Sydney, Australia (Part 1)

Day 8
Arrived with no trouble in Sydney, took the train into the city, and met Tasha at the train station. Remember Couchsurfer #1? That's her! And she was hosting me in Sydney! The world can be so small sometimes. :) We wandered the park near her place for a while to see all the birds and enjoy the beautiful weather, then got ready and headed into the city to spend the evening and night at the Marquee with her friend Mark - the exclusive club in Sydney's casino. Made a few new friends, had a delicious dinner, and lots of wine.

Day 9

Took advantage of the chance to sleep in, and did. Mark gave Tasha and I a ride home, and upon arrival discovered my chocolate frog on the counter...with a little message haha

Went to Hyde Park in the evening for the Asian Noodle Market (exactly what I was looking for, having just escaped from Asia lol), but did in fact end up getting Thai satays for dinner. Walked to Marq's Chair (across from the Opera House) afterwards and had a silly photoshoot with Tasha's beautiful nice camera and her friend Bryon. 

*I should also mention that my camera DIED this night after the noodle market, so all pictures from here on out in Sydney were taken with one of Tasha's cameras, bless her heart. She's such a good friend <3 p="p">

Got home and met Max, Tasha's roommate's friend from Germany who was in Australia on holiday for a month, and talked with him for a bit over some delicious hot chocolate. 

Day 10

The weather was stormy and rainy Friday, so we...stayed in our pjs all day and watched movies. We did go over to Bryon's later though for Taco night! Haha we got all the ingredients together and had homemade tacos, Tasha even made a super yummy mango salsa from scratch. Be jealous, my friends. 

Day 11

Tasha and I took the bus to Bondi Beach, and followed the path along the coast to Bronte beach, enjoying the breeze, the view, and the cute dogs along the way. 

Day 12

Sunday we joined Bryon up at Narrabeena Lake for some paddleboarding and kayaking. Paddleboarding was much harder than I thought, but I stuck with it and managed not to fall off. 

Tasha and I took one of the kayaks out across the lake and around under a bridge down this side river in search of...well, hoping to spot...a giant green snake that supposedly resided in one of the trees. We paddled all the way to the end of that little river way, and back, and never found the snake. Myth? Busted. lol

We did manage to get stuck on one of the sandbars coming back though, but Tasha hopped out and just pulled us off haha. 

Finished the day with AMAZING pizza at an Italian restaurant in Lane Cove - our pizza was a meter long! It was pricey too, but totally worth every dollar. 

Melbourne, Australia (Part 2)

Day 5
Sunday morning we attended "City on a Hill" church, and I loved it. They meet in a movie theater at the mall, so really comfy seats, and there were lots of young people. The music was great, the sermon was awesome, and I felt really welcome there.

Spent the afternoon at Annabel's house, and while David and Andrew(Annabel's husband) adjusted the chicken coop, Jayne played with little baby Zach, and Annabel did some yardwork, I played frisbee with 2 year old Eli, who was quite the frisbee thrower.

Day 6
Monday morning I met with Prof Vivian Lin at the Franklin St campus of LaTrobe Uni to talk with her about the Public Health program for about an hour. Met up with Jayne at 10 and we took the shuttle  to the Shrine of Remembrance.

Stopped for a coffee break before heading to the Royal Exhibition Building and the Melbourne Museum for a bit, then grabbed a bite at a little cafe thing under one of the bridges in Southbank.

Took a much-needed nap that afternoon before dinner, then David and I headed out to visit our good friend Andrew Dircks (another friend who I met at ICB here) for coffee and catching up.

 

Got home and booked my flight to Sydney for Wednesday - for $35! :)

Day 7
Flew to Adelaide for the day on Tuesday to visit the University of Adelaide. Gorgeous campus, beautiful brick buildings, and everyone I talked to was really helpful, though the professors seemed really keen on having me do the research track "based on your background in Psychology"...I couldn't seem to stress that research, specifically data analysis, was the reason I WASN'T choosing a masters in Psychology. Sigh..

Flew back at 5:30, Jayne picked me up at the airport, bless her, and the three of us headed off for Greek food at Spitiko, a restaurant recommended by my friend Tasha, and ended the night with Young Einstein.

Day 8

Did a quick load of laundry, packed up my bag, then Jayne took me to the airport. Saw me all the way to my gate, and bid me farewell as I boarded my flight to Sydney. A huge big thanks to them for everything! :D