saying our goodbyes to Australia

The last day of Sydney was for last minute shopping. Our morning started here:

Which Australian candy bars to bring home? It was a tough choice.
(My favorite pick? Turkish Delight!)

Then, we headed out for a little:
The boys had a grand old time climbing, jumping, and looking at these:

I think they are so interesting! Why are they here? Where did they come from?

Just a straight shot down the hill is the:

We got a one on one lesson from Jeff about:

It's not as easy as it looks!
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The Botanical Gardens were amazing! I loved all of the interesting vegetation.

And of course, we had to have a sit in:

Walking back toward the Opera House was sad. We knew the end of our trip was near.

But, not without a stop for gelato!

It's always so surreal to experience the season that is opposite what you are use to.

As the day grew later, we headed to our last stop.

On the way to the bridge, it started to sprinkle. The wind picked up, and tossed us around a little bit. I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping for a blue sky, puffy white clouds, and a bright sunshine for a dramatic photo of the Opera House.

But, while we walked I saw something... a small bit of something starting slowly and growing all the way over the Opera House! It was even better than a blue sky!

And, just for a few seconds, the clouds parted and a beam of sunshine pointed directly at the Opera House. It was fantastic! I took a few photos, and then we continued on.

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As we reached the middle of the bridge, I looked over and noticed that:

I was so glad that we had stopped when we did to capture the rainbow! It was so worth the walking blisters, and whipping wind, and even the cold sprinkling rain.