Day 3: Good morning Brisbane!

6/24/2018 Brisbane

We're approaching Brisbane. Before we land, we're served breakfast.

We land in Brisbane at just after 7 o'clock.

After receiving our luggage, we look for the car rental counter.

I rented a Holden Commodore from Avis for an amazing 60 € for 2 days - hoping that all of our luggage will fit in it.
The husband comes back smiling shortly after and says he got a free upgrade to a bigger car because the booked category was out of stock. Oh, we already had this in Canada 2016 when we booked a (too) small car and then luckily got an upgrade to a Jeep Grand Cherokee for the same reason *grins*.
Outside the airport, it's surprisingly warm. It's 9 a.m., but we're not cold.

The sun is shining under a blue sky and the airport thermometer says 18 degrees. Very nice!
We look for our car in the Avis parking lot and find it directly in the first parking space. Our car is a brand new 4x4 Holden Trailblazer (big Jeep). Well, all the luggage will easily fit in there!
We head to our booked apartment for the next 2 days - the Arena Apartments Brisbane.
As expected, the apartment is not ready yet. We leave our suitcases, park the car in the garage, and walk the short 1 km distance through Musgrave Park to the South Bank Parklands.

We really like it there. Our son immediately takes over the playground, the husband finds a bench in the sun and takes a nap, our daughter takes photos and discovers the free 'Brisbane City WiFi', and I look around a bit.

There is a huge 'lagoon', which is actually more like a lagoon-like swimming pool.

You can go swimming or relax at the beach in 2 different pools. Unfortunately, it's winter right now, and at 22 degrees, I don't feel like swimming, but the lifeguards are sitting on their towers, and there are even fearless swimmers frolicking in the lagoon.

The lagoon itself is divided into 2 areas: the classic-looking swimming pool and the beach.

On the beach, there is really a white sandy beach and the bottom of the pool is also made of sand - a real ocean feeling.

And all of this completely free!

Too bad it's winter....

We relax in the sun at +22 degrees. It's very pleasant, T-shirt weather.

At 11 o'clock, we treat ourselves to a burger meal at the Beach Restaurant and then stroll back to the apartment. We can now check-in.
At 1 p.m., we meet up with our Australian relatives who take us on a tour of Brisbane. We walk back to the riverside to the South Bank Parklands, take a ride on the Wheel of Brisbane', and the kids climb the big BRISBANE letters.

We explore the Queensland Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and then change sides of the river.

In the city center, we have our personal funny highlight: at +22 degrees (feeling like 26-28 degrees in the sun), there is a huge ice rink here (Skatingat Festival).

Australians are skating here (some in shirts, shorts, summer dresses, and skirts).

A really funny sight!

The funniest thing is the 'kangaroo' that you use to learn ice skating in Australia :-)

After a stroll through the city, we return to the other side and visit the Brisbane Market, a variety of colorful stalls along the shopping street below the lagoon. Here, the kids get 'Potato Twisters' - delicious.
In the end, we discover a light pavilion where different light effects flash over it through numerous light tubes. Very cool! The whole thing is an art project called 'Flowstate'. Very cool!

Back at the apartment, I receive a gift from our Australian relatives: Vegemite!

Oh yeah, I've read so much about it in the Australia groups. One thing I've learned: you either love it or hate it.
My attempt to eat it with a rather taste-neutral egg sandwich is actually quite positive.
But I don't want to eat it pure.... ;-)

For dessert, we have Tim Tams

We fall into our beds. Wow, that was a damn long day!

For the record:
Overnight stay: Arena Apartments
Cost: €126 per night (2 bedrooms)
Distance driven: 20 km
Animal sightings: Ibis, seagulls, and lots of birds with funny voices
Weather: Sunshine, 22-24 degrees
Conclusion: Brisbane has positively surprised us!