Week THree- Here we are in Sydney, Australia with Rob and Virginia Zink. They have been kind enough to host us here this week and we are enjoying their incredibly beautiful home in Balmoral in Mosman, just across the bridge from Syndney in the most beautiful, and also the most expensive area of homes in all of Australia. We looked at real estate yesterday in the rain and the prices are double what they are in La Jolla! Hard to believe! The agents' open houses are 1/2 an hour only! 1:15-1:45pm for instance.
It has poured here this week and they are having the worst flooding that this country has ever seen. An area the size of France has been evacuated and the flooding is the worst since they have ever measured the weather.

This is a beach community not unlike La Jolla and today the clouds parted, the sun came out and we went to the beach for the day after a good 2 1/2 hour walk! Virginia is from Australian and has been our incredible tourguide through all the amazing parts of this town-very walkable, very livable but not affordable.
Grocery shopping is like nothing I have ever seen. Each shop- pattiserie, butcher, vegetables- has the most beautifully displayed products I have ever seen! I am not sure you can tell from these pictures but there is a cheese room in this grocery store just to select your cheese from all over the world, a fresh pasta section, prime meats, fresh vegetables,every kind of olive oil, vinegar, fresh pastries, etc. No Von's, no Ralphs, just fresh everything everyday. Very much like Europe. We selected meat and leek pies, lovely salads and, of course, our favorite wines- Suck Fizzle and 10 Minutes by Tractor- a great Sauvignon Blanc and a great Pinot Noir! We love it here but cannot afford the real estate, so no danger of moving here! Wednesday we head to Melbourne and then to the island of Tasmania  (where the devil
lives!) to play two awesome golf courses and visit friends from Cleveland who will happen to be there when we are...