Mission Accomplished (x2)

Today was the day. We finally accomplished two big missions:

(1) We tried Vegemite
For those unfamiliar, Vegemite is this vegetable spread produced by Kraft that Aussies love on their toast with breakfast. At first glance, it looks to be the same color and consitency of Nutella (made famous in the States by Kobe Bryant). That's where the similarities end. Vegemite tastes awful. It's very salty and tastes nothing like veggies. Zach and I discussed bringing some home, but rumor has it that Vegemite has been banned in the US (seriously, we saw it on the news).

(2) We found a live kanagroo
For those who have been keeping up on our journey, Zach and I have been searching endlessly for a live kangaroo. We have seen countless dead ones, but until today, not a single live one. At the Featherland Wildlife Park, we not only got to feed and play with kangaroos, but we also pet and had our pictures taken with several koalas and also saw dingos, wallabies, and wombats! The hour long trip to Featherland (it's in the burbs) was well worth it -- the animals are well cared for and you are able to get up close and personal with those that don't bite. (At this point I am going to stop promising to post pictures and will just post when I actually do it.)

For our trip so far, I would rank the koalas and kangaroos just behind diving and the BridgeClimb.

After our visit to the Wildlife Park, Zach and I explored downtown Sydney and Darling Harbour. Downtown is very similar to most cities in the US -- numerous shops, restaurants, and business people. Public transportation abounds with a very nice train system (kind of a mix between the L and the Metra in Chicago), buses, a monorail (a relic of the 2000 Olympics), and a small light rail system. The city is also very walkable, hence our tired feet.

Before I sign off for today, I need to mention on tour of the Sydney Opera House yesterday afternoon. Long a symbol of Sydney (along with the Harbor Bridge), the Opera House lives up to its billing. The building itself is beautiful and well maintained and it has hosted acts from opera to ballet to Kanye West to Foo Fighters over the years. The opera theaters hold over 1000 people and the orchestra over 2700. Both main theaters utilize acoustics instead of electronics. The hour tour should be on every visitor's list, because just walking around the outside does not do the theater justice.