Abroad in Australia...... Gold Coast

The Gold Coast definitely lives up to its name. It is breathtakingly beautiful. There were two things that were on the top of my list. Climb Sky Point and go whale watching!  If you haven’t noticed, I like to see the world from the top. Just wait to you see the pic of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai!. Now back to the Gold Coast. Whale watching was first. I had been wanting to go whale watching for years. I was stoked. Whale watching on the Gold Coast gave me a chance to get up close to the largest living animal in the world.

The experiences allowed me to see then closer than I could have imagine. Make sure you look on my IG page to see the entire video. I was able to see a pod of three who circled our boat for over an hour. It was AMAZING. I got to see them breaching, blowing  and even spy-hop. Not to mention several head rises and tails and pec slaps. I was in awe of their size and playfulness. Even our captain and crew was out taking pictures. The captain shared he has never had a pod of three who stayed so long. What was to be a thirty minute viewing ending up being almost an hour and a half. I highly recommend whale watching, especially because most guarantee you will see a whale or you get a free ride to come again.

After an exhilarating trip, I spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach. It was the winter in Australia but being a Chicago native, I will take the weather. I spent the afternoon just relaxing on the beach. The sky was clear, it was a light breeze and I was literally in a tank top on the beach in their “winter”. The water was a bit cold but still had to put my feet in the Pacific. It is a tradition of mine. No matter how cold, I have to get my feet wet. It was not warm, but not so cold that I couldn’t stroll along the beach letting the waves crash against my legs. It was a great end to my day.

That night I went online to purchase tickets for my next adventure.

The next day began really early. I wanted to wake up and watch the sunrise from the beach. It was a perfect day as I would be watching the sunset from the sky. The day was pretty lazy for me. I was staying at the Marriott and they had a wonderful heated pool and even a sand beach. So i spent the afternoon ordering room service and sitting in the sun reading a book. After a quick power nap (i highly recommend them on vacation) I was heading to the highest point in the Gold Coast. I was off to my next adventure, Sky Point. Sky Point is on the 77th floor and is Australia’s only beach side observation deck that offers an unsurpassed 360 degree view of the pristine Gold Coast beaches. It typically would be enough to just see the views, but why not climb to the top!! So of course I climbed to the top. SkyPoint Climb is Australia's highest external (yes I said external) building climb and rises 270 meters in the air. Since i chose to see the sunrise that morning, I decided to take the tour that would allow me to see the sunset. It was really a magical experience as you can see the sun and the moon and the sky line had hues of orange, blue and pink. I was definitely marveling at the view at the picturesque beauty.

The day ended with a climb back down the building and I was off to meet a friend I met last year in Sydney for dinner. A great meal with great company ending my time in the Gold Coast.

So where is the next trip abroad...New Zealand.

Abroad in Australia..... Brisbane

After a few days in Sydney, I was off to Brisbane. Brisbane has a totally different vibe than Sydney. Just like Sydney, Brisbane has a bridge you can climb. I did not partake as I was only going to be there for two days and wanted to hit up a few cool spots. I did have a great view of the bridge from my hotel. The lights from the bridge were iridescent in the water and was pretty cool. To take in the city I decided to take the CityCat. The Brisbane river defines the shape of the city. So this was the best way to see the city, from the water. I didn’t have much time so a quick stop over to  a small park on the cliffs at New Farm around sunset gave me a chance to capture Brisbane’s city skyline poking out from behind the iconic Story Bridge. A quick bite and over to the BRISBANE sign only to realize my phone died was a real bummer. But tomorrow is another day and I am off to the BEAUTIFUL Gold Coast.

Abroad in Australia…Sydney

What’s a trip down under without seeing a koala and a kangaroo. It was on the top of my list of must dos, but I digress. Australia has a ton of things to see and do and great places to grab a bite to eat, no matter your budget. A must is to wake up early at dawn and watch the sunrise above the Sydney Harbour Bridge. One of my biggest recommendations is to climb to the top of the Sydney Harbor bridge. There are only three bridges in the world you can climb, two are in Australia and one is in New Zealand (climbed this one too- stay tuned) and the experience is amazing. Another MUST is to take a tour of the ICONIC Opera house. There are tours and if you’re a there on at sunset, go to the top of the steps and watch the nightly show, Badu Gili — meaning ‘water light’ in the language of the traditional owners of Bennelong Point, the Gadigal people. It tells a story of the experiences of the ancient First Nations stories in a spectacular seven-minute projection. Don’t forget to sail across to Darling Harbor and have a bite for lunch or dinner. Beware of the seagulls- one swooped in and stole the bun right off my burger!

If you are nature lover (even if you are not) and want to take a moment to stop and smell the roses walking along the Royal Botanical Gardens is vast and beautiful. A great place to see the beauty of nature while right in the heart of Sydney. It’s a great place to relax but don’t forget to walk along the grass, smell the flowers and take in the birds that are walking around freely. Please be a good tourist and DON’T feed the birds, it’s kind of frowned upon. The Royal Gardens give you a chance to connect with nature and provides a wonderful view of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge.

The view has been an iconic view for decades. Inside the Gardens is a bench known as Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair. Legend has it her husband, Governor Macquarie, and it became her favorite spot to look upon the harbor. I made a point to walk over and grab some great shots of that very view.  

If you take a short ride, you can take in a stroll in Bondi Beach. While I was there I realized it is even a reality show filmed there, Bondi Rescue.The famous Bondi to Coogee coastal walk has to be in the top five most scenic attractions. If you start at the Bondi Icebergs (was too cold while I was there) ocean pools and take a stroll. The walk to Coogee will take about an hour each way. Admittedly I only did half the walk. Each spot has its own unique and diverse charm with cafes and beautiful parks spots to take in a picnic.