These are a few of my favorite things

Our top favorite things about Australia. And the things we will miss.

1) How active everyone was. Being healthy and fit is huge there! There were both bicycle paths and walking paths side by side all over the the city, both in Brisbane and in Sydney. And not only were they there, but they were being used 24/7, by people of all sorts of shapes and sized. I've never seen so many runners in my life. I was in heaven! I joined the ranks of them a few days while I was there, but should have way more often. My dad and I went out and ran 4-5 miles a couple mornings and one morning I got in a 12 mile run right along the river. When we were in Sydney I was itching to join the mass of runners jogging through the botanical gardens and near the waters edge by the Harbour Bridge. I could see Matt yearning for his road bike every time we went out in Brisbane and saw everyone putting the bike paths to good use. Next time we go we plan to take his bike with us. And a good pair of running shoes for me.

2) Everyone was incredibly nice. We weren't sure if it was just that their accent made them sound nice or if they really indeed were. I think it was a combination of both. You could strike up a conversation with anyone there. Who knew human beings could be so friendly! I'm so used to people here not making eye contact that it was refreshing to have people nod hello or smile at you wherever you went.  We met all sorts of people waiting for the ferry, on the ferry, waiting for the subway, on the subway, in the grocery stores. At the sunshine coast my parents and us all went to get some groceries and in the produce section we asked one of the workers what a Paw Paw tasted like. So she went and cut it up for us to try! And then cut up another strange fruit for us to taste.   Meeting so many genuinely nice people was one of the things that made our trip to enjoyable.

3) All the cafes!  I'll admit it, I love to eat. It's true. And I love coffee shops and cafes. I think they are sophisticated and charming all wrapped up in one. I was in love with all the ones to choose from there! There was a coffee shop within 20 steps any which way you went. I found out the reason why is because Australians have a morning and afternoon tea in between meals which basically means a light snack. I'm more of a 3 meals a day kind of person but have been told I need to eat smaller meals more often because my blood sugar goes up and down. Well the Australians must really know what they are talking about because with all the amount of eating I felt like we were doing both Matt and I lost a little bit of weight!

4) Good restaurants. We didn't really need to eat out since my parents bought groceries, but who could resist with all the fantastic restaurants to choose from! I mentioned before that they have very few chain ones and it's true. Most places are family run and operated and there wasn't a single one we ate at that didn't serve up some of the best food we've ever had. Curry, crepes, sandwiches, pumpkin soup, whatever we got it was all good.

5)One last thing about food and this one was my ultimate favorite. There were gluten free choices everywhere we went! Any bakery we went to I could find some sort of GF deliciousness to eat. I have as yet to find a bakery in the states that has any gluten free choices so I hadn't eaten a baked good in a long time! The best one I had was in Brisbane and it was a slice of GF banana bread with super sweet cream cheese frosting slathered on top. Mmmmm, Mmmmm. Maybe it's best that I can't find a gluten free bakery here, otherwise I would be in trouble!

6) Amazing parks. Like really truly amazing. For example on south bank there were pools surrounded by man made sandy beaches.  There was a deep end pool for adults and swimmers, a shallow water pool for kids and a then a kid/toddler area with all sorts of fountains and toys that sprayed water. And wait for the best part...it was all free! We waited all week for it to warm up so we could go play there. Sawyer by that time had gotten used to what sand felt like and didn't mind sitting on it. I got in the water and took him through the fountains in the kids area and then we walked in the shallow end pool for a little bit. Matt and I were both astonished that something so nice would be made for the public and even more surprised that the public who used it kept it looking so pristine! Just go to the parks in the San Fernando Valley and see how people down here treat them and you'll see what I mean. Do I think it has a lot to do with the type of ethnic groups that live in both areas? Absolutely, but I won't go into that.

7) Mint body wash. You are probably wondering what the heck that has to with Australia, but let me tell you about a wonderful thing they have that you can find in every grocery store. Mint and tea tree body wash...that tingles!  My mom had some already and I couldn't get enough of it. Talk about awakening your senses every morning! That stuff wakes you right up even if you'd only gotten a few hours of sleep (which happened a lot while Sawyer was adjusting to the time change). I bought a bottle to take home with us, but now I'm wishing I had gotten more. I went to Bath & Body Works yesterday and they had a mint body wash and a tea tree spearmint body wash, but according to the sales clerk neither one has a tingling effect. Anyone know where I can get my hands on one that does? I've got about 24 more showers until my current bottle runs out!

8) Beautiful Beaches. Every beach we went to was breathtaking. Blame it on the turquoise color of the water or the super fine grain sand, but every single one was gorgeous. If it had been warmer while we were there (notice how I'm wearing the same jacket in practically every photo? yeah it was a bit chilly) I would have been going to the beach just about every day. So what if it took an hour to get there on the train, it would have been worth it!

9) Quick and easy transportation. Now perhaps Matt and I noticed this because we are a one car family and Matt used to take the train, but we were fascinated by their modes of transportation. It was genius. You buy what is called a GO card and put as much money on it as you want. We did about $40 for the week and that was plenty. Then you take it with you wherever you go and use it to go on the ferry, the subway, and all the buses. Simple. Easy. And did I mention that all the public transportation ran on time? Right on the minute it was scheduled to show up, there it was. Brilliant.

10) No tipping. I'm aware I mentioned this before, but it was so nice not to have to tip. You don't need to tip the cab drivers or the waiters or whomever you would normally give a tip to in the states. The cost of food was high there which meant when eating out the prices on the menus were greater than what we were accustomed to; however, if you figured once a trip is factored into your bill at an America restaurant then the prices were almost the same. I loved not having to tip. Does that make me a cheapskate? Perhaps, but I think tipping is weird any way. Why should someone be entitled to getting a few extra bucks just for doing their job? I never got tips for doing my job as a medical receptionist. But I would have welcomed some!

Those are our top 10. You might be thinking, sheesh Kristen if you liked Australia so much why don't you marry it? Well seeing as how I'm already married that won't happen, but would I ever move there? You bet. The one and only thing that could possibly make me think twice about living down under is the living amongst these guys:

Click on it and you can see them a little better. Two giant spiders that hung out in a massive web linked between the tree tops and the power lines across the street from my parents apartment. This picture doesn't do them justice, but I'm telling you without exaggerating, they were really really really BIG. We made a pact that I would not bother them if they didn't bother me. You can bet your bottom dollar that every time I walked outside I made sure they were still safely in their web high up away from me. All was good until one day after it rained, when they disappeared. Yes, I remained on the other side of the street the rest of our time there. Sorry big guys, but you are the one thing that I will not miss.