Kiwi Paradise : Last day!

Here it is! The last day of the Australian adventure! We woke up and got ready to go back to the temple for a session- Andrea, Sara, and I. The earliest session is at 9 so we went while the other girls headed off to the beach. The season was so nice! Again- the temple is such a great place :). Afterwards we took the bus and headed off to Manly beach to find the other girls. It was a gorgeous day- the rain left! We got off the train and then onto a ferry for a 30 minute ride over to the beach. Before the ferry we stopped for our last time at McDonalds to try the last of the taste of American burgers. The Texas burger was by far my favorite- I think the BBQ sauce is definitely something I've missed!!

We met the girls around 1 and walked around the beach. The water/surf was super strong so it wasn't very inviting to swim but walking across the sand was nice. We really only stayed for just a little bit. We did a little shopping and then headed back into Sydney. We got back and went walking around a section of town called the Rocks. I went into one of the shops and got a boomarang! We also went and walked through the Royal Gardens by the opera house. Despite being in the middle of a giant and very busy city the Royal Gardens are peaceful, beautiful, and well kept.

Around 5 Sara, Elise, and I met Janessa at St. Mary's Cathedral for the 5:30 mass. Yes, mass. Janessa had been before but the rest of us hadn't and we thought it would be neat to experience in such a beautiful cathedral. Mass was a neat experience- it was definitely very thought provoking. Afterwards we left to go meet the rest of the girls from the program by Darling Harbor to get some dessert and enjoy the harbor before heading home. We walked over to Chinatown to pick up some dessert and then back to the harbor. It was such a beautiful evening and the best way to spend a final night in Sydney.

All too soon it was time to hit the bus station and head home. It's hard to believe that a week is really over. We spent the rest of the night putting the finishing touches on packing and watching Resucers Down Under- we had to we were in Australia! I'm so looking forward to home but not looking forward to that million hour plane ride tomorrow... at least I'll leave and get home on the same day.