Day 4 - Shrine, Gardens, and Chocolate (and jet-lag)

 Today is the day that Jet-Lag hit us and many of us crashed at the end of the excursions we took. Some black-mail pics may have been taken...

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here HAHA

Today we went and toured the family church of our wonderful hostess (the amazing Miss Natalie) - St. George Church in Malvern.  It was so peaceful there and, guys, the stained glass!!  WOW!  Starting in one corner, it tells the story of the beginning of Christ's church (with His birth) and goes through the journey of how it came to the Southern Hemisphere in this region of the world. I only was able to grab a few pictures of some of them, as I didn't want to disturb the worshipers that were praying at the front of the sanctuary. The Father of the parish came and chatted with us a bit after their prayer session was over. Such a lovely man with a kind heart! I was grateful for his willingness to share the history there.

Next, we visited the Shrine of Remembrance.  This place was very humbling and sacred.  We hear so much of the stories of the World Wars, but seeing places like this make it very real and help us all to remember what the most important fight of this world is.  Freedom. From walking around the grounds outside to entering the visitors center, to exploring the museum inside - it was amazing to see the sheer magnitude of those wars.  We were blessed to have seen and walked in those areas.

Father & Son, Fighting Side By Side

The Eternal Flame

Next we moved along to the Botanic Gardens.  I love seeing the native plants they have here, as well as the imported ones that were gifted from around the world (they had a few trees here and there that were from different areas of the world). We had fun wandering and noticed them taking down some theater signs - we had just missed the opportunity to watch the Wind in the Willows. It would have been a traveling theater, where you move with the theater company through the different sets. It s probably for the best, considering how hard everyone crashed at the end of the day with the walking that was done LOL

Next, we stopped by a food court and grabbed various kinds of food to try - sushi, Thai, Ramen bowls, salads from around the world, and...McDonalds (leave it to the 10 year old to find that one LOL).

Last, we were off for more shopping at various marketplaces, but the MAIN shopping event?  THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY!! YUMMY!

ALSO - we cannot forget the hilarious street posters we saw along our walking adventures HAHA omigosh they were hilarious.  Here's a small sampling (sell your kids to avoid mortgage stress, the Butt Bros., running for cheese):