Fanning Down Under Part 2

PART 2: 

Wednesday morning we woke up and headed to the airport to head to Sydney for the remainder of our trip! I was excited because I had never been to Sydney and also I had heard Melbourne is better to live and Sydney is better to visit. 

We had a quick 50 minute flight to Sydney. It was so weird at the airport. I didn't even have to show my ID or anything. Just got on the plane! Way different than U.S. airports!

We were staying in the Marriott Circular Quay right in the Sydney Harbour. My dad was told this was THE area to be... and he was right. We had the most beautiful view of the Sydney Opera House out of our window! Our hotel was very nice. Because my dad is a platinum member, we had access to the Executive Lounge that served Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, as well as unlimited alcohol... which I took full advantage of each night haha.

When we arrived at our hotel in Sydney we walked around a little bit and then got ready for dinner. We went to the Syndey Tower which has a rotating restaurant! It was really beautiful views and good food!

Cheer to Sydney!

Fanning Family Selfie!

Had to take a pic of my love Ansel Elgort modeling in Australia!

On Thursday morning we woke up and walked a gorgeous stroll to the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb Tour. Although this tour was fairly expensive, I believe it was worth it. From start to finish it was about 3 hours long. You suit up, get a set of head phones, and climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge! It wasn't as intense as it sounds, but you get some insanely great views. It was such a perfect sunny day! 

After the bridge climb was over, we took a fairy ride to Manly Beach... one of the most famous beaches in Sydney. The fairy ride was one of my favorite parts. I love being on the water and you got great views of the city. I think James enjoyed it too! We just walked around Manly Beach and put our toes in the water. We took the fairy back to Sydney and spent the evening walking around the harbor!

One of the days we went to Bondi Beach, another famous beach in Sydney. We scheduled surfing lessons for James and me! I was nervous because I tried Stand Up Paddleboarding a couple weeks before and I was terrible at it. I am not very good at persevering through tough times and so I was nervous about how hard surfing was going to be. To everyone's surprise... I was GOOD! It was so tiring though. I swallowed gallons of salt water and I think there was sand in my hair for days! The ocean beat me up, but I had so much fun! No pics... but it did happen!

On our last day we went to the Sydney Zoo. My dad wasn't too keen on this idea because he felt like a zoo is a zoo is a zoo... anywhere you go. But the weather wasn't that nice and so we didn't know what else to do. It turned out to be SO amazing. The animals were great but the view of the city from the zoo was spectacular! I think we all had a lot more fun than we expected. 

We went to a delicious dinner out that night. We all split a couple entrees and my favorite part was the crab legs! After a couple drinks, I started thinking about having to say goodbye to my parents the next day and I got teary eyed. My brother pulled me in close and hugged me and told me everything would be okay. This was a surreal moment having my baby brother, whom I used to comfort and take care, take care of me and comfort me! 

We cabbed to the airport and they dropped me off at my terminal first. I must say... I was happy to only have a 50 minute flight vs. a 15 hour flight. I cried saying goodbye and gave them some strong hugs goodbye. I was sad to see them go, but I was happy to get back to Melbourne. I loved Sydney but I am happy I live in Melbourne.

This situation I am in is just so unique. Being THIS far away from my family... I haven't gone this long without my family since.... FOREVER! It truly is a challenge and I think my parents saw how happy I was here and were proud of me. 

All in all it was an incredible vacation! I don't think we could have spent any more days in either city. So if they would have extended their vacation we would have had to check out another city! They arrived home sleep deprived and hungry for Tex-Mex food... but already were missing me! I am so lucky that my host family was flexible enough to give me that time with my family! And I am so lucky that my family came to visit me....

If only my sisters' weren't pregnant with toddlers they would have made the trip down under as well haha!

Fanning's Down Under Part 1!

Within days of me deciding to come to Australia, my parents decided they were coming too! They figured the opportunity to go could be now or never... so the answer was NOW! My parents and brother were going to spend my brother's spring break with me DOWN UNDA!

I had created an in-depth itinerary to make my parents 8 days in Australia worth it. Something that I find interesting about Australians is I told people that my parents were coming for 8 days and the response I would get was... "That's all?!?!? Why would your parents fly ALL the way here for only 8 days?" Excuse me... 8 days is a long time!!!! All the Aussies kept telling me this and it started to get to me...... I think it's just a cultural difference because it seems like Aussies take these 4-6 week long holidays. I grew up taking 3 day trips. Fly out on a Thursday, Fly home on a Sunday! So 8 days seemed like a LONG trip to me!

 My family's flight arrived Saturday morning at 7:30am. With a little help from the kids, I made this sign to welcome my family :)

I was almost to the airport and I received a text from my dad. They had landed early and already passed through customs! I was so surprised because it took me over an hour to get through customs and then my luggage got lost!! I was glad my family had a better experience than me. They were waiting on the corner and I honked at them the second I saw them. Of course I started crying!!! I was so happy to see them.

They hopped in the car and we headed for my house. Within 2 minutes of being in the car we made a McDonald's stop. If you know my parents, you know their Diet Coke addiction is real and so they needed to see what Australian Diet Coke is all about. The car ride back to my house we talked about the plane ride. They watched lots of movies, didnt get much sleep, and ate lots of airplane food. All in all... not too shabby!

We got to my house in Melbourne and my host mom Jodie had prepared some lovely breakfast bites and drinks and coffee and all of that. It was fun to show my parents around the house and show them my gorgeous room. I think they were very impressed! Melbourne is known for its coffee and so James tried some... hoping the caffeine would help the jet lag!

After visiting at the Quick's house, Jodie gave me her car and I took my parents to where we were staying. The weekend my family decided to visit happened to be the Formula 1 Race in Melbourne, causing all accommodations to have sky rocketed prices! Luckily, Jodie's in-laws, Cheryl and Robert, have a large house in a beautiful suburb of Melbourne called St. Kilda. She kindly offered to let us stay there with them. We took her up on that offer!

Here is my dad sitting in Cheryl and Robert's gorgeous courtyard

Mom and James enjoying the Australian sun

After we settled in at Cheryl and Robert's we went exploring. I took them to Brighton Beach, where they are famous for their decorated bathing boxes. I was trying to keep my family as busy as possible to keep them awake! I remember my first day being such a blur. After we explored the beaches, we walked along the shore for about 5k. That was the good thing about their visit. It felt like all we did was eat so much, but then we were walking just as much so it felt like it balanced out. For dinner our first night I made dinner reservations at a fun restaurant on the beach called Republica. After a yummy dinner, we each got some ice-cream! I think we were in bed by 8:30pm that night.

Representing my sorority in Australia!

I needed some good Dad hugs... I've been missing him!

Fanning's love their sweets!

Cheryl and Robert's beautiful home we stayed in!

Fanning's at the Bathing Boxes

My favorite brother. He makes me so proud in everything he does. Love you JT!

For our first full day in Australia, I hadn't planned too much. I wasn't sure how the jet lag would be affecting them and so I didn't want to push them too hard. We started the day having breakfast at a beautiful cafe on the beach called Sandbar. We each got eggs, bacon, and toast - YUM!

After breakfast we went into the city to do some exploring! Anything touristy we were going to see that day. 

The family in front of Flinders Street Station

Gorgeous view of Melbourne

My parents on love lock bridge

We checked out the Eureka Sky Deck! Tallest building in Melbourne.

Mom and I got matching henna tattoos (they were free haha)

James experiencing macarons for the first time! Look how thrilled he is about my photo obsession

My parents and Melbourne - two of my favorite things!

Frozen coke's are are the rage here - and only $1 at McDonald's!

Sunday night was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip! Jodie invited her entire family over to Cheryl and Robert's for an authentic Australian BBQ. I invited 4 of my friends too! I was so excited to introduce my family to everyone I spend time with here! We ate Kangaroo steak and meatballs, beef steak, shrimp, and lots of delicious side dishes! 

Bek, Michael, and Chris!

The whole crew!

Tori and Bek!

Michael is a fan of EDM (electronic dance music) and he calls it "Bangerz" so I had my mom bring him a shirt from one of my favorite bars in Austin, Texas on Rainey Street called Bangers! He was pretty excited!!

Monday was a big day! We were doing the Great Ocean Road Tour on a tour bus all day. If you google things to do in Australia, this comes up as one of the main attractions! You drive all day and make stops at different beautiful beaches and landmarks, and you end at the 12 Apostles which is one of the "wonders of the world." It was absolutely worth it and I would recommend it, but I don't know if I would ever do it again. It was great views and very interesting but it was a LONG day! 13 hours to be exact. 

Fanning Tourists!

Sibling love!

My first real life kangaroo sighting!!!

The Great Ocean Road Tour

Some of the 12 Apostles behind us!

Pure beauty!!! Spectacular views

Tuesday was our final day in Melbourne. When we woke up we went to a pub in town because it was St. Patricks Day, so we knew we needed to get our drink on! In the afternoon, Jodie picked us up and was taking us to Phillip Island. It was about 2 hours away and famous for the show that the penguins put on every night. When we got to Phillip Island, we went to a pizzeria for dinner and shared a couple pizzas. I enjoyed this time we spent with Jodie because she is the person I spend most of my time with! She is my friend, mom away from mom, boss, listener, and everything in between. It was nice to have my family get to know Jodie. I think they realize why I enjoy my time here so much, definitely has a huge part to do with her!

The penguin show begins when the sun goes down. Every day, the mommy penguins go out to sea to hunt for food for the husband and baby. Then at night they swim up to shore in huge groups and waddle back to their homes. It was really unique and interesting to watch. Unfortunately we couldn't take any photos, so you'll have to take my word on how cute it was!!!

I love my baby brother!