Sydney Part 5

   At last, the day Alanna had been waiting for: the day of the Harry Potter Exhibition! Alanna has read the entire series numerous times, and after getting the complete DVD collection from Santa, she's watched all the movies. Needless to say, she's a huge fan, so she was eager to see the huge collection of artifacts from the movie. 
   Monday morning we checked out of the hotel, stored our luggage with the bell clerk, and walked to the Powerhouse Museum. Pre-bought tickets in hand, we waited to get into the exhibit. Because of the high demand, you were given a 30 minute window to enter the exhibit. Once you were in, however, you could stay as long as you liked.

   We weren't supposed to take pictures (which didn't stop Andy from taking pics with his phone) but you can see some of the exhibits in this photo gallery. 
   The exhibits were fantastic, and we have a new appreciation for how much thought and work went into the costumes, props, and decorations. Taking it's cue from Disneyland perhaps, the tour ended at a large giftshop where, for exorbitant amounts of money, you can buy your own Maurader's Map, Gryffindor Scarf, Hermione's wand, and much much more. We settled for Souvenir Program ($25) and three boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Jelly Beans ($5 each). In case you're wondering, the flavors are: Banana, Black Pepper, Blueberry, Booger, Candyfloss, Cherry, Cinnamon, Dirt, Earthworm, Earwax, Grass, Green Apple, Marshmallow, Rotten Egg, Sausage, Lemon, Soap, Tutti-Fruitti, Vomit and Watermelon. We tried a few of the nasty flavors and yes, they are truly nasty!
   The tickets included entry to the rest of the PowerHouse museum, so we took some time to explore. It's a fabulous museum, much more than just a science museum. The website says it's "Science + Design" and Wikipedia notes that it has  a diverse collection encompassing all sorts of technology including Decorative arts, Science, Communication, Transport, Costume, Furniture, Media, Computer technology, Space technology and Steam engines.We couldn't resist checking out the Wiggles exhibit.

We had a snack at the museum cafe, then walked over to a nearby park. Have I mentioned how fabulous Aussie playgrounds are? There were great slides, flying foxes, water play areas, very cool tire swings, you name it!

 I was hoping we'd have the time and energy to check out the Chinese Garden of Friendship, but no such luck. 

Instead we walked through Chinatown and bought some Sydney t-shirts for the girls, and then headed back to the hotel to reclaim our luggage. 
   At Sydney airport, we breezed through check-in and security (you don't even have to remove your shoes!) and headed for the Virgin Lounge. Whoo hoo, more free food and drinks. 

The trip home was uneventful. We pulled in around 10 pm, and quickly got the kids to bed, as they had school the next day and another big night ahead of them!