England – Day 06
Today we had an easy day, we started by going to the Museum of Natural History and later saw The Lion King performance at the theater. For the full day click here.
England – Day 05
Woke up early to take a tour offered by Golden Tours to Warwick Castle, visit the birth home of William Shakespeare and walk around the town of Oxford. Click here for the full day.
England – Day 04
Today we almost missed the changing of the guards. We spent most of the day walking around the city visiting the Royal Mewes, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Eye, and the British Museum. Follow the full day here.
England – Day 03
The day we spent around London visiting Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Tower of London, Borough Market, the London Tower Bridge and more. For more details take a look at the full-day adventure.
England – Day 02
We woke up early to go on the tube and catch our tour bus to Stonehenge, Windsor, and Bath. The service was provided by Evan Evans Tours and we left the Victoria Coach Station at 8 am.
Many locals wear black 
Not too many catholic churches in London. The dominant religion was Anglicanism.
William the Conqueror built Windsor. Longest occupied royal palace.
We arrived at the parking lot around 9 am and walked to the queue until the castle was opened at 9:30 am.
The walk from the parking to the castle entrance is about 15 minutes. We had to do a long line for the security for about 40 minutes.
Once inside we grabbed the free audio guide and started exploring. We started by visiting Queen Marys’ Dollhouse (putting every other dollhouse to shame). The house was designed by an architect, is made to a 1:12 scale (one inch to one foot). The bathrooms are fully plumbed with piped, running water, and include a flushable toilet.
No photography is allowed on the inside of most buildings but it is fine outside the castle.
From there we continued walking the nearby grounds and entered the State Apartments. You can admire all the fine craftsmanship on everything as you walk through the route.
We started going fast through the apartments in order to get to visit the inside of St George’s Chapel.
The Chapel was the location of the wedding of HRH Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle.
We left the castle and rushed to the parking lot to meet the group at the expected time of 11:20 am
Arrived at Stonehenge at around 1 pm and had about one hour to explore.
Not too much time since you spend about 15 minutes each way in line getting into the local shuttle.
Once at the site you get to walk close to one side of the circle. The stones to me seemed larger in person than what I imagined based on pictures.
On the way back we stopped by the visitor center where there are replicas of the living units of the people of that time. Also, you can see a stone on a possible log rig designed to transport the big stones.
We got to the bus and we left at 2:20 pm. We arrived at Bath at 3:20 pm. Here we were going to see the ancient Roman baths. Throughout the structure, you get to see and imagine how life was back in Roman times.
After going through the baths we had about 15 minutes to explore the town, but in reality, we had time to walk down the bridge and take pictures of the fall colors with the city as a background.
Finally, at 4:45 pm we started our journey to London. By the time we got back, everyone had taken a nap on the bus
We got down at an alternative stop on the way to the bus stop. We found a ramen place to calm the hunger since our food options during the day was less than ideal.
England – Day 01
Headed to the airport earlier to grab some dinner at Root Down. We enjoyed burgers, tacos and the little one went for the mac and cheese.
Once at the gate we had our ”passports verified” since we skipped the check-in counter. After waiting for our boarding group we started our journey to London.
The airplane chairs are decently comfortable and have a very nice built-in headrest. We had a large screen with a very nice movie selection. Got food about an hour after take-off, where we had the option of a curry chicken with rice and creamy pasta. Both were very good.
Enjoyed some movies before trying to sleep.
Once at Heathrow, we quickly got to go through immigration and customs. From here we followed the signs for the Heathrow express train. Very easy to follow and board the train. The ride was about 20 minutes and it dropped us at the Paddington station.
We took a taxi from the station to the hotel and took a well-deserved break.
Once recharged we left our bags at the hotel and went out to get some food. We found a very nice Indian restaurant nearby. Had chicken Tikka Masala, Chana Masala, Naan and rice.
Now with our full bellies, we got a sim card and cash. The sim card included 10 GB of data for 20 GBP.
We walked to the Kensington Gardens park. On the northwest corner, we found the Diana Memorial Playground which has as the main attraction a pirate ship for the kids to play. There were other things for the kids to enjoy as well as a place to get food.
Southeast of the playground there is the Round Pond, where you can see plenty of geese and ducks.
The park had quite a few squirrels running around adding to the beautiful fall scenery with all the trees changing color.
From here we went to Chinatown for dinner with some friends from home that were also visiting London for fall break.
The service was rushed and we basically got kicked out for taking too long after paying.
Chinatown streets are decorated with paper lanterns and have plenty of good restaurant options.
After walking for a while we called a night, found the nearest underground station and went to our hotel.
Australia – Day 10
This is our last morning in Australia.
We checked out and got an Uber to get to the airport. Since we were trying to get seated together we got there with plenty of time. We were able to quickly talk to an agent and get seated together.
The security and customs process was extremely efficient and we made it to our gate with almost two hours to spare.
We found a nice breakfast place close to the gate and ordered three different egg dishes. Everything was delicious.
We spent our last coins and dollars on candy for the flight and spent some extra on ice cream and chocolate.
The boarding was very fast and once onboard, we started watching movies. The flight on this return leg is shorter at twelve and a half hours compared to fifteen hours coming to Australia.
Once in the air, we were fed and had plenty of food and airline provided snacks throughout the flight.
We landed in LAX and transferred to the domestic terminal for our Delta flight. Since we were not able to select seats at check-in for the domestic flight, we ended up on separate seats for our last leg.
Finally back in Denver.
Australia – Day 09
We woke up early and said goodbye to the beach.
Tip: Palm Cove was a great place to spend some time away from the busy city but it is close to various attractions. One thing we didn’t get to do was to visit the town of Kuranda and its koala gardens, butterfly sanctuary, and bird habitat.
Drove back safely to the car rental place and took the shuttle to the airport to go to Brisbane (our final destination for the trip).
This time we took the low fare airline Jetstar and just like Tigerair they will weigh in your carry-on. I believe the additional purchased weight allowed is less on Jetstar.
Once at the Brisbane airport we looked for the pre-booked signed to get our Uber.
For this last hotel, we didn’t spend too much time looking for a good deal and got a more convenient location for the night. The hotel turned out to be a massive tower and our room ended up on the 68th floor. We had a great view of the east side of the city.
The first thing we did was to get the transportation card called Translink Go-Card. It is $10 for a deposit and an additional amount to top-up.
Be aware that to get your $10 deposit you need to surrender your Go-Card. See https://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/go-card/refunds for more details
We also learned to not use the back door of the bus to enter. You will be charged a $5 fee as is you had not tapped on boarding the bus. The system assumes you left the bus when you used the wrong door.
Once we realized the mistake we made we were out of cash on our cards and decided to walk back to other sites after lunch.
We walked first to Streets Beach which is a man-made pool with a whole section with white sand. The location has a lot of shops and restaurants as well as lockets, showers, and bathrooms. Also next to the beach there was another pool and an awesome kids playground including large slides, spider rope climbing, and a giant hamster wheel.
As we. Continued our walk north we encountered a forest walk leading to a Nepalese pagoda, The Wheel of Brisbane ( a giant Ferris wheel), the Brisbane sign and a long boardwalk.
Pay attention to the signs of shared bicycles and pedestrian walkways. Some lanes are for bicycles only and they come fast. Avoid getting injured. Also I noticed that Australian walk on the left side of the path.
We continued our way north toward the Queensland Museum and Science Centre. We. Only had one hour to visit but since it is free, it worked out for us.
The museum starts with a preserved young great white shark and a giant squid. Also on this floor, there are dinosaur bones on display.
On the 4th floor, the museum has a large animal section area displaying every type of animal you can think of.
After the museum closed at 5:00 PM we continued to a well-rated steakhouse called Black Hide Steakhouse. Since it was our last night, we decided to splurge on some Australian wagyu beef. We got to the restaurant as they opened and were able to accommodate us. We got a Ribeye, Rump steak and we got their famous short ribs for the little one.
The service and food were excellent.
On the way back to the hotel we did a long walk back to the Brisbane sign to take pictures of the city at night. After this, we called it a night and said goodbye to Brisbane.
Australia – Day 08
We decided to visit the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas. It is located about thirty minutes north of Palm Cove. Along the highway, you will see the beautiful coast and beaches of the north coast. Keep an eye for a great stop with a fantastic view called Rex Lookout.
Once at the habitat, we decided to add the breakfast with the birds. The option is an additional $23 AUD for a breakfast buffet next to the temporary bird enclosure. It is an expensive addition, but the food and experience were well worth it.
After breakfast, we started our morning with a bird feeding tour with one of the staff members. This was so informative and it is one of many activities happening during the day.
As you get deeper into the park you can feed the kangaroos and Wallabies.
I learned that they will eat a little from your hand then stop and chew the food for a while then come back for more.
Later in the day, we went to the croc feeding experience. There was a smaller croc that the staff member baited with a piece of meat and it was impressive hearing the thumping of the jaws when it missed the food. The larger 500 kg croc got close and opened its Jaws but did not take the bait.
We cut our visit short to have time at the beach back at the hotel, but there were other activities that I would have enjoyed to participate in.
One of the best things about the habitat is that you are inside a lot of enclosures and get really close to the animals. All the animals look very happy and well taken care of.
Back at the hotel we got ready and headed out to the beach. The waters had strong waves so we decided to take on an offer from the hotel Manager to borrow a bodyboard. Matt had a blast learning how to use a bodyboard as well as how to read the waves.
Paradise On The Beach Resort was a fantastic option for our stay. The staff made us feel welcomed and like part of the family. Highly recommended if you want to stay in Palm Cove.
We worked an appetite and decided to head back to the hotel and go get some food but once back we decided to check out the pool. The pool was on the cold side so we jumped on the hot tub and spend more time with the family.
By the time we left the pool, it was no longer lunchtime and more like dinner. We finally got out of the pool and went out to a restaurant called Lucky Fish for a quick fish and chips. It was amazing.
Now with something in our bellies we did the long walk on the beach to the south part of town.
We decided to eat some pasta at Vivo Palm Cove. We had beef cheek ragù, crab linguine and some of the best calamari I’ve had in my life. Highly recommended.
To end the day we decided to keep walking and get some ice cream. White chocolate and macadamia nuts were the best.
Australia – Day 07
Woke up early to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef.
We had early breakfast at the hotel and went straight to our vessel since we were able to check-in the day before and get our boarding passes.
After boarding the SilverSwift we navigated the rough seas for about two hours to arrive at our first snorkeling location. On the way there the snorkelers and divers were briefed on their activities.
If the seas are rough, you can avoid getting seasick with medicine (offered by the crew for a cost of $3) or you can work on looking out the window and look at the horizon.
On the first site, we had about an hour of snorkeling. We were able to see the abundance of different kinds of fish. You could admire huge and different types of coral as well as a lot of destroyed parts of the reef. There is so much beauty that we need to protect not only on the reef but wherever home is.
We navigated to the second site which was about five minutes. On location, we opted to have lunch before going snorkeling. We ate as fast as we could to get back in the water. Once in the water, we saw similar things but the sun will peek from time to time we were able to see more of the beautiful colors the reef has to offer. Between lunch and water time we spent about an hour and a half at sight two.
The third site was not too far as well. The little one was tired from all the previous swims and decided to take a break while I snorkeled with the wife. On this site, we had a guided tour with one of the staff members and he pointed out different corals and giant clams along the bottom. We were able to see a turtle but missed the rays that are known to live in the area. We snorkeled for a total of one hour and near the end of our time, I got to spot a white tip reef shark.
On the way back we had carrot cake, brownies, and rough seas. The boat was speeding and we made it back to the port by 4:30 PM. The crew was fantastic and made the day a great experience.
Back inland, we rushed to get our bags and go pick up our rental car for the next two days. After the Uber dropped us off at the East Coast facility we got our car and the adventure of driving on the left side of the road begins.
Besides the obvious of having the steering wheel on the other side, it took me a while to get used to having the turn signal lever on the right side of the steering wheel. I continued to turn on the windshield wipers on every turn or lane change I was trying to make. I was constantly very focused on the intersections remembering to stay on the left lane after a turn.
After making it safely to our hotel on Palm Cove we went out for a walk around town and find something to eat. We settled on Japanese food at Kushi where they have Takoyaki (octopus balls) and a variety of recommended kebabs. The balls were very good but the kebabs were not what we expected for the prize.
Takoyaki
On the way back we got ice cream to feel better about dinner.
