Bondi to Bronte Beach Run!

Yesterday I went with one of my friends on the Bondi to Bronte Beach run. I had heard a lot about it and I have wanted to do it for a while, so the weather was perfect to run yesterday, sunny and a crisp 60 degrees. It was the most stunning run I have ever done. The run is along the coastline passing 4 different beaches, so you run along the cliffs. It is a hard run with lots of stairs and hills, but the views are breathtaking you forget about being so tired. I am going to do it a lot more, and also walk it so I can take pictures and post them for you! I am excited to take my Mum on the run when she comes, she will love it! 

Can't wait for camping and hiking this weekend!

Love, 

Nic xoxo

Real Aussie Camping in the Blue Mountains!

Hi All!

On Saturday it was Anzac Day here in Australia. It is sort of like Memorial Day in the US and the soldiers are remembered. We started the day off early with Mimosas and then a couple of my local friends picked me up and we drove the 2 and a bit hours to the Blue Mountains for a 21st birthday party. Instead of the usual "rent out a bar and invite all your friends", Stu decided to invite all his friends to his grandparents farm and have everyone camp out for the night.

The drive up there was just beautiful, stunning views and mountains all around. I am heading back to the Blue Mountains next weekend with my Outdoor Learning class so I will take pictures then, didn't manage to take any this weekend! But it was stunning and the clearest sky you have ever seen. After passing many "kangaroo crossing and wombat crossing" signs, I knew we were out of the city and into the bush! I didn't run into any wild Aussie animals this weekend, but my teacher assured me when we go with our class we will see lots of wild Kangaroos and Aussie wildlife, which I am very excited for!

We got there around 4ish and put up the tents (yes I learned how to pitch a tent I was VERY proud of myself!) We had sleeping bags and mattress pads so it ended up being quite comfy, despite the intense winds outside that I thought were going to pick up and throw the tent a mile away! After the tents were put up we all started having some of the punch and there were a bunch of parents serving some nibbles like homemade sausage rolls which were unbelievable, so good! All the parents got a kick out of me, and kept telling me how lucky I was to experience a "real aussie camping experience" and I have to say it was so cool. The farm was huge and beautiful. When the sun went down there were two mini bonfires we all crowded around for warmth (it was cold, thank god for Uggs!!) and we sat on hay bushels, and ate dinner. Then came the speeches, it is so lovely here 21st birthdays are a huge deal and the parents and friends all give speeches, tell funny and embarrassing stories, but its a really nice tradition. 

Then we all started drinking and dancing in a shed on the property, and then the two massive bonfires were lit. They were so huge, I can't even explain, but we were certainly not cold after that! The sky was so clear I thought I could see every star in the atmosphere! I got to see the Southern Cross which was beautiful and some other constellations, I couldn't stop looking up!! Really breathtaking

In the morning, we all got up and the parents made breakfast, and all night all the parents kept telling me was have you seen Trixie yet, and I didn't know what they were talking about. Well in the morning I found out! Trixie is their pet sheep, which goes in the house, and just wonders around and comes when it is called! It was so cute, and was standing next to me as I ate my bacon and eggs! I thought it was hysterical! The picture at the top is Trixie!!

Everyone was so nice and welcoming and it was such a great Australian experience. I am excited to go camping again with my class next weekend, but we are staying in cabins so its cheating a bit, but we are going to do 3 hikes which should be so awesome! I will take lots of pictures so you can all see, didn't get a chance to take pictures this weekend, but will make up for it as I will be going back!

It is certainly getting colder, so strange that as May creeps upon us here in Sydney the temperature is dropping, and it is turning into winter not summer! But it is nice to bundle up a little bit, and it is Fall (sorry I should say Autumn) here and around 60-65 during the day. I guess I will just have to go shopping for some winter clothes to stay warm (just kidding Dad! sorta...)

I will update after my weekend in the Blue Mountains with my class with pictures and more stories!!

Love, Nic xoxo

Back from Fiji!!

BULA!!

That is the "hello" in Fijian, and you certainly here it every 5 seconds, it becomes quite catchy! When we arrived, we were welcomed by singing Fijians and women putting shell necklaces around our necks! It felt very much like Hawaii. It was night when we arrived and we got on a boat filled with American's all doing the same thing as us, Spring Break in Fiji. Of course we got to talking and figured out we had many mutual friends, typical, on a dinky boat in the middle of a Fijian ocean and we know the same people!! 

Once we arrived, it was pretty apparent we overpacked rediculously since we all brought one of the HUGE suitcases we came with when we moved to SYDNEY, and in Fiji, no one wears shoes, so our black heels and jeans were definitely not needed. Dress code is Bikini and shell necklaces, never shoes. 

We had a great first night, there was one bar on Beachcomber Island where we stayed. It was a very small island but it was great. We had a beautiful little beach front hut, which turned out to be luxury because everyone else we met stayed in a 86 person "dorm" which consisted of a room enclosed with a tiny screen and 43 bunk beds...not my idea of luxury, so our hut with a fan was high class! 

Every day we sunbathed on the beach, went into the ocean, and then at night went to the bar. It was very relaxing and a great time! There was one staff member in particular that everyone on the Island fell in love with, his name was Clive, and he would have the biggest smile on his face at all times, and he would get us drinks and just pop out of no where! He is one of the pics below, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to figure out which one he is!!

I have to say, I won't miss the food. We had 3 meals a day, breakfast was strictly from 8-9am (naturally we only made that twice!), Lunch was from 1-2pm, then dinner was from 7-8pm. If you missed a meal, you had to eat the cheese sandwiches they made at the bar...so we definitely lived off cheese sandwiches since even when we made the meals, they consisted of a tiny scoop of rice, and some sort of curry. Cheese sandwiches were what got us through the week! 

It was stunningly beautiful and just Islands everywhere. The water was clear blue and at night, we could see baby sharks right off the beach!! We didn't end up going diving or anything so didn't see any big sharks (just you wait until we got to the Great Barrier Reef!!). We had a great time, but as always, its nice to be back home, and we are all happy to sleep back in our own beds I think! 

I would love to explore some of the other Islands in Fiji, there are so many, and each more beautiful than the next. Hopefully I will get the chance to go back again someday...

HAPPY EASTER!!

Happy Easter everyone!! Hope you all eat lots of chocolate this bunny day! Off to Fiji in 2 hours!! The first picture that I uploaded yesterday is of the Great Hall on my campus, so beautiful!

Love, 

Nic 

Fiji Here We Come!!

Spring Break 2009 starts tomorrow, and we are off to Fiji!! 

Since my last update, I have done so much and have been so busy!! I went to Melbourne for the weekend, and we got to see AFL which is the Australian Football its insane, they pretty much combine every sport and don't wear pads, and it is really exciting to watch!! It was the opening night so that was really fun. We also go to see the Formula 1 which was in Melbourne, it was such a cool experience to actually be there, the cars are so fast and so loud!! One of the boys that studied in Miami last semester but lives in Melbourne had his 21st birthday party that weekend too, so a lot of the boys from Sydney flew down also, so it was a lot of fun and celebrating. It was a great weekend. 

We are going to be in Fiji for 5 nights, and are staying on Beachcomber island, which is supposed to be beautiful and a great spot, very popular for spring break! I will try and update my blog a lot more often when I get back ,I have been terrible with it, just so busy!! But I will be more on top of it I promise!

Lots of pictures from Melbourne and Fiji to come, so check back in a week and there should be some updates!!  

Here are some pics from the Formula 1 Grand Prix Race!!