G'Day from Tassie!

Well...I made it. After passing through 4 different airports and spending approximately 21 hours in the air, I am now on the other side of the world! It's crazy that I'm actually here. Oh and before I say anything else, the weather is AMAZING! I have been wearing mostly shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops....in February!


My brother and sister-in-law, James and Stacy greeted me at the airport in Hobart, Tasmania. They have really welcomed me into their beautiful, newly built home.


 Hobart is a lovely city. In almost every direction, you see mountains and really blue water. And even though I have only been here for a few days, we have managed to do a lot already...


On my first full day here, we went for a long walk on the Pipeline Track in Fern Tree...or Fern Gulley as I keep calling it. It was a beautiful walk...I felt like I was in a rainforest. It felt so good for my legs to be moving after being on a plane for so long.

                                Stacy and I on the trail.                                       

James and Stacy, married now for 2.5 years.

Me

After our hike, we went to the top of Mount Wellington. The last time I was here was in winter 3 years ago and it was practically blizzarding at the top of the mountain! I have never been that cold in my life. This time, it was a lot warmer (although still very cold) and I could actually see the gorgeous view.

 

 Just to give you some perspective, this is what Mount Wellington looked like the first time I was there. 

  

This is the Tasman Bridge. James and Stacy's house is on one side of the bridge and the city centre is on the other side. We cross this bridge a lot.

Brother and sister together again!

And....guess what?  I got my nose pierced! Yep, I did it. It is something that I have wanted to do for a long time, so I went to Tassie Ink and got it done...all on my own. I've come a long way from being a little two year old holding my mom's hand when getting my ears pierced for the first time. Oh, I just thought of something...the first holes in my ears (they are triple pierced now) and my nose piercing were done in Australia! :) Here's a peek at my newly decorated nose....

 

The other night we went for a walk and I took in the beautiful views. I also discovered this awesome path that goes along the beach....it would be PERFECT for rollerblading. If only I could've packed my blades. I've heard that you can rent some...

 Being artsy with the camera.

Stacy posing for me....not really...she had no idea I was taking the photo.

And today, I went to the beach!!!!! It was wonderful! I just laid there and read for awhile. The water's pretty cold so I didn't get in, but there were a few brave souls swimming. You know you are in Australia when there is a mom running around topless on the beach while playing with her kids!

Happy feet!

This is my "I'm on the beach in February" face!!! :)

Well, I think that's it for now. I'll leave you with the following...

Aussie fact of the day: The equivalent of a redneck in Australia is called a "bogan."