Monday, December 12, 2005

Down under

Australia has to be one of my favorite places to visit. What is it about that country that I love so much? The friendly people, the charming accents, the sunny weather, the laid-back atmosphere... it's a winning combination. If only it weren't so far away. While I was there, so many people asked me "How long are you here for?", and I was almost embarrassed to say that I had traveled all that way to stay for only a week. But nonetheless, it was worth it. I had about 4 days in Melbourne, and about 4 days in Sydney, and it was fabulous.

While in Melbourne, I stayed with our friends Kristen and Rob, and I got to meet their 14 month-old daughter Skyler for the first time. After a couple days with them, Skyler had warmed up to me enough that she was giving me kisses! They live in a very cool neighborhood in Melbourne, and I loved being able to go for walks along the beach or to the very hip and funky Acland Street. On one of the days, Kristen and I took an excursion out to the Mornington Peninsula. We visited a couple wineries and went strawberry picking! I hadn't realized how much I missed fresh strawberries until I tasted these perfect, fresh-picked Australian berries. Every single one was delicious!



We also went for a walk on Safety Beach, which ironically used to be called "Shark Beach". Apparently, they changed the name because Shark Beach didn't appeal to visitors. Imagine that.





After leaving Melbourne, I met up with Kirk in Sydney. The best thing about Sydney is all the water. And the ferries. I love ferries, and I think it would have to be the best way to commute.



Kirk and I didn't have much time together to play before he started work, but we did manage to squeeze in a quick trip out to Manly Beach. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon and the beach was packed!



The next day I went back to Manly, this time very early in the morning when the surfing is best. No, I don't surf, although sometimes I wish I would've grown up near an ocean so I could've learned as a little girl. I'm fascinated by surfing, but I'm also terrified of it. I met up at Manly with our friends Jen and Jonathan and their little guy Quentin. We (Jen, Q, and I) went for a walk along the beach and had breakfast while Jonathan went for a surf. Who would've thought the beach would be so busy at 7:30 AM?? Jonathan let me pose with his surfboard, which was pretty cool.



At least I have lots of sunny memories and pictures to look back on as I sit inside during this freezing cold winter weather of Basel!