Somewhere between LAX and Brisbane, I lost my ankles so don’t be surprised if you see me in photos with legs that go from my knees to the brick slabs that have become my feet in one smooth, puffy, ankle-less stroke. I’m hoping I find them tomorrow, though my fear is that they may be lost forever and I’ll end up with pregnant-lady legs the rest of my life. Wouldn’t that be ironic. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. Water, water, water. Deodorant, deodorant, deodorant. Pretty much sums up the mantra for the day. We definitely aren’t in Kansas anymore. Hot, humid, and always a threat of a passing tropical downpour (though there wasn’t a drop all day). Emmett said the West Side, where we are staying, reminds him of New Orleans, especially because we’re just a few steps from the Brisbane River. I continue to say I feel like I’m in Kauai. In either case, it’s easy to see why we feel right at home in here. Our mission today was to keep moving, moving, moving. We knew if we stopped, we’d simply fall asleep and end up wide awake at midnight for hours. So we did what we always do on travel days like this: head out to explore the city on foot. We made our way across the river to the City Center and visited squares, parks, churches, landmarks, and places of architectural interest. The highlight of the day was Roma Street Parkland, which has several gardens, 25 public art pieces, lakes, open spaces, and boardwalks. (Heidi – it would be worth flying to Brisbane just to see this place…it nips at the heels of Butchart Gardens.)

When our dogs went from whining to barking, we took the bus back to the West End, located a pub that was well inhabited by the locals, took down a pint of Aussie beer (good god, these people know how to brew beer), and then loaded up on groceries before heading back to our place where we finished the day with another round of beers and munchies.

Tomorrow is another day and we can’t wait for it. But first…SLEEP!

(Click on the first picture below to see larger pictures in a slideshow.)

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