The gnome and I (along with Mom, sis Nancy and her husband Jim from Portland) returned from two weeks "down under" just in time to spend the holidays with the family. (In Nancy & Jim's case, there was an unexpected 3-day visit in Healdsburg with Becky and Steve, as their flight to Portland was canceled due to snow!) While it wasn't nearly as warm as we had expected (after packing all those summer clothes), it was beautiful and a great trip overall. We mostly visited the port cities as we cruised from Australia to New Zealand and then all around the north and south islands. What struck me most was the architecture--both old and new. I hadn't expected the lacey ironwork on the old buildings (like what you'd see in New Orleans), nor the vibrant colors and ultra-contemporary designs of many of the newer buildings. We had lunch in the "Sky Tower" in Auckland (looked like Seattle's Space Needle) with a perfect view of not only the city, but the "jumpers" right outside our window. Believe it or not, they actually have a controlled-cable-type jump for $200 NZ--none of us opted for it, but it was fun to watch.
Click here to view some of (the zillion) photos I took along the way. What a "lovely" (said with attempted Kiwi accent) place to visit--I highly recommend it. Hope you're enjoying your holidays!
