We touched down in Sydney 2 hours delayed after a 12 hour flight to Auckland, a 2 hour lay over there, and then another 3 hours to Australia. We had a happy reunion with my mom and Colin who were waiting for us at the airport, and we headed straight to my aunt, Debbie's home which would be our home for the next 8 days. In true Aunt Deb style, we had a beautiful room set up for us with our own bathroom and strict instructions that the house was ours to roam around. No 5 star hotel could have been better. Orders were immediately put in for our first home cooked meal in 3 months (Lamb was the natural first choice). After our first day spent with mom and Col at the Coogee beach and reuniting with all of my cousins, we tucked into a delicious meal with Deb and her fam, Dave, Paul and Shaun, my mom and col, the bride-to-be Shannon, her sister Nic and fiancé' Graeme.

After being on the road for 3 months, Jeff and I were happy to be in a home environment with no other back packers, shared bathrooms or restaurant meals. We wanted to take the 8 days in Australia and spend them getting reconnected with family and friends who live in Sydney - see how they live - their homes, their local shops, beaches and restaurants. If we got to see any of the tourist sights that Sydney had to offer, that would just be a bonus. As it turned out, we cleared the dreary weather Sydney had been experiencing for the month before we arrived. Every day the son shone and so we got to spend time with everyone outside, taking in the beauty of the city at the same time.

Our first full day started with a slap up breakfast and was followed by a stunning 2 hour walk along the board walk path from Coogee beach through to Bondi. My mom, Colin and Shannon joined us for the walk and we met up with Shan's grandfather hymie, and cousin Ryan for lunch in Bondi afterwards. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Kalish house getting ready for the pre-wedding Friday night. Jeff and I got dressed up for the first time in 3 months and enjoyed a great family Shabbos dinner

On Saturday, our tour guide, my cousin Nicole, took Ryan, Jeff and I to a beach in Valclouisse. There we met Jeff's cousin and friend from London , Janice and her sister Nadine. We spent a few hours chatting with our feet in the water over looking the bays of Sydney. Jeff landed up spending the day with Jan. They went on a walk around the Valclouise bay and were treated to a day out at sea on Janice's dad, Stan's, friend's yacht A big move up from roughing it in hostels and tents! The Sydney harbour was packed with hundreds of other boats with their owners soaking up the sun on the decks and Jeff was one of the privileged few! Meanwhile, Nic and I had lunch at Watson's bay - good ol fish and chips on a bench along the bay front and then joined up with the rest of the girls - Shannon, her youngest sister, Donna, our cousin Melyssa who had just flown in from Melbourne for the wedding, my aunt Bev and my mom for a pampering section of manicures and pedicures at Bondi Junction shopping centre. That night was the first night Jeff and I spent apart for 3 months. He went with Janice to a friend's party in Point Piper - the venue was a palace sized mansion fully equipped with gym, tennis court, private pier and of course, a view of the Sydney harbour. He got a chance to meet many of Janice's friends and also catch up with Jeff and Tahli, an Australian couple that we had met and become close to in London. My Saturday night was a lot more low key - spent with the bride to be and her sisters, confirming seating plans, steaming her dress, making a maypole and watching reruns of Friends.

The next day was the big day and was spent rushing around from hair appointments to make up appointments. The day could not have been any more beautiful and neither could my cousin!!! She looked like a dream! After a serious photo session we were moved from the house to the venue, about 40 minutes away. The Chuppah, which was hand made by Shannnon's dad, was held in a shaded garden overlooking a pier. The reception was held in the adjoining hall and it was spectacular. From the décor, to the speeches, the food and the vibe - it was a perfect wedding party.

My cousin Nic, Ryan, Jeff and I had breakfast the next day at her favourite cafe near her home in Maroubra. We headed afterwards to Coogee beach to meet up with my mom and Colin, my aunts, Bev and Deb and the Goldstein clan, cousins from Melbourne, The rest of the day was spent on the Clovelly beach with Nic and Ryan, swimming and laughing - as you cant help but do when you are in the presence of darling Nic!!! That night we had dinner and drinks with Janice, Jeff and Tahli and Dave Cohen, a friend of ours from Grant Thornton days at the local Jewish hangout, the Sheif in Double bay.

Tuesday was our touring day, We went with mom, Col and Bev into the city by bus. We only realised once we were there that Oprah fever had hit the city because she was filming 2 huge shows from the steps of the Opera house. On our ferry ride to Manley beach we sailed passed the filming and saw the thousands of people cheering and the big screens showing Oprah and Bono on the stage. At Manley, we walked along the beach for a few hours and stopped off at a small cafe for a light lunch at the end of the path. A man entered the restaurant who I knew I recognised but couldn't put a name to the face until Jeff leaned over and told me excited that it was Daniel Negrano, a famous international poker player. He was slightly star struck and couldn't muster the courage to ask for a picture with him. We headed back to the city and spend some time walking around The Rocks - one of the oldest parts of Sydney. We then caught another 45 minute ferry to get the Olympic park where we had tickets to see U2 live in concert. A stage was set up in the middle of the stadium so that there was a 360 degree view of the stage. The lighting and production of the show was spectacular The stage was built with 4 huge arched pillars from each corner conjoining 35metres above the centre of the stage with hundreds of LCD TVs between each one. The screens showed live footage of the band while they played and recorded videos and animations for different songs. Although U2 is not either of our favourite bands - we still loved the experience and were fully impressed.

Wednesday was a relaxing day of swimming in the pool, opening wedding presents, eating and relaxing at home with the Kalish clan. That evening we met up with Russell Gordon, a long time friend of mine, and his new wife in their new home and then went on to meet Janice and her siblings, Nadine and Tony for an Italian meal in Bondi followed by an ice cream and stroll along Bondi beach.

Our last day in Sydney was spent in the city again,this time with my mom, Colin, Nic, Shannon and Graeme. We had breakfast in Kirribilli and then walked over the Sydney harbour bridge into the Rocks and through to the Opera house. We weren't so lucky walking back though as he clouds burst open as we were crossing the bridge to get back to the car and we were drenched from the downpour.

Would you believe, for our final meal before heading into South east Asia for 4.5 months, we went to a Thai restaurant!! Sounds quite daft but we had an excellent meal with mom, Col, Bev, Shan and Gray and then met up with all our friends at Raveses in Bondi for a farewell drink or 2. It was a sad goodbye to them and my family because we don't know when the next time will be that we see them again. Our 8 days in Oz flew by but were a welcome pit stop in civilization and a great taste of home.