Sydney

Our last stop before returning to Iowa for the spring semester was Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately, due to some scheduling problems with museum staff, I wasn’t able to conduct my research as planned. However, we did still get to see some of Sydney's impressive sights. We visited the world renowned Sydney Aquarium and ate a terrific seafood dinner on the Wharf. We relaxed on Shelly Beach and enjoyed a seafood/kangaroo pizza on the Manly promenade, and we took the ferry from the quay, past the Opera House, to Taronga Zoo. At Taronga, we just happened to be walking by the monotreme enclosure during feeding time and the zoo keeper actually let me pet an echidna, one of the world's two egg laying mammals (the other being the platypus). After picking up some obligatory last minute souvenirs (a boomerang for me and a didgeridoo for Tressa), we headed to the airport, saying goodbye to the sun, while thinking about the snow and ice waiting for us back in Iowa (along with all those pesky students!).