Never did I think I'd get to visit Australia!! Was blessed with the chance to travel to Melbourne and Sydney with my wife as she was scheduled to visit for work. Though it took forever to get there, it was well worth it, but two weeks just isn't enough time to enjoy all the sights, sounds and flavors that Australia has to offer! We spent a week in Melbourne and St. Kilda and the next week in Sydney. Melbourne - one of the most metropolitan cities I've visited! The culture, restaurants, shopping, sights, people..........exciting! No need for a car rental as the city is easily explored on foot or on the multiple public transportation systems (bus, tram and free tram!). I took advantage of having a "walkabout" to balance the amount of food I was exposed to!! Speaking of food - I fell in love with Pie Face - a 24-hour Aussie fast food chain specializing in savory pies (tomato and beef, curry chicken, tandoori vegetable to name a few) that just melt in your mouth. Like McDonalds in the U.S., you can find this great eatery on almost every block in Australia's big cities. They've even opened up restaurants in New York and Los Angeles, but I'm still waiting for one in Chicago!!!

Sydney - home of the famous Opera House. With all the fun we were having in Melbourne, it was hard to leave, but the thought of more fun in Sydney was exciting! The folks there know how to work and play - EVERYDAY!! Just like some European cities, life never slows down - seemed like everyone was out enjoying themselves. Once the work day was done, folks were out for happy hour with their colleagues and friends like it was the weekend. Every where you went, there were folks living it up!! We stayed downtown in the Darling Harbor neighborhood, which was perfect as once again I relied on my feet to get me around town. Another easy city to navigate, everyday that week took me to a different part of town. Besides the Darling Harbour area, my favorite place was Mrs. Macquarie's Point were you had a great distant view of the Opera House and Sydney Bridge in the background. Just a great outdoor place by the water and the lush Royal Botanic Gardens hosting beautiful exotic bird species. I spent many a morning and evening watching the sun rise and set over the harbor. Though we didn't get to see the outback (as it's thousands of miles north), we did get to have a wilderness experience by traveling to the Blue Mountains by chartered bus. This all day experience took us north of Sydney into, what I guess you could say Australia's version of Africa's Great Rift Valley. Not only did we get to hike through tropical forests and explore amazing rock formations within this expansive gorge and forest landscape, we got to get close and personal with native wildlife like the famous kangaroos and koalas. My favorite experience in Sydney? Walking on top of Sydney Harbour Bridge! Not an experience for the faint of heart, but this thrilling once in a lifetime bridge climb was one of the best activities I've ever experienced with my wife. Out of the four climb options, we chose "The Bridge Climb" - a climb on the bridge's upper arch (basically on top of the bridge). Decked in blue jump suits, hats, safety belts and carabiners, we spent 3.5 hours climbing to the summit and back down. The climb included multiple breaks to learn some Sydney history and appreciate the view, and what a view it was! The unfortunate part was no camera's allowed on the climb. Pity because it was one of the best views I've ever seen. 

For more on Sydney Harbour Bridge, visit www.bridgeclimb.com

Here are some of my favorite shots from Australia.