Oprah Sent Me to Australia for 11 Days (Days 7 & 8)

Welcome to my Australian Adventure!

In case you are reading this blog for the first time.  I am an American.  I wrote the Oprah show over the summer in response to her search for her ultimate viewers. 150 of us won a seat in the audience and we all brought a friend. Oprah gave everyone in the audience an all expenses paid trip to Australia w/attendance to two show tapings in Sydney. I’m back home in the Midwest USA now and immediately wrote about the Top 10 Things I Learned…

—

This is the FOURTH of six posts on the trip.  Photo-journal of Days 0-2, 3-4 & 5-6 are here.

A shout out to my Aussie readers. Everyone is so friendly still after we are gone. Yeah! It wasn’t just for show. 😀 Seriously, I’m amazed at Aussie kindness and generosity. I declare it hug-an-Aussie day today.

Ok, hang on to your hats! There are TWO videos embedded in this post as well as TONS of photos. Come along…

Days 7 & 8: Sunday, December 12th: (*MORE pictures are on a link here and below*)

7:00 am Met for a breathtaking view of the world, on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with BridgeClimb. I loved the famous people board of those who have done the BridgeClimb. I’m sure by now Oprah’s picture is up there too. Do you think she got her picture with Gayle and then said, “ok, can I have one picture by myself?” Just curious! Settle down people.

Me & Lisa J 134 Meters above Sydney Harbour on the nicest day of the trip!

I think we had time to go back to the hotel before lunch back at the Harbour.

1:00pm Lunch at Waterfront Restaurant–this lunch was really good considering we were all fed basically at the same time. This was the first time I had chicken during this whole trip. How refreshing to have a break. All things considered, they did an amazing job. Bone-in and with skin and was cooked perfectly x300 is no small task!

2:00 pm Pete Evans Pizza Making Class–In case it’s not clear after reading this. I LOVED this event. I get a little detailed because I remember so much of the day. I can’t place exactly what I loved about this place or why, but the performance of it all was pretty remarkable. As an American attending a pizza making class, I was expecting bright lights, stainless tables, monotone voice, lots of flour. Never did I think it would be the live performance it turned into. Pete Evans was great.

He had personality to match his talent, which is rare in the food world. But the shocker was his over-the-top support “cast”. Udo, his brother-in-law, photographer. Leeroy, his friend (?) flair bartender, apparently he went as far as world championship to get beat by an Argentinean. Pauly, who is a comedian and actor kept the pizza competition light. Of course, the two chefs who are sisters were introduced and doing all the hard work behind the scenes for us. They seemed so warm and the most “normal” there. 😀

Here’s a video sample of FLAIR bartending. Everyone remembers the movie Cocktail. Well, it’s really entertaining to see in person. And how does he keep a smile all the way through?

The event went like this: arrive, mojitos, excited emcee, flair bar demo, Pete Evans video intro, Pete Evans in person, intro to Pauly, taste unusual Aussie foods, pizza competition groups, taste pizzas, fun, judging, white guy rap-off to break a tie, the set-up you need for this clip.

Who was the winner between two pizzas that were in a tie?

(My group vs. Lisa’s, by they way!) John Goodman! (look alike) I need to mention that Lisa’s pizza and her creation won the prize really. But the crowd kind of turned on her when someone blurted “She’s a CHEF!” Pete wanted to give her the award and that’s how I think the rap-off came to be.

Remember the second “rapper’s” face? He was just thinking but Pete Evans even tried to give him an out…BUT Lisa, John Goodman and her team were victorious anyway, despite nearly everyone wanting them to lose. I love that they won and am so happy for her and them.

Back to how the leisurely Sunday afternoon went: Dessert drinks, major swag bag give-away (autographed cook book, printed drink and pizza recipe book, apron, button, jarred sauce, marketing pack and more), photo-op with Pete Evans and we were on our way. With professional photography shooting every motion of everyone. It was the FASTEST 4 hours ever.

I really think Oprah would have enjoyed this event. Of all the places we visited, they were the most prepared for her to visit and also the level of personalization was unmatched. Too bad she couldn’t get it on her schedule. If you are an entrepreneur and love marketing, this is the place for you.

7:30 pm Dinner at Argyle Bazaar–Our Kookaburra group went to dinner at this restaurant together. Lisa J and I somehow got separated from the group, so when we arrived, we were first. It was fun and embarrassing having a staff of 10 greet just the two of us. Shortly after everyone else arrived. It was a great dinner. Another pre-set menu where a choice was involved. We were waited on by two lovely young people..Chris and Ella (dead ringer for Brooke Shields at 19 by the way). I loved the decor of this place, romantic but also kind of cluby. Later that night, all 300 of us were gathered together in a courtyard to desserts, drinks and music. We all ate at different area restaurants attached to this courtyard. It was a great concept!

10:30 pm Return to the Hotel

Monday, December 13th (*The same pictures are on a link here and below*)

8:00 am Eastsail took us all around the Harbour in a private sailboat. All 300 of us were divided among small sailboats and spectator boats and a large ship. Oprah was on a small sailboat. See details in the pictures. This was a beautiful day and perfect weather. Somehow I am getting used to the paparazzi and helicopters during outdoor events where we think Oprah will show up. From my perspective, it was a great day for sailing. From the aerial view, I bet it was great footage for the Oprah show that will air in January.

12:30 pm Lunch at Bungalow 8 at Sydney’s King Street Wharf– Seemed star-studded since it became obvious Oprah was going to attend the brunch with us. Also, by now we all heard that Russell Crowe was her captain. I couldn’t figure out what was on Oprah’s white hat, but apparently it was Russell Crowe’s rugby team logo. 😀 Brunch was great and once again impressed at how quality was maintained while feeding 300 of us at once!

6:00 pm Surprise Activity–we all loaded onto the coach dressed, ready for something outdoors. We were given a
box lunch type dinner. It was wonderful by the way. Maybe even better than many restaurant sit-down dinners I’ve
had here in Indianapolis. The driver popped in a DVD and it was a welcome from Oprah. She announced we were on the way to ANZ Stadium and that we were ALL attending U2’s 360 concert! Lisa J was beside herself and that was fun energy to be around. It was really amazing and I recommend everyone see U2 at least once. What a performance. Oprah attended this too. At this point, find her hunky bodyguard and you know Oprah is near.

11:30 pm Return to the hotel

Wow, things feel like they are ramping up, but also coming to an end soon. I’m excited to meet my Skype friend, Megan Castran tomorrow. I know she is in town now and both of us are being pulled in different directions. I don’t want this adventure to end, but I miss my family too. I feel so inspired by these two days. More to come…

Here are the 70 pictures or so from these two days to share with CAPTIONS, so here’s a private link. (I would suggest clicking on the first photo and just “>” arrowing through each picture. I took time to caption many of the photos to explain what you see.)

Thank you Lord for this experience again. Thank you My Geek for being so great and watching over the girls. Thank
you BridgeClimb, Waterfront Restaurant, Pete Evans, Hugo’s, Argyle Precinct, Argyle Bazaar, InterContinental Sydney, Eastsail, Bungalow 8, ANZ, U2, Murray charter buses, Chicago’s Event Architects (our American liaisons) and Harpo and Oprah.

Stay Tuned….Days 9 to 11 still to come.

Oprah Sent Me to Australia for 11 Days (Days 5 & 6)

Welcome to my Australian Adventure!

In case you are reading this blog for the first time.  I am an American.  I wrote the Oprah show over the summer in response to her search for her ultimate viewers.  150 of us won a seat in the audience and we all brought a friend.  Oprah gave everyone in the audience an all expenses paid trip to Australia w/attendance to two show tapings in Sydney.  I’m back home in the Midwest USA now and immediately wrote about the Top 10 Things I Learned…

—

Here is the THIRD of six DETAILED posts on the trip.  Photo-journal of Days 0-2 and 3-4 are here.

Two quick shout-outs:
– Beginning to end and beyond, I loved my experience at The Rock Restaurant from yesterday’s post and don’t feel like I did  it justice.  😀
– Shout out to my faithful FB readers, new Twitter readers and my dear close friends that don’t do either FB or Twitter and still make time to catch up with me through this blog–Carisa W, Julie S, Christy D and Micah F, you guys are so lovely and thank you…Love, Carrie

Days 5 & 6:

Friday, December 10th: (*MORE pictures are on a link here and below*)
Breakfast at Chateau Elan
10:40 am Wine Making at Tower Estate w/wine master, Samantha Connew
This was so much fun.  A different kind of view of wineries and such a great idea.  Lots of pictures and captions on this event.
1:00 pm Lunch at Tower Estate–voted #1 luxury lodge in the world.  Definitely worth a peek at the food.
2:30 pm Transfer to Hunter Valley Garden Village–best spot for a wedding.  Privately owned and maintained and during one evening, all the Christmas lights were on and was a real winter wonderland for families.
6:30 pm Horse and Carriage ride to dinner at Hope Estate
10:00 pm Coach to Chateau Elan

Our Kookaburra (FOOD & WINE) Small Group at HV Gardens

Christmas Tree at Night at HV Gardens. This evening trip was yet another surprise for us after visiting during the day. Even the same photographer came back to shoot this pic. 😀

Saturday, December 11th (*MORE pictures are on a link here and below*)
Breakfast at Chateau Elan
Check-out of luxury spa hotel (yeh, I had to get that in there one more time)
11:30 am Brunch at Chateau Elan at The Vintage–check out pictures for a renewal of one couple’s vows. It was magical.
1:00 pm Depart Hunter Valley 😦
Charter Ride back to InterContinental Sydney
7:00 pm First group organized sighting of Oprah at  the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney

Anywhere Oprah was expected, we were not allowed to have cameras or phones.  Those stayed at the hotel.  I definitely would have snapped a shot of her and Gayle.  A handful of us (including Lisa J and I) were selected to walk the red carpet to this event.  We were supposed to be escorted by Gayle, but there was a scheduling snafu.  It was fun anyway!

But the real surprise was the best food we have ever had at a “cocktail party”  The best chefs, Donna Hay, Pete Evans and more presented food at this huge bash.  Our photo was taken with Oprah on a pre-prepared mock beach scene.  Oprah was very diplomatic with who gets to be in the front row.  I’ll admit, I wanted to be close to her.

That evening the city of Sydney lit up a giant “O” on the Harbour Bridge.  It was such a spectacular sight and a surprise for Oprah even.

Professional photo provided to us for a keepsake. Once again, thank you Sydney and you can have your city back. I imagine this was hard for some locals to see, but it was meaningful to our group and we appreciate it!

On the stage under a tent Oprah spoke of “Taco Night” at her friend’s house and how the mentality of Aussies centers around working hard to spend time with family and togetherness.  She was really trying to impress on all of us that “this life” can be had each and every day back home.  She welcomed us all and wished us a great rest of the trip.  She talked about her promise from Stedman of a trip to Australia for her 50th birthday that never happened.  Now that we were all here with her in Australia she spoke of what that meant to her.

Anytime she spoke to all of us, it was always from a place of gratitude and kindness.  I suppose that’s one of the top things I admire in Oprah.  I don’t care how much she makes or what she decides to do with it.  Or what countries, cultures and religions think of her positively or negatively.  I am so grateful that I got this experience.  That all the stars aligned for me to be there with this group.  So lucky! So lucky. Sooooo….appreciative.

10:30 pm Back at the InterContinental

Our intro to Sydney is over, our vacation within a vacation is over, the city is ramping up for the taping of two Oprah shows on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House and unfortunately, this good thing is also going to come to end soon.  I had 70 pictures or so from these two days to share with CAPTIONS, so here’s a private link.  (I would suggest clicking on the first photo and just “>” arrowing through each picture.  I took time to caption many of the photos to explain what you see.)

Me & Lisa J at the HV Gardens. She really amazes me and I'm glad we got to take this trip together. 😀

Thank you Lord for this experience.  Thank you My Geek for supporting and watching over the girls.  Thank you Tower Estate, Hunter Valley Garden Village, Carriage rides of Hunter Valley, Hope Estate, Chateau Elan, Royal Botanic Gardens, InterContinental Sydney, Westfield Mall, Murray charter buses, Chicago’s Event Architects (our American liaisons) and Harpo and Oprah.

Stay Tuned….Day 7 through 11 still to come.

Oprah Sent Me to Australia for 11 Days (Days 3 & 4)

Welcome to my Australian Adventure!

In case you are reading this blog for the first time.  I am an American.  I wrote the Oprah show over the summer in response to her search for her ultimate viewers.  150 of us won a seat in the audience and we all brought a friend.  Oprah gave everyone in the audience an all expenses paid trip to Australia w/attendance to two show tapings in Sydney.  I’m back home in the Midwest USA now and immediately wrote about the Top 10 Things I Learned…

—

Here is the second of six DETAILED posts on the trip.  Photo-journal of Days 0-2 is here.

My first post took about 3 hours to complete, let’s see how this one goes…Love, Carrie

Days 3 & 4:

At the end of Day 2 at the InterContinental Sydney we were assigned to a group, all varying in sizes and personalities (for sure!)  My group was called the Kookaburras.  One thing was clear and relieving, our group was small.  22 of us to be exact.  The next four days and three nights we (all 302) of us were taken on our Regional trips.  So all of us were split into groups where we all took a vacation within a vacation, reconvening in Sydney for the taping of the show and the last days in Australia.

Our big bags stayed packed and checked at the InterContinental and we all packed smaller regional bags to take on our excursion.  When Jamie and Erin (our lovely Event Architect/American guides) announced with passion “You’re going to Hunter Valley!!”, none of us really responded.  Hunter Valley?  Does this mean something to someone?  They said, “Food and Wine Country!!!”  Yyyyaaaayyyyyy!!!  The crowd finally went wild.  😀

From here forward I will refer to this excursion trip as “The Hunter” or “the Hun-tah” as they say.

Popular Look: glasses, hat, sparkling, water and phone/camera (Courtesy of Newcastle Herald, Thank you!)

Wednesday, December 8th:  (*MORE pictures are on a link here and below*)

10:45 am Take a coach to Sydney Seaplanes Rose Bay
11:30 am Seaplane flight to the Hunter
12:10 pm Arrive at Cessnock Airport and transfer to Audrey Wilkinson Winery
12:30 pm Lunch at Audrey Wilkinson
2:30 pm Tour at Tyrrell’s Winery, coffee, tea and homemade snacks (very home-y and delicious)
4:30 pm Transfer to Spa Hotel, Chateau Elan at the Vintage
6:45 pm Dinner at Roberts Restaurant ‘Dine in the Vines’
10:00 pm Return to Hotel

Aussie Fan Fascinated w/ "the people w/Oprah"

These were full Rosemary Hedges all around the property at Chateau Elan

Thursday, December 9th (*MORE pictures are on a link here and below*)

5:00 am Hot Air Balloon ride w/Cloud9 Balloons
8:00 am Breakfast at Chateau Elan
10:00 am Spa Treatment
12:30 pm Lunch at ‘Esca’ at Bimbadgen Estate
2:15 pm Tour of HV Smelly Cheese Shop and Chocolate Shop
5:00 pm Back to Chateau Elan
6:40 pm Dinner at Rock Restaurant at Poole’s Rock Wine Estate
10:00 pm Crash at the hotel

Duck Liver Pate on Toasted Brioche (but of course!) at the Rock Restaurant in the Hunter

It was easy to take these cellar views for granted. Amazing! This was taken at Tyrrell's Winery

Are you as tired as we were after these first two days on our excursion?  There were too many pictures to put in this blog post, so here’s a private link.  (I would suggest clicking on the first photo and just “>” arrowing through each picture.  I took time to caption many of the photos to explain what you see.)

I made a separate one that includes the hot air balloon trip.  I was playing around with Picasa on my new phone on that day.  Every picture on a hot air balloon ride is worth photographing.  I’m just sorry I couldn’t capture the peace and quiet we experienced.  😀

If you do nothing else, just hit the photo links and enjoy!

Thank you God again for this experience.  Thank you My Geek for supporting and watching over the nippers.  Thank you Sydney Seaplanes, coffee shop staff near the seaplanes, Audrey Wilkinson staff, Tyrrell’s Winery staff, nice photographer of the Newcastle Herald, Chateau Elan, Roberts Restaurant, Tower Estates, Cloud9, HV Cyling, Bimbadgen & Esca staff, Smelly Cheese shop staff, Chocolate shop staff, Rock Restaurant staff, Murray charter buses, Chicago’s Event Architects (our American liaisons) and Harpo and Oprah.

Stay Tuned….Day 5 through 11 still to come.

Oprah Sent Me to Australia for 11 Days (Days 0, 1, 2 & 2 again)

Welcome to my Australian Adventure!

In case you are reading this blog for the first time.  I am an American.  I wrote the Oprah show over the summer in response to her search for her ultimate viewers.  150 of us won a seat in the audience and we all brought a friend.  Oprah gave everyone in the audience an all expenses paid trip to Australia w/attendance to two show tapings in Sydney.  I’m back home in the Midwest USA now and immediately wrote about the Top 10 Things I Learned…

Here is the first of six DETAILED posts on the trip.  Read at your leisure…1200+ words + a few pics.

Also, my family is in the process of Christmas holiday, daughter’s birthday and moving (!)   These blog posts are as much for them as they are for you…Love, Carrie

Days 0 (in L.A.), 1 & 2:

Shot my first YouTube video, a birthday wish for my friend, Megan Castran of Melbourne at the IND airport, the addition of lights and sound provided by the airport was a clear sign of what I needed.

Saturday, December 4th, was strong on the good byes to My Geek and two girls, ages 7 and 3.  Until the 7-yr old hugs me and whispers, “I hope you have the trip of a lifetime and really enjoy yourself.”  That girl is amazing!

Thirty minutes until the descent into LAX the pilot announced a free bottle of wine to the one(s) holding a flight card with his signature.  Lisa and someone else in our group both won a bottle!  Is this how the trip was going to go?

I traveled to L.A., that’s Los Angeles, CA for the first time I got to see the city.  This was the first appearance of the signature “blue shirts” worn by Harpo and Event Architects of Chicago, hired to organize this whole trip!

We were treated to an overnighter at the Westin LAX to ensure no one would miss the Sydney flight on Sunday night.  This was also the hub for Motorola to give us all our free Motorola Defy phone.  These were Aussie-fied and loaded with $500 credit to use in Australia!  Due to my learning curve, I wasn’t able to post as much as I would have normally in Oz, sorry my true followers.

My dear friend, Felicity, lives in LA and offered to drive us around a little on Saturday night and all day on Sunday.

Saturday night we drove to Culver City and ate at a gastropub called Ford’s Filling Station.  It’s owned by Harrison Ford’s son.  We ordered the Mountain Ham Flatbread, Brisket Tacquitos, Deviled Eggs, Buttermilk Fried Petrale Sole and Pumpkin Bourbon Cheesecake.  Clearly CRISPY and seasoned well always wins my heart, so the Sole was my fave.

On Sunday we went on a cupcake scavenger hunt.  Winners were Sprinkles for their cake and Magnolia Bakery for their icings.  Since I’m more forgiving on a cake gone bad, I was most impressed with Magnolia for giving their icing a little more effort than American Buttercream.  Thank you!!  Marketing and packaging of both locations were awesome.  (Side note, also visited GHermez in Sydney, yeah, stick to the couture and leave the couture cupcakes, yuck!)

Everything was in code and NOTHING said Oprah or Harpo. Probably a good thing.

We were welcomed at LAX Quantas gate area to a P-A-R-T-Y.  It was the first time all 300 of us were together.  There were banners, music, food and drinks and an amazing swag (stuff we all get).  We were geared up for our 14-hour flight.

Reading material, a bag, PJs, water bottle and more....all from Qantas

The flight.  The shortest thing to discuss.  You sit.  Eat dinner.  Watch a movie.  Sleep.  Wake.  Eat breakfast.  Stretch for about 2 hours and then ARRIVAL in Sydney!  Two things I learned on the flight.  (1) hydration is KEY to comfort. and (2) Aussie movie “Animal Kingdom” is awesome!!  (thank you Megan for the suggestion).

Shocking how perfectly the eggs were cooked for airplane food

No Oprah in site.  We weren’t expecting her though.  She told us in September that on the day we were departing that she was going to be in NYC accepting a Kennedy Center Honors Award on that Sunday.

We arrived on Tuesday, “Day 2 Again”, since we gained a day crossing the international date line on Tuesday, December 7th.  Wow, I’m getting a first hand experience of what it means to be famous or fam-ish in my case.  Cameras are everywhere.  It’s not at all like cameras portrayed on tv or paparazzi.  Everyone is actually pleasant.  There’s not a lot of shouting, but there’s a lot of pretty women in front of large camera equipment.  We have arrived.

This was a typical scene anytime all 300 of us were together or if there was buzz of Oprah showing. Whoa.

On our first day in Sydney, but feeling like the 3rd day of this adventure…this was our agenda:

11:50 am  Arrival at the InterContinental Sydney
Audience briefing and lunch at the hotel

Words can’t describe what it feels like to have every staff member of the hotel perfectly pressed and manicured on every step of the hotel and on the sidewalk to greet us.  Aborigines welcoming us with their smoking ceremony and children and adults dancing and playing the didgeridoo.  An amazing children’s choir singing inside the welcome room and display of traditional and delicious Aussie snacks and tea.  (side note: the eldest woman in our group falls in the entry way upon arrival.  Amazed at the care she received. This is important to know when I get to day 11 and she falls again!)

Here’s how they cared for us when we arrived.  Watch this VIDEO.

2:00 pm   Sydney Walking Tours

In an effort to keep us awake and fight off jet-lag, they’ve got us running!  A man named Scott of Sydney Walking Tours greeted us with energy and enthusiasm for downtown Sydney and all along the harbour.  It is a traditional 4-hour walk, but done in 2-hours.  It was a great quick glance at what the city had to offer.  We saw the harbour, Opera house, botanical gardens, the Rocks precinct and everything in between.

5:00 pm   Captain Cook Cruises’ MV Sydney 2000 ride to the Sydney Taronga Zoo

Let this be our first of many champagne or sparkling wine toasts and greetings.  This giant boat carried all 300 of us from the Harbour across the way to the Sydney Taronga Zoo.

Sorry no pics of the boat, but when on water, we were always escorted by a police boat. OKay...interesting.

Appetizers and drinks were a plenty.  We were able to catch up with some of our favorite pairs.  We arrived at the Zoo and had a private showing of a bird show.  Basically, the birds are indigenous and free range.  They can come and go as they please, but through positive reinforcement, like reliable feeding times, they choose the zoo to stay.

Photo taken by and given to us from the Zoo, the Koala loved my hair! That's my friend, Lisa J, on the right that traveled with me.

At the Zoo there was a huge tented party for us.  An upscale dinner on the barbie (bbq).  Plates of extravagant food and drinks.  The zoo gave us little goodie bags that included a stuffed animal koala to take home.

How could anyone ever get tired of being greeted like this...Mignonette didn't make the photo shoot, but you get the idea

9:30 pm   Crash at the hotel and sleep

We are BEAT.  Basically laying on top of all of our clothes, airplane bags and swag so far…good night.

Thank you God for this experience.  Thank you My Geek for supporting and watching over the nippers.  Thank you aborigines, InterContinental, city of Sydney, NSW, Captain Cook Cruises, Sydney Taronga Zoo, Westin LAX, Sydney Walking Tours, Murray charter buses, Qantas, Chicago’s Event Architects (our American liaisons) and Harpo and Oprah.

Stay Tuned….Days “3” through 11.