Well in 24 hours from now I will be on a plane back to California. I am sad to leave, yet at the same time am walking way with a love for Australia. I will miss the people and the experiences, but will have great memories, and new connections around the world.
These past (and last) two weeks my dad was in town, so I was busy traveling with him and showing him around. The first week of his visit, we rented an apartment in Kirribilli, which is in the north side of the Harbour Bridge looking over the city skyline. The apartment was nice ( a definite break from the village), but the views are what made it. A perfect view of the harbour and the city was the best way to say "goodbye" to Sydney. Kirribilli is a really nice are which almoast has a small town fell to it, despite its proximity to the city. Lots of nice houses, shops and cafes line the tree lined streets, and give the area a very 'homey' feel to it. Unfortunately, Sydney has experienced the wettest and coldest start to a summer in 51 years! While it was still warm, many of the days were overcast and rainy (definitely not hot summer weather)! Although this kind of put a damper on some of the plans I had thought up for his visit, I was still able to show him a lot of the city and surrounding area (including touring the Opera House). One of our last days in Sydney, my local friend Todd drove us down for a personal tour of the South Coast of the state. We spent a full day checking out beautiful beaches, cool Aussie towns, and an awesome area known as the kangaroo valley. The valley is basically a lush ravine between these expansive cliffs clustered with eucalyptus and gum trees. While driving through the area we came across wild kangaroos hopping through a golf course! Kangaroos are quite large and agile, so it was amazing to get up close and watch them hop around and play on the green! The day was also filled with swimming at the beach, experiencing a true rural aussie pub, and hiking by amazing waterfalls.
This past week, me and my dad flew down to Melbourne in the far south, to explore the city as well as the Great Ocean Road. The city is the second largest in Australia with over 4 million people, and is definitley one of the most cultural. While Sydney is technically larger, the hustle and bustle was very alivee in melbourne. The tram style Streetcars which go throughout the city were always packed with people, but were great forms of transportation to really take in the sights. Historic buidings, parks and modern skyscrapers fill the CBD, but by far the most interesting part fo the city, were the maze of ally ways and arcades. These narrow side streets were adorned with cafes, bars, and shops. The Block Arcade in partiular, was quite large and was modeled after a large grandiose European style shopping arcade. Like I said, this city definitely has culture! After a few great days in the city, we rented a car and took off for thee Great Ocean Road, This highway stretches for about 150 miles along the south coast of Victoria along the ocean, and through the bush land. While long and windy, it is an absolutely epic drive! There were cool towns, beaches and even waterfalls to stop at along the way. The highlight of the road was driving through a natural Koala habitat. A koala bear walked right in front of our car! A the end of the road, there were some amazing natural rock formations in the ocean, caused by the erosion of the cliffs. Clear turquoise water set against these towering rock sculptures-it was an amazing sight. All in all it was a great two weeks filled with great cities, beautiful scenery, and good ol' family company.
These past five months have been an awesome experience, filled with great times and great people. I obviously couldn't share everything that this trip had to offer, but I enjoyed filling you in on the highlights of my semester abroad. These five months were a true blessing, but I am excited to see what God has is in store for me back in California and Colorado. I will continue blogging whenever the urge hits me, but for now I leave you with the only fitting video I could think of!
These past (and last) two weeks my dad was in town, so I was busy traveling with him and showing him around. The first week of his visit, we rented an apartment in Kirribilli, which is in the north side of the Harbour Bridge looking over the city skyline. The apartment was nice ( a definite break from the village), but the views are what made it. A perfect view of the harbour and the city was the best way to say "goodbye" to Sydney. Kirribilli is a really nice are which almoast has a small town fell to it, despite its proximity to the city. Lots of nice houses, shops and cafes line the tree lined streets, and give the area a very 'homey' feel to it. Unfortunately, Sydney has experienced the wettest and coldest start to a summer in 51 years! While it was still warm, many of the days were overcast and rainy (definitely not hot summer weather)! Although this kind of put a damper on some of the plans I had thought up for his visit, I was still able to show him a lot of the city and surrounding area (including touring the Opera House). One of our last days in Sydney, my local friend Todd drove us down for a personal tour of the South Coast of the state. We spent a full day checking out beautiful beaches, cool Aussie towns, and an awesome area known as the kangaroo valley. The valley is basically a lush ravine between these expansive cliffs clustered with eucalyptus and gum trees. While driving through the area we came across wild kangaroos hopping through a golf course! Kangaroos are quite large and agile, so it was amazing to get up close and watch them hop around and play on the green! The day was also filled with swimming at the beach, experiencing a true rural aussie pub, and hiking by amazing waterfalls.
This past week, me and my dad flew down to Melbourne in the far south, to explore the city as well as the Great Ocean Road. The city is the second largest in Australia with over 4 million people, and is definitley one of the most cultural. While Sydney is technically larger, the hustle and bustle was very alivee in melbourne. The tram style Streetcars which go throughout the city were always packed with people, but were great forms of transportation to really take in the sights. Historic buidings, parks and modern skyscrapers fill the CBD, but by far the most interesting part fo the city, were the maze of ally ways and arcades. These narrow side streets were adorned with cafes, bars, and shops. The Block Arcade in partiular, was quite large and was modeled after a large grandiose European style shopping arcade. Like I said, this city definitely has culture! After a few great days in the city, we rented a car and took off for thee Great Ocean Road, This highway stretches for about 150 miles along the south coast of Victoria along the ocean, and through the bush land. While long and windy, it is an absolutely epic drive! There were cool towns, beaches and even waterfalls to stop at along the way. The highlight of the road was driving through a natural Koala habitat. A koala bear walked right in front of our car! A the end of the road, there were some amazing natural rock formations in the ocean, caused by the erosion of the cliffs. Clear turquoise water set against these towering rock sculptures-it was an amazing sight. All in all it was a great two weeks filled with great cities, beautiful scenery, and good ol' family company.These past five months have been an awesome experience, filled with great times and great people. I obviously couldn't share everything that this trip had to offer, but I enjoyed filling you in on the highlights of my semester abroad. These five months were a true blessing, but I am excited to see what God has is in store for me back in California and Colorado. I will continue blogging whenever the urge hits me, but for now I leave you with the only fitting video I could think of!
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