Pilot:Joost:Happy birthday Miss Pilot!
Miss Pilot is very delighted and says thank you Joost! 🎉😊
Same here...Happy Birthday.
Must be great to be in warm weather right now, I just hate the cold, even if it sometimes has some nice (visual) moments.
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991.2 Carrera GTS Cabriolet (2018), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
Gnil:Pilot:Haha Gnil, you would be waiting for a very long time. Mrs. Pilot is not so found of what swims beneath the waterline and neither am I ;)
More dangerous sharks on land then in the water
You might be right... I guess it depends on the shark
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
Pilot:Joost, RC, Gnil, and Enmanuel, you should really all just come down here! No shortage of beaches, sand, beer, and cool cars!
Mrs. Pilot says hello and she is very happy about your birthday wishes! 🍸
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991.2 Carrera GTS Cabriolet (2018), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
Sydney Four Seasons
This is our 4th consecutive stay and each time we are here we have an even better experience than before! The attention to detail and the customer service is second to none. No matter their rank, everyone pulls their weight and doesn’t hesitate to go out of their way to help when it gets busy— that’s true teamwork.
...
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
...we just had breakfast :) Everyone in the hotel is amazingly kind to us!
It’s been raining since yesterday, but now my iPhone’s rain sensor is indicating diminishing cloud density, perfect for a stroll through the Sydney Museum and the city later.
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
Sydney...
Two more days before our departure.
Yesterday’s visit to the Sydney Museum was very interesting. They have an exhibition about the darker side of the city during the Roaring 20s when gangsters prowled the streets ;) The law couldn’t always keep pace with the changing times (and crimes) and the police had a hard time staying on top of things due to a reduced police force after World War I and a lack of technology more generally. They just began using photography for taking mug shots and took the photos in a portrait style in order to capture the suspect’s personality since they changed their names so often and could also change their appearance between offenses. Plus then the authorities could show the portraits of the suspects to people during inquiries without biasing their opinion (as a photo taken in jail might have done).
Today the sun is out again and so we took the ferry across the Harbour for a nice day at Taronga Zoo... walking the new Tiger Trek now :)
--
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
Goodbye Sydney...
Despite an almost three week stay in Australia our vacation felt short (as always) and the days just kept flying by. Now it’s departure day and time for us to time travel back to LA. Luckily we were able to enjoy Badu Gili last night, a beautiful show projected on the Sydney Opera House Sails that celebrates indigenous culture. It was visually stunning and moving and the perfect end to our stay.
We will miss the many warm summer nights...
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
At the airport now with the usual things behind us. QF11 is scheduled to land at LAX Thursday morning 6:20 local time. Sunrise will occur at 6:21, but I’m afraid we won’t see much of it on the ground because the weather unfortunately is forecasted to be cloudy and cold (9C).
Sydney airport is busy, as is expected in the morning with many international flights departing to all corners of the world. Okay, off to find Mrs. and Miss Pilot... 🙂
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
Boarding for this Qantas flight is now in progress while it is still being refueled as well, which is good since we don’t want to run out in the middle of nothing haha. My family members are safely in their seat and will buckle up soon ;)
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
Gnil:Your photos are beautiful ! Hope the flight was good and not too bumpy . Thanks for sharing
Couldn't agree more, always a delight to read.
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991.2 Carrera GTS Cabriolet (2018), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
Arrived at LAX :)
Approaching and landing at Los Angeles International Airport is always special because of the many different arrival procedures.
Our flight just landed about half an hour ahead of our scheduled arrival time, so it is still a very early morning here in California.
The flight was very pleasant and relatively short again (just under 13 hours). We even slowed down towards the end to avoid arriving too early which could result in waiting on the tarmac if there is no open parking gate.
Hopefully customs is quick and easy :)
P.S. We did a spectacular straight-in approach to runway 6R with the backdrop of a beautiful morning sky!
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
Returning from Sydney...
It was a great flight back home. The A380 is quiet and could cruise forever if it wasn't for the fuel ;) The sunset occurred about one flight hour south of the equator and from then on it was just darkness until we locked onto the final approach course for landing at LAX. Coming in straight over the water and landing towards the east was a first for me and it was beautiful to watch.
Sydney to L.A. is cool because you depart from one shoreline and fly for a long time over just ocean until you see land again!
Thank you Joost, Gnil, and RC! It seems to me that the longer I do this the more special all this becomes :)
--
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
Night before our departure...
My family and I enjoyed our last evening in Sydney watching this beautiful light show called Badu Gili ('Water Light' in the language of the Gadigal people that used to live on Bennelong Point, the place where the Opera House now stands). It celebrates and explores First Nations stories and the visuals are accompanied by wonderful music and sounds to really create an amazing experience.
My daughter took these shots with her pink SE and was the one that told us about the show :)
--
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
As cute as a dolphin...
My daughter was walking down the short gravel road from our house to the beach when I snapped this shot at my wife's suggestion ;) Just like the dolphins below, she likes to swim and have fun with the waves. I applied the Silvertone filter to this photo on my iPhone and liked it so much that I kept it like that.
Back to the waves, the water was pleasantly warm and as you have seen from my other posts, we had many days with big waves coming in. In fact, sometimes it was a bit too much and we had to be careful not to get crushed or pulled out into deeper water.
We also had the joy of seeing many pods of dolphins swimming through our bay, how many can you count?
Photo credit for the dolphin shots goes to my daughter.
--
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
A beautiful summer vacation...
In many ways it was a very special trip: beautiful, warm, romantic, a long flight with sunrises and sunsets, the change in seasons, and time-traveling near Fiji across the date line.
Australia is very different (aside from driving on the wrong side haha) and we like it a lot. If it would be up to me we would fly back in November for our anniversary, but that's probably not feasible this year.
--
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
You are very welcome Joost! My daughter has a very good eye, she often pauses and sees things that I completely overlook!
Enmanuel, it was a pleasure to share this trip with all of you here on Rennteam!
DJM48, sorry it didn't work out with our schedules to meet this time; as you know the rain pushed everything around a bit ;)
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS
Same ocean but very cold !
Yesterday evening's photo shoot was a sharp contrast to what we were used to in Australia. The air temperature was only 13 C and my sweetheart and I were both freezing. She was okay in her coat, but I on the other hand did not do so well in my suit ;) When we got back into the GT3 I set the cabin temperature to 29 C so we could thaw out again.
Anyways, we had a beautiful sushi dinner with cherry pink rose petals gracing our table to celebrate my birthday...
If I don't fly, I drive my .:RS