Hello from Adelaide!
I thought I would give everyone a glimpse into my next big, amazing, exciting, once in a life time, I am so lucky... adventure!!! :)
It is so nice of Flinders Uni to give us a two week holiday in the middle of the semester, and it is even nicer that Easter and a public holiday called Anzac day fall at the end of the break. So in total I have from Friday, April 8th to classes beginning again on Wednesday, April 27 OFF TO TRAVEL AND ENJOY AUSTRALIA!!! Could I ask for anything more??!! (maybe have my parents come visit!) I will jump on a computer at any chance I can but all my blog updates will most likely not happen till I am back in Adelaide with my computer! Also, I promise to take tons of photos!!!! I have two photo cards, each holding over 400 photos, so I hope that will be enough!! Here is what my itinerary looks like:
April 9-10 : Kangaroo Island
April 12-15 : Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Green Island, snorkeling, beach
April 16-19 : Melbourne
April 19- 24 : Tour of the Outback, beginning in Alice Springs, stopping at Uluru, The Olgas, Kings Canyon, Coober Pedy, and many more places finishing in Adelaide
April 25-26 : SLEEP and RECOVER (plus upload a million photos)
I am very excited! Still don't know how I am going to pack for all of this and live out of a tiny carry-on suitcase for so long. Oh the joys!! :) Be looking out for updates! I'm so excited! :)
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Lakes Entrance + Wedding!
March 31- April 4, 2011
This past weekend, I travelled from Adelaide to Melbourne (by plane) then onto Lakes Entrance (by car) where I joined the Lewis family for a fun weekend of food, beach, drinks, mini golf, and a beautiful wedding. The group of us (9 people) stayed at a lovely waterfront rental home with a big enough backyard for the two puppies to run around and play. Within minutes of arriving, everyone was relaxing out on the lawn enjoying the sunshine and catching up. I even saw some beautiful black swans and cockatoos in the wild!! :) Our first night we attended a dinner at a place called Mariam's, which is a family owned restaurant by Eddie's second cousin (I believe). The bride and groom where there along with a lot of other family members and friends. Great atmosphere and great food!
Friday, Eddie, his mum, Mel, Ange, Merv, Bruce and myself all headed to the beaches for the early afternoon! It was a beautiful day!! Lakes Entrance is made up of a bunch of islands, waterways, and entrances to the ocean. The beach we went to, you can only get to by boat or long foot bridge and is called the '90 mile island' (but I was informed that it really isn't 90 miles long haha). Naps were had by all when we got back followed by a bunch of card games, Pictionary tournament, BBQ, and some yummy wine. Also on Friday, a group of us went to play mini golf which was so much fun! Ben and Eddie's dad tied for course winners! I came in 4th place out 7. Started off strong, winning after the first nine holes, then faded to the back of the pack.
Saturday, an early start to the wedding day with a wine tasting boat cruise around the 'Lakes'. Eddie's uncle, owner of the winery, joined us on the boat tour with his selection of red and white's and knowledge about wine! What a great way to get around and see all the different islands, on a boat!! My favorite wines were a Riesling and a Cabernet Sauvignon. After being on the boat and wine tasting, it was time for some quick lunch then had to start getting dressed up for the wedding at 3pm. The ceremony was on the grounds of the vineyard, outside, and we all stood. Beautiful music, flowers, cute little kids running around, it felt very comfortable and a lovely feeling amongst friends and family. After the ceremony, we all hung out in the winery, chatting, eating great food, music, etc. Great time had by all. I really liked how at the beginning of the evening, the food was very fancy and nibbles, and towards the end of the night when everyone had a few drinks in them, the fish & chips came out, potato wedges and other fried/great food while at a party!!
Sunday, had a nice sleep-in and then hit the road by mid-afternoon. Once back in Melbourne, Eddie and I headed to Bacchus Marsh for a pub meal and a catch-up with his good friends. I finally had a good steak after so so long. YUM!
Monday, spent the day relaxing. Was able to get an awesome deal on my return flight ticket, which I now arrive home July 26th. EEK!!!!!
Busy week ahead with lots and lots of adventures and awesome experiences to come over our Spring Break!!! :)
This past weekend, I travelled from Adelaide to Melbourne (by plane) then onto Lakes Entrance (by car) where I joined the Lewis family for a fun weekend of food, beach, drinks, mini golf, and a beautiful wedding. The group of us (9 people) stayed at a lovely waterfront rental home with a big enough backyard for the two puppies to run around and play. Within minutes of arriving, everyone was relaxing out on the lawn enjoying the sunshine and catching up. I even saw some beautiful black swans and cockatoos in the wild!! :) Our first night we attended a dinner at a place called Mariam's, which is a family owned restaurant by Eddie's second cousin (I believe). The bride and groom where there along with a lot of other family members and friends. Great atmosphere and great food!
Friday, Eddie, his mum, Mel, Ange, Merv, Bruce and myself all headed to the beaches for the early afternoon! It was a beautiful day!! Lakes Entrance is made up of a bunch of islands, waterways, and entrances to the ocean. The beach we went to, you can only get to by boat or long foot bridge and is called the '90 mile island' (but I was informed that it really isn't 90 miles long haha). Naps were had by all when we got back followed by a bunch of card games, Pictionary tournament, BBQ, and some yummy wine. Also on Friday, a group of us went to play mini golf which was so much fun! Ben and Eddie's dad tied for course winners! I came in 4th place out 7. Started off strong, winning after the first nine holes, then faded to the back of the pack.
Saturday, an early start to the wedding day with a wine tasting boat cruise around the 'Lakes'. Eddie's uncle, owner of the winery, joined us on the boat tour with his selection of red and white's and knowledge about wine! What a great way to get around and see all the different islands, on a boat!! My favorite wines were a Riesling and a Cabernet Sauvignon. After being on the boat and wine tasting, it was time for some quick lunch then had to start getting dressed up for the wedding at 3pm. The ceremony was on the grounds of the vineyard, outside, and we all stood. Beautiful music, flowers, cute little kids running around, it felt very comfortable and a lovely feeling amongst friends and family. After the ceremony, we all hung out in the winery, chatting, eating great food, music, etc. Great time had by all. I really liked how at the beginning of the evening, the food was very fancy and nibbles, and towards the end of the night when everyone had a few drinks in them, the fish & chips came out, potato wedges and other fried/great food while at a party!!
Sunday, had a nice sleep-in and then hit the road by mid-afternoon. Once back in Melbourne, Eddie and I headed to Bacchus Marsh for a pub meal and a catch-up with his good friends. I finally had a good steak after so so long. YUM!
Monday, spent the day relaxing. Was able to get an awesome deal on my return flight ticket, which I now arrive home July 26th. EEK!!!!!
Busy week ahead with lots and lots of adventures and awesome experiences to come over our Spring Break!!! :)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Kayaking with Dolphins!
Saturday, March 26th, 2011
What is more fun to do than on a Saturday go get some exercise, fresh air, dosage of salt water, oh and I forgot to mention wild dolphins!!!???!!! It was so much fun! A group of friends and I signed up for this day adventure through the International Office at our school. They put on a few programs a month for us, international students, as a way to experience new things at a reasonably good price! We drove about an hour to this Dolphin Sanctuary in Port Adelaide, where we spent a good part of the morning and afternoon kayaking around and watching dolphins. One in particular that is very friendly named Twinkles. It is a protected area for the dolphins so not many people know about or are around on a regular basis. A very cool experience, and after a week of rain, the sun decided to come out for us! :)
What is more fun to do than on a Saturday go get some exercise, fresh air, dosage of salt water, oh and I forgot to mention wild dolphins!!!???!!! It was so much fun! A group of friends and I signed up for this day adventure through the International Office at our school. They put on a few programs a month for us, international students, as a way to experience new things at a reasonably good price! We drove about an hour to this Dolphin Sanctuary in Port Adelaide, where we spent a good part of the morning and afternoon kayaking around and watching dolphins. One in particular that is very friendly named Twinkles. It is a protected area for the dolphins so not many people know about or are around on a regular basis. A very cool experience, and after a week of rain, the sun decided to come out for us! :)
TOP GEAR LIVE!!!!!!
March 11-13, 2011
Eddie and I took a trip back to Melbourne to visit with friends and family and to also attend Top Gear Live!!! :) It was the best show ever! We got to see Jeremy Clarkson and James May, sadly Richard Hammond wasn't there. There were jokes, fast cars, challenges, the Stig, fire, the Cool Wall and more! We both enjoyed it very very much! Also, on the showgrounds surrounding the main show were tons of cars, a race track, and many exhibitions to check out. What a great way to spend a day, looking at fun cars! I was in heaven! I took tons of photos and videos!
The night before, we all had a nice family BBQ over at Eddie's brother Ben's place. Great food and great company! So good to catch up with everyone since we had been gone for a couple of weeks by that point. It was sooo nice to be back in Melbourne. I like it there much more than Adelaide! Also, after Top Gear, we met up with my good friend Phoebe in the city at a fun bar along the river for a few drinks and a great catch up. Miss her a lot! Sadly, it was back to Adelaide on Sunday afternoon and back to the daily grind of class and studying! Wooo!!
Eddie and I took a trip back to Melbourne to visit with friends and family and to also attend Top Gear Live!!! :) It was the best show ever! We got to see Jeremy Clarkson and James May, sadly Richard Hammond wasn't there. There were jokes, fast cars, challenges, the Stig, fire, the Cool Wall and more! We both enjoyed it very very much! Also, on the showgrounds surrounding the main show were tons of cars, a race track, and many exhibitions to check out. What a great way to spend a day, looking at fun cars! I was in heaven! I took tons of photos and videos!
The night before, we all had a nice family BBQ over at Eddie's brother Ben's place. Great food and great company! So good to catch up with everyone since we had been gone for a couple of weeks by that point. It was sooo nice to be back in Melbourne. I like it there much more than Adelaide! Also, after Top Gear, we met up with my good friend Phoebe in the city at a fun bar along the river for a few drinks and a great catch up. Miss her a lot! Sadly, it was back to Adelaide on Sunday afternoon and back to the daily grind of class and studying! Wooo!!
Surfing!!!
During O-Week, a group of us signed up to take surfing lessons for 4 hours! What an adventure that was! You need to have so so so much upper body strength and core strength to keep yourself balanced on the board. I was able to finally stand up once but overall, I was really good at getting to my knees and riding the wave that way! I certainly want to try again but I'm thinking with a lot smaller group. Walked away feeling pretty accomplished, exhausted, sore, sun/wind burned face and cuts on my feet, but it was worth it!! :)
p.s. Also during O-week, I was feeling adventurous because I jumped off a pier (screaming the whole way down) and climbed a huge mountain/cliff by the ocean.
p.s. Also during O-week, I was feeling adventurous because I jumped off a pier (screaming the whole way down) and climbed a huge mountain/cliff by the ocean.
Life Around Flinders Uni
Moved in Sunday, March 20th, 2011
O-week: March 21-27th, 2011
Classes begin: March 28th, 2011
I'm living in a nice, older, townhouse on campus with three bedrooms and one bath upstairs, and the living room, kitchen, and half bath downstairs. The bed is tiny... TINY! I swear its smaller than what we call a twin. My feet reach the end haha On the plus side, it is relatively comfortable so I have been sleeping pretty well. We have AC but it doesn't reach upstairs. Joy! Overall, I have lots of storage space and everything fits in just fine because I really don't have that much! Pictures are up on my desk and on the walls so that makes it feel much more homey.
The main campus is a fair walk away (about 15+ mins) but we do get to cross a beautiful bridge with views of the ocean and city. The grounds are very lush and green, due to all the rain, but locals say it normally isn't this green. We have a lake in the middle of campus and I swear you have to walk up a hill to get to every lecture theater or classroom. I love belonging to the gym and go almost every day either to a class or for my own workout. I have fallen in love with spin classes! WoW such a good workout! Also, we have a lot of beautiful, but noisy (in the early morning) birds all around.
O-week was a lot of fun of meeting people, laying on the beach, free BBQs, a dance, surfing lessons, and much more.
O-week: March 21-27th, 2011
Classes begin: March 28th, 2011
I'm living in a nice, older, townhouse on campus with three bedrooms and one bath upstairs, and the living room, kitchen, and half bath downstairs. The bed is tiny... TINY! I swear its smaller than what we call a twin. My feet reach the end haha On the plus side, it is relatively comfortable so I have been sleeping pretty well. We have AC but it doesn't reach upstairs. Joy! Overall, I have lots of storage space and everything fits in just fine because I really don't have that much! Pictures are up on my desk and on the walls so that makes it feel much more homey.
The main campus is a fair walk away (about 15+ mins) but we do get to cross a beautiful bridge with views of the ocean and city. The grounds are very lush and green, due to all the rain, but locals say it normally isn't this green. We have a lake in the middle of campus and I swear you have to walk up a hill to get to every lecture theater or classroom. I love belonging to the gym and go almost every day either to a class or for my own workout. I have fallen in love with spin classes! WoW such a good workout! Also, we have a lot of beautiful, but noisy (in the early morning) birds all around.
O-week was a lot of fun of meeting people, laying on the beach, free BBQs, a dance, surfing lessons, and much more.
Twelve Apostles
February 18th, 2011
Today, we went on a nice road trip to see one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the World! Sadly, there are no longer twelve standing, I could only count nine. The rock formations out in the water were breathtaking and all I could do was either stare or take a million photos. We spent a good two hours walking around the paths that wind you along the coast. The long drive was totally worth it. I ended up getting pretty car sick on the very windy road, so I spent most time driving because that seemed to help greatly. Also, when we were walking around taking photos, a gentleman (with an American accent) asked me if I was Australian and new about the body of water etc., I answered no! Sorry! His reason why he thought I was was because I was so tan! YAH!! :) Luckily, my friend Phoebe (who is Australian) knew all the answers to this gentleman's questions. I was just happy he thought I was tan and an Aussie! haha
Later that evening on our way home, we stopped into Eddie's parents house for a goodbye tea of fish & chips as we left for Adelaide the following day.
Enjoy the photos!!! I have many, many more!
Today, we went on a nice road trip to see one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the World! Sadly, there are no longer twelve standing, I could only count nine. The rock formations out in the water were breathtaking and all I could do was either stare or take a million photos. We spent a good two hours walking around the paths that wind you along the coast. The long drive was totally worth it. I ended up getting pretty car sick on the very windy road, so I spent most time driving because that seemed to help greatly. Also, when we were walking around taking photos, a gentleman (with an American accent) asked me if I was Australian and new about the body of water etc., I answered no! Sorry! His reason why he thought I was was because I was so tan! YAH!! :) Luckily, my friend Phoebe (who is Australian) knew all the answers to this gentleman's questions. I was just happy he thought I was tan and an Aussie! haha
Later that evening on our way home, we stopped into Eddie's parents house for a goodbye tea of fish & chips as we left for Adelaide the following day.
Enjoy the photos!!! I have many, many more!
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