We were able to set a late check out, and so we had time for a leisurely breakfast inside the nearby Queen Victoria Building. With our coffee we enjoyed a bagel with smoked salmon and eggs Benedict. The seating was nice, taking up the center aisle of the shopping mall around us. Two Chinese guys needed two tables to handle all the food that they ordered – they ate like starved wolves. 

We stashed our suitcase at the hotel and then went down to the Quay to catch a ferry to Manly. I think I had visited there on a Christmas a long time ago, and so we thought it would be fun to go back. The ride was really nice – good to be out on the water – and we got some great views of the city as we went. 

Upon debarking we walked a short distance to Manly Beach. It wasn’t super sunny but it definitely felt warm, and it looked like the locals were happy about it. There was surfing, volleyball, and plenty of restaurants lining the street facing the ocean. We enjoyed a slow stroll down to the end of the beach and back, and then thought we might have a drink at a restaurant. One place was almost closing but we managed a beer and some bubbles before they shut the door.

For lunch we walked back to the harbor and then around to the east and found a small place that served pretty good crab rolls and calamari. With our drinks it was a little pricey though – maybe we were paying for the ocean view. It was a peaceful meal, contemplating the long flight ahead of us back to Japan and to work.

After riding the ferry back we decided to go ahead and get our suitcase and Uber to the airport. We had hoped to use the train service but it was completely closed while we were there – something unthinkable in Japan. Maybe next time it will be open and we can try again.

At the airport we were able to check in and go through security and immigration fairly quickly. We were searching for fish and chips and finally found it at an Italian restaurant near our gate. I also ordered a hamburger, and it was a struggle to get all that fried food down. I guess my stomach was switching back from vacation mode.

Before we knew it, it was time to board and we sat in the back center of the plane. I was hoping to get some sleep like our incoming flight, but unfortunately one child started shrieking as soon as they dimmed the lights. It took more than an hour to calm him down, and I didn’t really sleep well after that. But other than that slight hiccup it was fine. 

We transferred through Haneda airport with a weird “customs>immigration>customs again” system. The Japanese customs systems is always confusing and disorganized – even the staff don’t seem to know how it works at any given moment. Kuniko was visibly frustrated with the staff and I couldn’t blame her. 

It was an easy flight back to Osaka, and then we caught a bus and a train back to our place, arriving home about 10 am on Monday. It was a great trip – now we have to get ready to host another wedding couple next weekend!

We said our goodbyes to Brenda and then Steve drove us all into Sydney. We dropped off Alyssa at the airport for her flight, and Adrian was going to catch a bus from there to Canberra. We said goodbye at the airport but we’d see her soon enough back in Kobe.

Then Steve drove us on to the Swissotel in downtown Sydney. We had originally made a reservation at the Paradox hotel, but he really wanted to put us up and he had points available on his account. The tricky part was that he had to check in himself and then go on and leave us the room. There was a little bit of subterfuge – I had expected him to go with the gay couple route but he diverged a little into describing a business partner situation – I don’t think the check-in staff really cared. 

But anyway, after getting us set up he took off, and thanks to Steve and Brenda we could enjoy a little time on our own before heading back to Japan. 

We started with a big breakfast near the hotel. It had been a really long time since I had been in downtown Sydney, so it was like exploring a new place for us. We hit a lot of the landmarks, slowly approaching the Circular Quay, and then walking past the Opera House and enjoying the views of bridge. I was looking for cheap sunglasses but never did find a good pair. We stopped in for a drink when the rain started coming down, and while we sat at our table a colorful parrot flew down, slowly walked to the cup of sugar packets on our table, made a withdrawal, and then flew off. WTF?

We went back into town later once our room was ready, and it was a really large corner room, big windows, and a balcony with a nice view of the city. Thanks, Steve!

In the afternoon we did a wine tasting at a local wine bar. Kuniko did a sparkling wine tasting of wines from Arras, and I did a four wine flight from Handpicked. We really liked the Arras Blanc de Blancs 2015 and Arras Grand Vintage 2015. Of my wines I liked the Handpicked Grenache and Pinot Noir – vintages not given. The tasting was fun – we had comfortable seats and could relax and enjoy lots of free time.

We walked around the city some more, the sun was out now and our reservation for dinner was coming up. We walked to the Opera House, I didn’t remember so many bars and restaurants lining the approach (down one floor from the main thoroughfare). We walked completely around the Opera House itself, then to our dinner restaurant Midden. 

We could sit outside and watch the sun slowly set over the Harbor Bridge, and enjoy wine and a big grazing plate of Australian nibbles – emu, crocodile skewers, cheeses and nuts, breads and spreads. We had a sudden attack from a bold seagull going after the meat on our plate, but it flew off before getting anything – we had to keep alert. For entrees we had a kangaroo filet and some barramundi. The kangaroo was one of the best meat dishes I’ve had all year – almost raw in the middle and flavorful without being gamy. The barramundi was also delicious – and they went great with some local wines. 

We got to talking with our waitress, who was a Thai lady who wants to visit Japan in the future. She sounded super excited about it and was just saving money to get it done. 

After dinner we walked the Quay, around to the other side to see what was there. It turns out there was a big Halloween event going on, with tons of tourists and locals dressed up and partying. There were a surprising amount of Asian people there in cosplay outfits – something I hadn’t expected. We had some Hoky Poky ice cream from 31 Flavors, recreated a photo from our history, and then finally headed back to our hotel.

We had a cocktail at the bar for a nightcap, and Kuniko’s “signature” cocktail was really weird. It was called a Setouchi Inland Cocktail, which is kind of where we live. It tasted of konbu, served with a side of fried nori, and seemed more like a medicinal remedy than something you’d drink for fun. The bartender was wearing the same glasses I wore in junior high school  and I think he was a little bummed we didn’t enjoy it more. 

Then it was off to bed – our last chance to be horizontal for a long time.

In the morning Alyssa asked us if we were “a little dusty this morning” – a new one for me from Australia asking about our hangover status. 

We weren’t too dusty, and after a nice sleep in we all headed to Luke’s parents’ place for a picnic in their backyard. It wasn’t clear to me if this was a tradition or not – but it was really nice. They had a very cozy backyard, not in the sense of size but the sense of comfort. Most of the people from the night before were there, and there was a lot of food and drink to enjoy while enjoying each other’s company in a more casual setting.

We played some cornhole, I got to use a little Spanish talking with a lady originally from Chile, and had a long talk with a curious lady who was insistent on “saying what she needs to say”. 

After the party Steve dropped off Alyssa, Adrian, Kuniko and myself at the local pub. This place brought back some memories. It reminds me a lot of the London Lodge back in Glen Ellen, although much bigger and not quite as grungy. We sat outside and enjoyed drinks and talking, while distant rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance.

The day was Halloween, and the pub was apparently doing some kind of event for the kiddies. As we were leaving more and more kids and parents were gathering in cute costumes. Who knew Halloween was this big here? Rain started to fall so Alyssa called Steve and we got an evac up the hill staying dry.

There were even a couple of trick or treaters, who asked for extra treats for “their brother” and “their cousin”, but since they were the only ones that came they got plenty of goodies. 

Outside the heavy rain came back – having gone away for the two days of celebration for Julia and Luke. We stayed in for some lasagna, salad and lots of red wine – they always eat well, it was so good! Afterwards we watched some interesting TV commercials, we showed photos from our last trip, and Julia and Luke put in an appearance as well. 

We went to bed on the early side, with Alyssa already packing her stuff for her flight back to Japan the next day. We were saving our packing for the morning, as we’d stay another night in Sydney before returning ourselves. Going to bed with the rain falling outside was really nice though.

It rained through most of the night, and everyone was worried about the conditions for the wedding this afternoon. But miraculously things suddenly got sunny. Adrian, Kuniko and I went out with Steve to walk the beach at Wollongong while Alyssa and Brenda went to get their hair and makeup done. 

It was gorgeous out there – we started at Steve’s golf club and then walked the coastline with a keen eye out for whales. We never saw any, but the views were fantastic. The temperature was comfortable as well – here they were just swinging into spring and some warmer weather. 

Then it was time to head back and get dressed up for the big event. We had packed some nicer clothes and were looking pretty good – the whole family looked nice. Brenda complimented Kuniko on her dress and when Kuniko said that it only cost $20, Brenda advised that she not mention that at the wedding. We took an Uber into town, and then a charter bus from there to the Imperial Hotel where the ceremony and reception was being held. It was a ways away, and I was surprised to see a train line running nearby.

The hotel was a historic building – sometimes historic means old but this had been renovated well and it had big windows overlooking the ocean. We went inside and since we didn’t really know anyone except for the Coursey family we weren’t sure how things were going to go. But soon people came up and introduced themselves, and we were introduced to interesting people, and then it was time to watch the ceremony. 

The bride and groom asked us to put away out phones for the ceremony (visible looks of disappointment in the crowd) but it was nice there weren’t a bunch of phones in the air when they exchanged vows. The ceremony was short and sweet, and the vibe of the whole thing really fit well with Julia and Luke.

After the ceremony we waited in a short line for a personal congratulation for the couple, a glass of bubbles, and then some hors d’oeuvres before sitting down to dinner. We looked at some old family photos of previous generations from both sides, and then took some photos outside. 

Soon it was time to eat family style at two very long tables. They had several different dishes and all the food I had was quite good – lamb, carpaccio, roast chicken, salad. Later we had cakes that various people had contributes (we had sneakily eaten some of Brenda’s cakes the previous night).

There were some great speeches, plenty of wine, and soon enough music was playing and it was time to dance. Kuniko was initially ambivalent about the idea of dancing at a wedding – just not a thing in Japan – but before long she was out there having just as much fun as everyone else. We spent a long time dancing (4-5 hours?) until it was time to get on the bus back to town. 

We caught an Uber back from Wollongong up the hill to Mt. Kembla, what a great night! The wedding couple looked so happy and they were already starting to look forward to their honeymoon in Vietnam. 

We were invited to Australia to attend Julia & Luke’s wedding at the end of October. The timing worked out with a holiday on a nearby weekend and our schedules were flexible enough that we could pull off a short trip. It had been quite a while since we had visited Steve and Brenda, and also Alyssa was also attending, flying in separately from Osaka. 

So we worked it out – flying through Itami airport, then Haneda, and finally to Sydney. The day of departure was a busy one though – I met up with an old coworker who was visiting Japan after he left it 11 years ago. I took him and his travel buddies to lunch at Steakland, the Kobe beef place that always has big lines but reasonable prices. It turned out nicely, and we enjoyed talking about “the old days” in Japan, and how things are going for them now.

Then it was back to do the final packing, meeting up with Kuniko and on to the airport. We arrived hungry, and even though the airline offered us an earlier flight we decided to keep our original one and get dinner at Itami Airport instead. We went to a Chinese place for noodles and gyoza (but didn’t enjoy the Dragon Highball), and then to the “winery” there to have some wine (from elsewhere) with a few light snacks. The winery was having an all you can drink of one of their wines – it was some kind of cloudy fruit wine… yikes.

But then we had a chance to board the plane and make the easy 45 min flight to Haneda. We had just 80 minutes there before our next flight took off, and I was off to sleep in economy. We ended up sleeping about seven hours of the nine we were in the air. Upon landing there was some pretty heavy rain – that was a bit unexpected.

We lined up at immigration, but it was a little confusing. One sign said “passport Self Service” and the other said “All Other Passport Holders”. We didn’t have any ePassports but some airport staff came walking through the “Other Passport” line and pulled us both out and sent us to the ePassport line which was much shorter. We have been through a lot of international airports and rarely has it been this unclear what to do.

We grabbed our suitcase (intact) but there was a huge line for customs. Apparently we were low risk and didn’t need a search. Then we met Steve outside, he had a big smile and an umbrella, along with some water and a couple of pastries just in case we were hungry. What service!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and catching up at Steve and Brenda’s place in Mt. Kembla, and nothing much had changed. It is still a beautiful spot, with a view of the ocean and Wollongong in the distance, warbling parrots and other wild birds, and the feel of living in a rainforest. Alyssa and her friend Adrian were also staying there for the wedding, and it was weird to see her all the way here in Australia instead of at a random bus station somewhere. Brenda had Steve had put together a big Indian dinner – two different curries plus salads and pappadam. Everything was really good and it was amazing to just kind of plop ourselves right back into their family life. In the background Julia was on the phone making final arrangements and getting ready for the big day tomorrow.

It was a great start to our short trip, and luckily no jet lag with the tiny time difference. Tomorrow will be our first Australian wedding experience!