G'Day Mates

G'Day from the Gold Coast of Australia where the local time is 1:50 p.m. on November 11th.  That's 15 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the U.S. 

Last weekend was spent boarding and changing flights a few times until our Qantas flight departed from Los Angeles.  Over 13 hours later we landed in Brisbane, Australia.  It was a long flight to be sure, but we were well taken care of by the Qantas staff.  We were served 2 meals, several snacks, free drinks, choice of several movies, music or the opportunity to keep track of the flight pattern on our own personal screen.

While our son is doing his Study Abroad semester here, we thought it was a perfect time to schedule a vacation to the land down under.

In fact, we're currently waiting for him to come over so we can head out for a bit of sightseeing. He just got through with classes, has to eat and talk to his girlfriend via Skype for a bit.  That could take awhile, so in the meantime I've just finished lunch on the balcony and thought I'd give you a few glimpses of the views we have from our little perch.

To the left there are many high rise apartments and hotels.  This is a tourist area complete with casino and a Surfer's Paradise.  My son has been surfing a few times and says he took quite a beating as the waves are big.  I guess we won't be trying that (not that we were planning to :).

Also to the left is the pool and jacuzzi.  We have been in there and found it to be more our speed.

Straight across the balcony lies the Coral Sea.  If you look closely you can see a wonderful walking path that runs along the beach.  All along the path are little parks and play areas for children. 

We enjoyed a walk along the beach last night at dusk.

To the right we see a school.  I wouldn't mind attending school here just for the location alone :).  Currently it is springtime here.  The students dress in uniforms consisting of shorts, shirts and knee socks. 

The students seem to spend a good share of the day outside for recess or gym classes.  The happy sounds of kids at play coupled with the soothing sounds of the surf are a winning combination in my book.  

Jeremy doesn't have classes for the next few days, so we hope to be out sightseeing.  I'd like to see a few kangaroos, wombats, tasmanian devils and platypuses.  My husband did order a kangaroo salad the other night.  It seemed a bit strange, but didn't taste too bad.  Jeremy said during his orientation he was told not to feel bad about eating them as they are overpopulated here.  

Until next time, I wish you all a G'Day.