I feel like I am always apologizing
for my delayed posts now a days, but this just shows you all how much fun we
are having Down Under!
Since my last blog post, my
little sister Molly came, saw, conquered, and sadly left Australia. These
were truly the best 4 months, so special having my sister here with me.
Molly was in Aussie August - November 2013 studying abroad at the
University of Sydney and joining these two adventure-ers on our Aussie
explorations.
Although Molly had her own
apartment, with a fellow Richmond undergrad, in the city, she happily moved in
with us on the weekends. Who
wouldn’t want to spend every weekend in Manly with these two cool kangaroos?!? We enjoyed many beach days, coastal
walks, nights out, and cooking our traditional Mexican feast every Saturday
night. Tommy hogged her during the
weekdays, enjoying their weekly lunch dates in between class and work.
The highlight of our time
together was our incredible trip to Tasmania and our last weekend together
enjoying some sisterly bonding time at the Four Seasons Hotel. I decided to splurge a little and book
the two of us a special treat for our last weekend together!
In Tasmania we flew into Hobart
on the 6am flight Saturday morning to make full use of the day. With the heavy winds, it was an
interesting landing as our first attempt did not work out as planned when a
massive gust hit us and caused us to go right back up for a scenic loop of
Mount Wellington before attempting again.
After a couple of hours roaming the Saturday farmers market on Salamanca
Place, we joined a wine tasting tour, visiting the historic town of Richmond
and four boutique wineries, with incredible wines and fresh produce. It was an incredible day topped off
with the infamous fish and chips at the harbor front.
Day 2 was just as
jam-packed. We explored all of the
nooks and crannies Hobart had to offer, enjoying a delicious brekkie at a local
hole-in-the wall café. We boarded
a ferry to MONA, Museum of Old and New Art, and spent hours exploring this very
unique, and slightly disturbing, art museum. I have to be honest, I am not a big artsy fartsy, so I was a
bit bored, however Molly & Tommy loved our visit. My favorite part of the day was lunch! Tasmania sure has incredible fresh and
delicious food. Now food I do
love, so I was in heaven!
Unfortunately on day 3 we said
goodbye to Molly, as she had to get back to class, while Tommy and I continued
our adventure. Bright and early on
Monday morning, we rented a car, yes I know how to drive on the left side of
the road, and cruised the Tasman Highway along the coast to Port Arthur. Port Arthur is a former convict
settlement and one of Australia’s world heritage sites. It was an absolutely beautiful area and
the history was very fascinating.
The other thing Port Arthur is known for is its paranormal
activity… I won’t go into the
details but let’s just say I felt very spooked at times and we have a couple of
freaky pictures.
Straight from here we got back in
our little purple cruiser and headed to Freycinet National Park. It was quite a long day of driving, but
the views along the coast were incredible and well worth the trek. Freycinet National Park is home to
Wineglass Bay, ranked one of the top 5 most beautiful beaches in the world. We stayed in a small cabin on the water
and woke up early to watch the sunrise and begin a full day of hiking. We were joined by a couple of kangaroos
and wallabies as we explored the entire national park, which took us 5 hours to
hike. The highlight of the day was
the lookout over Wineglass Bay, where a Humpback Whale was spouting and a pod
of bottlenose dolphins were playing and feeding in the shallow shores. Unbeatable. We had a romantic picnic to end the day with local Tassie
wine & cheese.
On our last day we drove inland
through the forest terrain to Launceston.
Launceston was a cute little town, nothing special, but a good way to
see more of Northern Tasmania.
What a fabulous trip!
To end Molly’s time in Australia
with a bang, my entire family came out to visit and celebrate Molly’s 21st
birthday! My mom and Kirsten met
Tommy and me every morning at Wharf 3 to pick us up from our Manly ferry and
head to the Four Seasons for our daily brekkie buffet. We felt spoiled and enjoyed this treat
before catching our trains to work (a bit of a change from shoveling down some
yogurt and fruit on the ferry). I
rejoined the gang after work every evening for a sunset cocktail and a new
restaurant to try! The best dinner
was at Café Sydney for my dad’s birthday, with incredible views of the Sydney Harbour
Bridge and Opera House. What a
treat.
For our last week we all flew up
to Port Douglas to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. This was the highlight of the trip! I had already visited the reef last year
with my mom, but it was so special to share this experience with the rest of my
family.
It was an amazing trip, and as
always, hard to say goodbye.
Luckily I knew I would be home in just two months for Christmas!
Sydney Sisters!
Beyonce Concert for Molly's 21st Birthday - present from Kait & Tommy
Hunter Valley Wine Tasting - SISTERS
This was the perfect opportunity for us to escape the city
and refresh my left-side-of-the-road driving skills. We decided to visit the quaint little town of Bowral, just
over an hour down south from Sydney.
Unexpectedly the weekend really turned into a foodie holiday. We explored every hidden café in town,
our favorite being the Elephant Café, with the most delicious sandwich I have
ever tasted, so delicious that we had to come back for brekkie the next
morning! The hot cocoa was even
better! 
On Sunday we spent the entire day on a wine tasting tour,
exploring the beautiful rolling hills around the town. These were beautiful boutique wineries,
one in which we were lucky enough to try some fresh made mead. What better way to end the day than
with some more delicious tastes on the tongue? We had dinner at Biota, a gastronomy restaurant with a set
tasting menu. It was an incredible
meal, and one bite of the lamb dish nearly brought Tommy to tears. 
