Friday, May 27th Explore Brisbane

I can hardly believe I have actually been here a whole week now. The days are going by so fast! It feels so good to be over the extreme tiredness of jet lag!
This morning we all took our time getting out of the house. I got some good Skype time with my family and that helped me feel not as homesick for them. Thank goodness for Skype!

A church in the midst of Brisbane



City Cats of Brisbane

 At around 11 Tom and I went grocery shopping and then picked up Anthony and took the train into Brisbane. Our first goal was to find the Visitor Information Center, in the middle of Queen Street Pedistrian Mall. There we got information about some tours we might be interested in for next week and we also got a City Cat schedule. City Cats are these cool little catamaran boats that cruise the Brisbane River stopping at stops like buses on the water. Before finding the dock we did a little tourist shopping and people watching. We found a little place for lunch. Here if the sign says "Kababs" it means they are selling what I would call a sandwhich wrap. The meat is cooking on these big kababs and you tell the server what type of meat you would like (beef, lamb or chicken) and what veggies (like at Subway). They cut the meat off the kabab and make your wrap and then heat it up. It is a yummy way to have lunch.

Tom eating a Kabab

After lunch we didn't have far to walk to the edge of the Brisbane River where the dock was located. The fare for the boat is the same as for the bus. Very cheap ride!   We actually rode the boat the entire length of the City Cat's route...down one way and then up the other. It's a totally different perspective from the water. I didn't realize how big Brisbane was until we traveled it by water. There are some beautiful homes and some beautiful bridges. The ride duration was two and a half hours. (A little longer than we thought it would be). Most of the time Tom and I were outside in the front. The ride is so quiet and the boat went faster than I thought it would, but it has to stop at all the different stops. By late afternoon normal commuters were riding too...school age kids in their uniforms and people with briefcases and work clothes on.  It was getting cooler as the sun went down so we rode for a while in the cabin (nice comfortable seats) but I prefered to be outside.

Sushi at the Sushi Train

Picking my sushi up on the sushi train....

When we finally were back at our original stop the sun was setting. Brisbane seemed like a different city...some of the buildings were lit up with different colors and even at the pedestarian malls some of the stones you walked on were lighted green and pink. I was surprised by how crowded the city was. Seems like it comes alive on a Friday night. We didn't stick around though...had to get back. The train ride was crowded with rush hour. When we got off the train and started walking back to the house and we ran into Trevor, Shane, Brennen and Gene. They were going to dinner at a restaurant called The Sushi Train. It's a chain restaurant around here...funny name. At the Sushi Train you sit down near this revolving conveyor belt of sushi on plates. You pick the sushi plate that looks good and put it on your table. The waitress tallies up the amount of plates you ate off of once you are finished....red plates cost more than blue plates etc. Usually there are 2-4 sushi rolls per plate. Good food and an interested atmosphere.
Tomorrow we are going on the Sunshine Coast and leaving really early so we have to get a good nights rest! Cheers! (as the Aussie's say good-bye)