home all together before the kids, Rolf and I headed back to the gardens for their Christmas Lights. Alexandra loved all the pretty colors. They both got to see Santa – although they didnt say much.

We all then headed home to bed – tomorrow we have to pack up and move on to Port Macquarie.

Day 5: 42 Degrees is a little hot

2009-11-22T09:56:00.001+01:00

We woke up early this morning as the kids were up with the sun – ok so i was up with the kids, the rest of them got a little sleep in – hope to have one of those tomorrow :) Anyway once everyone was up and ready to go we headed first to the information centre. We found out a ton of information and decided to head for lunch before we headed to our first winery. By midday it was 39. Yes you read it correctly. It was so hot today. Thanks goodness for air con in the car, in the wineries and in the restaurants.

So we had lunch in this really cute cafe and the kids tried to play a little on the playground – but it was just too hot. After that we hoped back into the car and headed to our first winery.

First stop was Peppertree Wines. It was set in this really beautiful field and buildings. We tried some lovely wines, and Rolf came away with some lovely desert wines.

We then went onto the Smelly Cheese Shop! There were a ton of cheeses, even a lot of swiss ones (that cost the earth) but as a treat I bought some Tilsiter for Rolf and some Brie for myself.

We then visited three other wineries. Poole’s Rock, Lindemans and Rosemount and also Audrey Wilkenson.

We all came away with some lovely wines! By this stage the temp was 42 C. We headed back home to have a rest. Rolf and I were going to go out to Dinner but decided against it as i was feeling tired. So we got Thai takeaway – yum. A huge storm hit as we were out getting dinner and it is still raining now. The temp dropped almost 2o degrees but it is still hot. I am off to bed hoping for a great sleep in!

Day 4: Our first drive

2009-11-22T09:50:00.001+01:00

Thursday morning: we were up early and ready to pack up all our stuff. Once we got it done we headed down to breakfast at a cafe under our hotel. It was seriously the best meal we had during our stay in Sydney. Yummy french toast, eggs, bacon and rolf tried this cool turkish bread filled with bacon eggs and cheese.

Here are some pics of our room in Sydney. It was really lovely – but glad we have finished staying in hotels.

It was great having a hotel room but also a separate room for the kids.

Before long it was time to head to the airport to meet up with Mel and Jon. Their plane arrived perfectly on time and we headed to get our rental car. It took awhile to get it but before long it was time to load up the carseats and all that luggage and get on our way. The guy from the rental company waited and watched us packing up the car thinking there was no way that we would fit everything in.

So we then started our drive north. Thanks to the Tom Tom and some map reading from Jon we only took one wrong turn (thanks to me) the entire journey. We got here in the Hunter Valley in the early afternoon and after unpacking we heading to get some supplies. The Villa we are staying in is lovely!

It didnt take long for Alexandra to remind Mel about painting her nails like promised. Mel brought all the colors Alexandra chose and had to have them all at once.

Everyone is pretty tired tonight and looks like it will be an early night. Got lots of exploring to do tomorrow!!!!

Day 3 – Last Day in Sydney

2009-11-18T11:40:00.001+01:00

Today was our last full day in Sydney. Everyone woke up late except me – I was up at 6.30am when Alexandra got up but she came into our bed and went back to sleep. I had to start waking these guys up at 8.45am. We then went downstairs to the restaurant in the hotel for breakfast. It was yummy! We then came back to our room to get ready for the day. We walked down to shops. I got my favourite lens – 50mm 1.4 fixed lens -looked at :( bad news looks like when Dylan dropped my camera bag a couple of weeks ago he broke my lens :( it will cost $200 to fix but no time to fix it :(. At least he was able to get off my filter. We then continued on to Myer where we bought Alexandra a dress for Christmas and Dylan a shirt. Looked for pjs for me but didnt find anything i liked. We then went to the Coffee Club for lunch – which was very average – especially for the price. Alexandra got her chocolate milkshake though :)

We came back to the hotel for naps – I ended up watching Oprah and the kids mucked around. Rolf was the only one who had a nap. I got the internet up and running for 24 hours!! So that is why you get 3 blog posts on one day. Think we will try to get internet every 3 days and upload the posts I have already written.

After we felt better we headed down to the underground trains and rode them to circular quay. We then were surprised at how beautiful the harbour looks when the sun is shining and there isnt a cloud in the sky.

We then went for a walk round the Rocks and stopped for a drink at a German Beer House. Think it was Rolf’s first beer of the trip.

We headed back to the hotel and decided to go to Chinatown for dinner. We walked there and found a nice restaurant and ate too much :). We had Sang Chow Bow and Mongolian Lamb. Yum. The kids ate a ton of rice and spring rolls. It was nice to be at a restaurant that did not serve chips (fries for you americans ;) )

We are really looking forward to heading out of the city tomorrow and to the Hunter Valley and of course seeing Mel and Jon who we are picking up from the airport in the morning. But we have another surprise in store for us. some really really hot weather. It was about 23 today in Sydney and quite a cool breeze blowing. However there is a hot front moving in. And looks like the temps could hit 40C on Friday in the Hunter Valley - yes that is going to be a shock to the system. I am praying the cottage we are staying in has air con.

The animals have the best view

2009-11-18T04:17:00.001+01:00

We had a fantastic night sleep. The kids went to bed around 8pm and we followed quickly after. Other than Dylan waking once not knowing where he was we did not hear a peep out of them until we woke them after 8.30am. It does not happen often that we are the first ones up. We are hoping that it wasnt a fluke and that we are going to have a good night again tonight.

So once we all were up and ready to go, we walked down Pitt St looking for somewhere to eat breakfast. Maccas was the choice so there was hotcakes, hashbrowns and muffins. When we were finished we walked down to Circular Quay to find out boat to head over to Taronga Zoo. A cruise ship had come into the Harbour since we were there last and boy was it huge.

The boat ride over was really lovely – great views of the bridge and Opera House. The kids and Rolf stayed inside as Alexandra was a little worried about going on the boat so that was the best place for her.

We took the Cable Car up to the Zoo and wow what a view.

We saw a lot of animals. Elephants, Giraffes, Zebras, Lions, Crocodiles, Monkeys and Gorillas, Fish, Koalas, lots of Lizards and Snakes. They all seriously have the best view of the harbour.

We had some lunch and then slowly headed back to the hotel. We walked all the way back, but this time along George Street. I picked up a new sim card but it doesnt work with my phone. Bummer. Dylan had a nice nap on the way back and when we did get back Rolf and I had little naps and the kids watched tv and played a bit.

We then headed out to find somewhere for dinner but couldnt find somewhere we would take the kids so we went to KFC. The kids had falled asleep in the pram during our food search but they soon woke up when dinner was on the table. We then came back to the hotel – a long day with lots of walking.

306 Kent Street – our Savour

2009-11-18T04:10:00.000+01:00

Wow it feels like an eternity ago since i wrote my last post. The second flight was a tough one to say the least. Dylan had no interest in sleeping at all – which was tough. It would of been ok if he was happy to sit still – but he didnt like to do that either. Finally about 3 hours out of Sydney Rolf got him to go to sleep. Thank goodness. Alexandra still was nervous on the plane. She was worried about what the air masks were that she saw on saftey video. But other than that it was ok. We landed in Sydney and Dylan decided to be sick – everywhere.. By then Rolf and I were just laughing – what else could go wrong.

So we all got off the plane stinking of vomit (even having a customs officer commenting on it) and headed to collect our luggage – BOY what a mess. There were people EVERYWHERE. I will not fly into Sydney unless i really have to again. Thought Brisbane was bad. So once we got all our luggage and had people comment on how much stuff we have – hoping we were not just coming for a weekend we headed to clear quarantine. The line was so long. Took us a good while to clear it. Thanks to some christmas presents and the golf clubs we could not fast track – even though so many people tried to get us through quicker. We have a lot of luggage – 2 carseats, golf clubs, 4 suitcases and 3 carry ons.

When we finally were cleared to leave we headed out to find a Taxi. Again a HUGE line had formed and it looked like we had at least an hour wait for a taxi. But this time luck was on our side – because we had so much luggage we could not go in a normal taxi so we had to go through a special white gate to where the mini vans were waiting :) A guy with a Tarago picked us up and we all fit in no problems. He took us straight to our hotel. We did some phone calls to let people know we had arrived too.

When we arrived at the hotel we were not expecting to get into a room straight away but we did. We are staying at Rydges on World Square and it is a lovely hotel in quite a good location. There is a shopping center right next door with a Coles – which we already used for lunch. The room is lovely. We have a normal room with a little room attached with two single beds and a tv – the kids love their own space despite wanting to sleep in our bed when we had our lunch time nap. It will be interesting to see if Dylan will be ok in a big bed.

Anyway once we were situated and had lunch we all went for a nap. I set the alarm to go off at 2pm and it was a struggle to get up but Rolf and I did. We put two sleeping children into the pram and went for a walk down Pitt St. I walked in pretty much of a daze and I am sure Rolf too – he grabed a triple espresso while we were walking. At the end of Pitt St we found Circular Quay, the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

By this stage Dylan had woken up – and in a good mood and we were working on Alexandra. We grabbed an icecream and sat down on the grass watching the ferries.

And then….. came an almighty bang. We had no idea what it was – and it seemed only us were concerned about it – Alexandra screamed as she really does not like loud noises at the best of times so we went on walking. Not more than 10 m later we realised that it was the tyre of the pram that made the noise – it was completely flat. We were lucky enough to be near a visitors centre and the man helped us find a bike shop near by. We took a taxi to 506 Kent Street to a bike shop that was able to fix the tyre. So 10 mins and $10 later we were back on our way. (BTW it popped due to the pressure from the aircraft apparently) This turn of events really woke us all up!

Since we were near by Darling Harbour we decided to walk over that way. We found a playground for the kids and hung out there for an hour or so.

There were dark clouds in the distance so we decided to have dinner at the food court at Harbourside. The kids had plain rice, Rolf a Cesar salad and i had a curry yum! Oh and a can of Solo – I always forgot how much i love Solo! After dinner we decided to take the Monorail back to our hotel. We have arrived back, I am writing the blog, the kids are watching the Wiggles and Rolf is washing some of the clothe that had sick on them from this morning. (Thanks Rolf) The dark clouds have rolled in and it has been pouring with raining and a bit of thunder for a bit now. We are all getting tired but are going to try and stay up as long as we can – its already 7.30pm so I think we are doing well.

We have made it to Singapore

2009-11-15T12:50:00.000+01:00

We are now in Singapore Airport, waiting to board our flight to Sydney. The first flight went quite well. We had a little delay on taking off in Zurich but after that we were on our way. Rolf sat with Alexandra on one side and I sat with Dylan in the middle. His car seat fit in perfectly! Alexandra was asleep in no time but Dylan had other ideas. He was awake for at least 3-4 hours of the first flight. But that was ok as he and I slept on and off pretty much the rest of the flight until we were woken for breakfast before our decent into Singapore. Alexandra slept most of the way. Waking in between for some tv. She did have a hard time on the flight. She does not like the smell of planes and felt sick despite the sickness bands and meds we gave her. She was also quite nervous about take off. But she was ok in the end.

We have spent the last couple of hours here in Singapore. Taking showers, having dinner (Burger King for the others, Indian for me - which was really yummy) Then we did a tour of the shops. Alexandra could not decide which toy she wanted and ended up buying one she didnt like in the end so we had a huge tantrum in the middle of the airport. Oh well we did not give in though to go back and get the cat she wanted - told her she had to wait till we come back through here again. Dylan fell asleep in the pram but is now awake running around with Alexandra. There is a little slide at the gate and its getting good use.

Not looking forward to this flight cause i do not think they will sleep much. hoping for a miricale me thinks.

Packed and ready to go

2009-11-14T14:53:00.000+01:00

Can't believe the day has come. Both kids are healthy again :) and we are packed and ready to go. music and tv shows and movies ready for the long flight.

For some reason I feel like I have forgotten to do something - well i guess I will find out later. But we are starting to get really excited - but i know as always I want be able to relax until we have checked in our luggage. Just uploading some last tunes to my iPhone from Phyllis (thanks mate!) helping along my Glee obsession.

So next stop: Singapore Airport - will try and check in there! Love their free internet there!

WOW - we are packing

2009-11-13T19:03:00.000+01:00

I cannot believe the time has final come.

Despite a very testing week with both kids getting ill - we are "almost" ready to go.

Hopefully there will be daily blogging from Monday onwards. And if i do not get internet connection then i will make sure i blog offline and post when we have it again.

It has been awhile ..

2009-10-25T08:30:00.001+01:00

Things have been crazy around here and they are about to get that much crazier! We are on the final countdown to our trip Downunder. Yesterday it was 3 weeks till we leave and there is still a lot to do before we leave – me catching strep throat this past week hasnt helped matters, but at least it has made me stop and rest and catch up on this blog.

So where are we at with our planning? Well we have all our accommodation sorted out which is great! Mel and Jon have booked their flights down to Sydney. Dad has organized us a people mover for our trip. I have started to research the drives between each location and trying to figure out where we should stop along the way.

Our final Trip plan is:

1. Sydney

2. Hunter Valley

3. Port Macquarie

4. Coffs Harbour

5. Casuarina

6. Brisbane

7. Airlie Beach

I have also started to research each location and have to finalise what we would like to do when visiting each place.

In Sydney on our list is for sure the Harbour including the bridge and Opera House, a visit to the Taronga Zoo and hopefully if there is time a trip out to Watsons Bay for a fish and chip dinner at the beach and an afternoon at Bondi Beach.

In the coming days I hope to give a more detailed look at each point we are stopping. Will give me motivation to get it all done and my little folder of all our travel goodies will be complete!

i have been busy

2009-09-16T16:24:00.002+02:00

Things have been busy these past weeks with back to school, finish up my photography course and getting things organized for our trip.

We are down to 58 days till we leave for Australia.

Very very excited about it all but realise we still have a lot to organize beforehand.

Other than a hotel in Sydney, which we are risking to book at the last minute hoping to get a good deal, we have booked all of our accommodation.

Over the next weeks I will post some of our ideas of where we would like to visit along the way.

Look at the view .......

2009-08-20T15:58:00.002+02:00

Can you imagine staying here.

http://www.stayz.com.au/22816

I would of loved to but Rolf thinks it wiser to stay in a hotel for the nights we will be staying in Sydney and when I think about it I totally agree with him. We really want to stay in a place where everything is already done for us and we dont have to think about anything. Plus if jetlag kicks in 24 hour room service would be such a help!

But think we will save the link for next time we stay in Sydney!

Port Macquarie

2009-08-10T08:36:00.003+02:00

As we will be 3 adults and 2 children on our Road Trip - did i mention my Sister is coming with us!!!! It was not the easiest task to find accommodation at a good price with room for all of us. But after a lot of searching I came across this place in Flynn's Beach in Port Macquarie.

Flynns on Surf

Very good price for 3 bedrooms!!! It is a bit of a distance to the beach - but you cant have it all can you. And there is the Koala Hospital just behind it, which we are really looking forward to seeing and supporting.

View Larger Map

The official Route

2009-08-09T09:18:00.003+02:00

We have finally decided upon the offical route for road trip!

Sydney - Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley - Port Macquarie

Port Macquarie - Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour - Brunswick Heads

Brunswick Heads - Brisbane

Ok - the Brunswick Heads part is still a little up in the air. It will depend on if anyone is coming to meet us that weekend down from Brisbane.

We have been working on searching for the perfect accommodation for us at all these places. I must say that it has not been the easiest of tasks. Especially in the Hunter Valley where there is a big concert on the weekend we just happen to be there. The B52's and the Proclaimers will be performing - so you can imagine accommodation is well in truly booked out.

Later on during the week - once we have confirmation, I will be able to share where we will be staying. I am so glad to be able to get this out of the way as now I can focus on what we are going to be doing in each place and then also on the driving in between.

We have lift off!!!!

2009-07-28T21:51:00.002+02:00

This evening Rolf and I finally booked all of our flights for our trip.

We had been waiting to see if the prices would come down and bit and they did!!!

We were able to buy flights with Singapore Airlines (flying into Sydney and out of Brisbane) for the same price as Emirates! So we can to keep flying with Singapore Airlines, who we travel with regularly. I may even, after this trip, have enough for a free trip with my miles!!!!! I am so surprised at the price of the tickets over the Christmas period. I really did expect we would have to pay thousands more than we did!

We have also bought our tickets up to visit our friends Amy and Bruno! We are so excited to go and see where they now live and meet their new twin boys and of course see their elder boy too!!!

Next step: start looking at places to stay. Really need to book our cabin at Airlie Beach!

We have tickets to the Wiggles!

2009-07-27T12:06:00.001+02:00

Thanks to my wonderful sister, we have tickets to the Wiggles. The kids (and us too) are so excited to be able to go. We got tickets for their first show in Brisbane on the 13th December at 10am. And look at the fantastic seats!!!!!

We got 8 seats in a row in the Hot Potato Floor section!!!!!! Yes 8 seats. So who is coming with us? Well my Mum and my sister with my kiddies and the Beck and her Mum and of course my godson Jaxon!

I must also thank Paul Field. He read on the Wiggle Time message board that we had a little trouble with the emails that we were suppose to received from Wiggle time in regards to pre sale of the tickets. A long story short he has shown really us great customers service and gives The Wiggles brand a fantastic reputation. For those of you who havent yet got your tickets to the Wiggles in Australia you can check out more information on their site here!

We have dates!

2009-07-15T09:47:00.000+02:00

Rolf got the go ahead at work yesterday for our dates. So the excitement begins! We get to really plan our trip out.

At the moment I am unsure how to go about organizing the planning part of the road trip. Are there any organizing tools out there that can help? Rolf was thinking of using mind maps - but i may just resort to a normal folder with dividers. Anyone have any suggestions?

Almost 100% date

2009-07-13T20:53:00.000+02:00

Rolf came home with an provisional yes to our dates to go Downunder. Just have to wait a couple of days before the 100% yes. So at this stage we will be heading Downunder on the 14th November! Amazing that Rolf would have 6 weeks off work. That is just crazy, how will they survive without them.

Heard back from both Beck and Mum today and they both are going to come to the Wiggles on the 13th December! It will be great to be able to spend the day together! We will send the boys off to the golf course me thinks - will keep them happy! Alexandra has been talking a lot about the concert and already has a rose she wants to give Dorothy.

Rolf also started to look into hotels in Sydney. There are so many to choose from and is not going to be an easy decision. We are thinking Rydges at World Square. We will want a family room for sure. We are going to leave booking a hotel here for awhile - try and wait and see if we can get something last minute at a great price.

However, a dream would be to stay at the Swissotel! Check out this room, it is AMAZING. But at the prices they are going for we can only dream. Anyone want to shout us an early christmas present ;) just kiddening.

The Wiggles in Concert ...

2009-07-11T21:18:00.000+02:00

My Kids are going to be so so so happy! We are, well if we can get the tickets, going to be finally able to go to a Wiggles Concert! The Wiggles are going to be playing in Brisbane on the 13th and 14th of December 2009. How did they know that would be the first weekend we would be back in Brisbane.

For those of you who do not know who The Wiggles are, they are a children's music group. Alexandra has been a fan since she got her first DVD when she was 1 (Thanks Aunty Mel and Uncle Jon!) and has been a big fan ever since. Dylan is now really into The Wiggles too, which is really cute. His favorite song is Hot Potato and asks (well points) at me to put it on all the time. So it will be nice, fingers crossed, to be able to take them to it. So far Mel is going to come with us. Have asked Mum and Beck and Jaxon if they want to come too.

Tickets go on sale 1st August! But hopefully, as we have signed up for Wiggle Time, we will get to buy tickets at pre sale!

Welcome!

2009-07-10T14:03:00.001+02:00

Welcome to our new blog.

We are in the middle of planning a great trip Down Under for the end of the year and thought that it would be a great idea to make a blog on the planning of and then of the actual trip.

At the moment we are waiting on confirmation from Rolf's work for our dates. But we hope to be leaving Switzerland in the middle of November and then stay on until early January 2010. We hope to fly into Sydney and drive up to Brisbane over a couple of weeks. After a couple of days in Brisbane we are going to fly up to Airlie Beach and spend some time with friends of ours who have moved up there last year.