First days Australia

November 4th, 2007

Hi Everybody: Well, we've arrived safely and we are doing very well here in Australia. This is a long update, simply because we had the time to write it. Enjoy, they won't all be this long, promise.

The flight went quickly, despite it being 14 hours. Thanks to my BOSE earphones I felt great getting off the plane (thanks Mom and Ralph). After getting our passports checked about 5 times in customs we finally managed to get into our rental car and were dying for some coffee.

"Happy Honeymoon" Jason and I say to each other with a kiss as we leave the airport in our reversed car. Our expectations are high but open, our thoughts are jumbled and many, and our emotions are fearless and excited. The overall feeling is bliss meets adventure with the familiar love of the unknown we both crave and the comfort and safety we have in each other. We vowed this to each other the day we got married and here we are fulfilling those vows. Australia, New Zealand here come the Stewart's.

The city of Brisbane was calling to us. We knew that once we got to Maroochydore where we would be staying and where I would be teaching at the end of the week, there would be no time to go and explore Brisbane. We decided to head to the Eagle Street Pier for breakfast, coffee (the biggest we could find), and have a look around.

Brisbane is a beautiful city and we practically sucked down our flat white and long black coffee. We didn't really know what they were, but we ordered them because they we're "Australian" and something different. It was Sunday morning so around the pier there was a little artisan craft fair with live music and a lovely walk along the river. After a much needed walk and exploration of a park where tons of people were out riding bikes and jogging we decided to head up north to the Sunshine Coast and the town we will call home for 8 days, Maroochydore.

Jason picked up the hang of driving on the "other side" fairly quickly. My job as navigator, which lead to a couple of directional arguments, and as watcher of Jason staying on the left side of the road proved to be a challenge, but we made it. We laughed as we passed kangaroo crossing signs (maybe they were up for the tourists, who knows) and enjoyed the scenery as we made our way to the coast. Once we arrived we explored the little holiday town, stocked up on groceries for our apartment, and enjoyed a great first dinner in Australia.

November 5th, 2007

Waking up early we knew that the area would be expecting rain in the next couple of days. We decided to take advantage of the nice day and go for a run along the beach and the paths that line the beach. Maroochydore is great in that it is a famous beach that is met by the Maroochy River allowing for different scenery around every turn. Even at 7 in the morning people were out in the water swimming and surfing. Tons of tourists were walking down the beach doing the same as us; taking advantage of the day before the rain settles in.

We soon headed off for the Hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. Hinterland, a German word that means the "behind" land. We plan to do the tourist drive through the Blackall Mountain Range and explore some of its small towns, wineries, and hikes. The drive is stunning as the road travels along the ridge of the mountains forming to the many slopes, which constantly change the amazing views. The surrounding land is rolling and soft and very very green. As we pass through little towns each one has the standard "main" street with pubs, coffee shops, and lodges and B&B's. It's charming. We stop in Montville for a much needed lunch break. It's spring time here in the southern hemisphere; so the colors, birds, flowers, and trees are in their peak. Montville feels like Disneyland Main Street to us, because it is picture perfect and every detail is in place.

Lunch at the Poet Cafe was more than expected. Let me tell you why. Those who know, know that I love all that is pumpkin flavor. Leaving the States at Thanksgiving for 5 weeks was a big deal for me because I thought that I would be missing out on all that is pumpkin. Well, Australia has made me a very happy girl. There is pumpkin flavored everything everywhere. Roasted pumpkin pizzas and sandwich's as well as pastries etc. So, I've been in pumpkin heaven and loving it. At the Poet Cafe, I had a roasted pumpkin sandwich with avocado, feta, jalapenos, fresh greens, and all on the best pumpkin bread. Can it be a more perfect meal for me? I don't think so.

After lunch, we headed for a hike. We were drawn by the promise of waterfalls at the bottom of the hike but unfortunately we were stopped by posted signs that warned of unstable ground and the threat of danger. We took a bit of a nap on a large rock by a nice little pool with great views of the mountains and valley. The only funny thing about this "hike" was it was bit more of a walk. Jason and I were all decked out in hiking boots and people we were passing on the trails cruising in flip flops and skirts. I guess we were a bit over dressed :)

Next, was the winery. Our first introduction to Queensland wines, which tend to be a bit sweeter and light due to the overall warm weather up here. The man helping us was a blast. He told us a a lot about Australian wine history and the history of the area. We walked out with a couple of bottles to enjoy in the next week.

We ended the day in another town called Maleny. This was a more rustic, cowboy meets hippie town. It was full of organic stores, coffee shops (see a theme, coffee is loved in Australia, it's quite good too), and book shops. We sat in a small coffee shop and enjoyed watching people gather for a drink. We drove back along another stunning road and after the huge lunch had some local brie cheese, crackers, and wine for dinner.

November 6, 2007

So far so good. Jet lag has been kind to us and the last two days has allowed us to find a rhythm. We've only come across a few people to really speak to and we are looking forward to meeting more. It's amazing to realize that we're not in a hurry, we have plenty to see and plenty of time to do it.

This morning it is raining so we're going to relax with our great views from our apartment. Today is the Melbourne Cup, a big horse race that apparently is a huge deal throughout Australia. So, when in Rome, right? We'll head to a pub later this afternoon and hopefully join in on the festivities.

This is our Honeymoon and for us that means time together, falling more in love and celebrating our relationship as we fall in love with the beauty of the world and explore it's many possibilities. We'll see what it gives us.

Lots of love and take care