Christmas At Coff's

Before I begin telling you about my fabulous Christmas with Tash and her family at Coff's Harbor, let me first introduce the main family members who so warmly welcomed me into their family and made me feel right at home. There were 27+ family members gathered for Christmas, but these were the ones whom I spent the majority of my time with and who I came to adore.

Michael- Natasha's brother
Janice- Natasha's Aunt (sister of her mother)
Francesco- Husband of Janice (an adorable 60 yr-old Italian man)
Josh- Janice's son and Natasha's cousin
Amy- Wife of Josh
Skye- Daughter of Josh and Amy (the most adorable 2 year-old you have ever seen with blond ringlets and sky-blue eyes)
Chloe- Daughter #2 of Josh and Amy (precious 3 month-old who is rocking a blond mullet)
Emma- Janice's daughter and Natasha's cousin
Craig- Husband of Emma (and originally from Casino, but not a bogan)
Ana- Daughter of Francesco
Oli- Fiance of Ana

Great, now you are acquainted. Moving on. Even though I knew it was Christmas time, it never really felt like the most wonderful time of the year to me. Despite the carols, signs and decorations that bombarded me on a daily basis in Sydney it just didn't feel like Christmas with the sun shining down on me and people walking around in thongs (both the flip flops and the bathing suit, or lack there of). Instead of snow I had sand. Instead of jazzed up pine trees I had palm trees. This wasn't Christmas as I knew it! So waking up Christmas Eve in Coff's Harbor felt like any other day to me. However, over the course of the next two days little things happened, things that I associate with Christmas back home, that finally made me feel for the first time that Christmas had arrived (better late than never, hey?). For example, on Friday evening Tash and I baked cookies. This is an activity I associate with Christmas. What is Santa going to eat after he delivers your presents if there are no home baked cookies waiting for him? No cookies would surely be a crime. And these were not just any cookie, I assure you. We baked from scratch the most glorious naked Santa sugar cookies known to man. For years Tash had had this crazy desire to make naked Santa cookies- I guess it's to hot in this neck of the beaches for Santa to wear a massively warm and cozy suit- and so we made her fantasy a reality. The cookies were a hit. We also made snowmen and penguins.



Tash delicately cutting out our Santa cookies


While baking I mentioned that we were missing Christmas music. Janice disappeared and I heard the jingle of bells and whistles surface in the background. To my great delight, it was the Celine Dion Christmas album! I know this may sound lame and unimportant to you, but you have to understand that this is one of my most favorite Christmas albums of all time. Back home at Christmas time, Laura and I play this album on repeat and sing each and every jingle at the top of our lungs while we engage in Christmas-themed activities (like baking cookies and decorating the tree). So if there was anything that was going to transport me to Christmas, this album was it. I was giddy like a little girl as I sang along with Celine. I think Tash and her fam thought I was a tad strange, but I didn't mind- it was officially Christmas time.

That evening Francesco cooked a splendid Italian feast comprised of an entree (pasta), main (veal schnitzel) and dessert (an array of cookies and goodies, many of which were prepared by Janice). Bon appetit! In fact, Francesco cooked most of our meals (brekky and dinner) while I was there. I can assure you that I was feasting good in the neighborhood! I think I gained 5 kilos while staying there. But hey, I figured that in a weeks time I would be on the backpacker diet so it was best that I eat as much quality food as I could before it became obsolete. After dinner we gathered in the living room to watch a Christmas movie, and I insisted they watch A Christmas Story. It's an American classic, and none of my Aussie companions had ever seen it. They enjoyed it, I think. I know I did.

Saturday was Christmas day! We made our way over to Tash's other Aunt's house where the celebration was taking place. There were over 27 family members present (aunts, uncles, cousins, babies and dogs) to partake in the days festivities. I, the odd woman out, blended in nicely with the sea of guests. And fortunately, everyone was super welcoming to me. They inquired about my time in Australia and future plans, and made fun of my accent. "Who is this girl with the funny accent?" they would say jokingly. Normally, Australian celebrate Christmas by having a barbie (BBQ) on the beach. This Christmas, however, was a wet and rainy one so it took place in doors. Our Christmas meal was a "cold" lunch (usually in the summer its far to hot to stand around an oven and stove cooking food) which included chicken, pork, ham, prawns (shrimp), potatoes, and salads. Dessert was comprised of Christmas puddings with custard (this was new to me), rum balls (also new to me), rocky road chocolate (popular here in Oz), gingerbread houses (there were 2), ice cream cake and a fruit trifle. I was stuffed. Christmas crackers lined the table, enough for each guest to have one. I had never seen these before either, which Tash found astonishing. "You don't have Christmas crackers?" she asked. Nope. At least not that I'm aware of. Maybe you have them in your home, but they never made an appearance at mine. Have I lived a sheltered life? A Christmas cracker is basically a wrapped tube that contains a stupid little toy or thingy-majig. You and another person pull on either end of the cracker and whoever gets the bigger piece gets to keep the toy (sorta like pulling apart the turkey wish bone). I got a tiny plastic skeleton. Inside there is also a joke (ex: What has 4 legs and an arm? A happy pitbull). and a paper crown that you can wear on your head. Mine was orange. I wore it at the dinner table. It was silly and fun. Maybe next year I will incorporate Christmas crackers into the Speers family celebration.

After lunch, Tash and her family engaged in a Christmas tradition you certainly never do in the northeast: they had a water fight. Suddenly, everyone around me appeared in their swimmers with guns and water balloons in hand. Without warning hoses were on and spraying in every which direction. No one was safe. Everyone was a target. This included myself and so I ran for cover inside the house. Yes, I was a sissy. The thought of being sopping wet did not appeal to me. Instead, I sat as a spectator inside with the other wise souls and watched the entertaining water battle that took place outside.

Next it was Secret Santa time! Since their family is so large, they do a secrete Santa instead of buying everyone a gift. Tash kindly threw my name into the mix, and my heart swelled with gratitude and thanks when my name was called and a gift was passed my way. It was so kind of them to include me. And the gift I received was perhaps one of the best gifts I could have ever received. I didn't know what to expect since I knew that some stranger who had never met me had bought the gift, but to my extreme delight when I unwrapped the paper I saw the words: "Pass the Pig." I held in my hands the travel version of one of my most favorite childhood games that I use to play at my Grandparents house in Iowa. For those of you who have never had the pleasure to play Pass the Pig, its a simple game- one that mimics dice, except instead of dice you have two pink pigs that you shake and roll. You gain or lose points for the position that they land in (on their back, feet, snout, etc.). It's simple, mindless, time-passing fun. And I have fond memories of playing this game as a young girl at my Grandparents house. How fitting that I should receive it here from a stranger as I celebrate Christmas as far away from my family as possible. At this moment I smiled, feeling connected to my loved ones back home. For me this gift, as silly as it may sound, represented my family being there with me.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent playing games, such as Assassin and Quoits (a ring toss game). That evening Tash and I returned to Janice and Francesco's house where we watched The Santa Clause, another favorite classic American Christmas movie of mine. I was a joy-filled, satisfied little girl when I went to bed that evening. I thanked St. Nick for bringing me a holly, jolly Christmas all the way around the world.

This is how Santa rolls down under

My Holiday Holiday

Wednesday, Dec 22nd I flew to the Gold Coast, which is a city in the Australian state of Queensland. The Gold Coast is a popular tourist hot spot because, as its name suggests, of its sunny climate and string of endless, stunning beaches. Tash had to work during the day, so the plan I had envisioned was that I would spend the day in the Gold Coast soaking up the sun on the beach until she arrived later in the evening. Mother nature had a different idea. She sent bucket loads of rain to meet me in the Gold Coast; when the plane touched down I found myself on the Wet & Grey Coast. I was disappointed but determined to make the most of my hours there. From the airport I caught a bus to Coolangatta, one of the beach suburbs. I strolled the streets, eventually making my way to Point Danger at Tweed Heads. Unbeknown to me at the time, this spot marks the border divide between Queensland and New South Wales so you are able to view the coasts of both (and stand in both states at once if you straddle the line). After a few hours, I became worn out from juggling my umbrella, backpack and carry-on bag that were full of my holiday gear and Christmas gifts and so I retreated back to the airport to wait for Tash's arrival.

View from Point Danger

Tash landed in the Gold Coast around dinner time. Together we hopped on board a bus that took us to Byron Bay, another coastal town popular among backpackers and anyone with a laid-back, care free mentality. Byron Bay is the Woodstock of Australia. It is a hippie town abounding with shops full of tie-die attire, incense and chimes (among other things). Most impressive were the rainbow painted buses called "Happy-mobiles" that ran through town. We spent the evening at Chameleon, a cute and cozy cafe, where we munched on the most delicious $5 veggie pizzas (loaded with pumpkin and zucchini) and sipped on wine while taking in the cool decor and singing along to the Beetles playing in the background. The following day the rain had ceased (although the clouds prevailed) and we explored the town streets and then attempted to walk to the iconic lighthouse. I say attempt because somewhere along the way we managed to make a wrong turn (I am sure we followed the signs correctly) and ended up at the bottom of the cliff where the lighthouse was located. So we did "see" the lighthouse, just way up above instead of way up close.

The Byron Bay lighthouse from afar

In the evening we boarded another bus en route to Casino, the beef capital of Australia, where we were to catch a train to Coff's Harbor where Tash's family resides. Casino was an interesting place. Actually, no- the place itself was quite dull and unexciting. It was the people at Casino that were interesting. You may know them as hill billies and rednecks. Here in Australia they go by the name of "bogans." To my left and right stood men of all ages sporting mullets, rat tails, gold teeth and long beards. We overheard one man say, and I quote, "You know hill billies? Well I can't afford a hill so I'm a flat billy." As I said, that was a direct quote. This was a side of Australia I had yet to see. I felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I wanted to turn to Tash and say, "Tash, we're not in Sydney anymore." We nearly clutched each for the entire length of the train ride, until we arrived at Coff's Harbor where Tash's brother and cousin picked us up. Now it was time for the Christmas portion of the holiday to begin!

The Rainbow Shop at Byron Bay

Farewell Sydney Life, Hello Nomad Life!

Life as I have known it in Sydney has come to an end. Last night was my final evening working at the Summit Restaurant. Last night was my final night living in my share house. This morning I officially become a traveling nomad!

The plan: I leave this morning for the Gold Coast. I am spending the day there. Then my friend Natasha is flying in and we are going to Byron Bay, and then to Coff's Harbor where we will spend the holidays with her family. I will return to Sydney on January 28th and remain here for New Years (I can't wait to see the fireworks show!). Then on January 2nd I am flying to New Zealand to meet Laura, my sis, in Auckland. We have rented a car and together will travel around the north and south islands. Afterwards, I will fly to Cairns. I have purchased a hop-on, hop-off bus pass and intend to travel down the east coast stopping along the way at numerous towns and tourists hot spots including Magnetic Island, Fraiser Island and the Whitsunday Islands. Then I'm coming home on February 8th, and bringing along with me Natasha. She has always dreamed of 1) going to New York and 2) seeing snow, so this was the perfect opportunity for her to do both.

Because of my travels, I'm not sure how much access I will have to a computer and/or Internet. However, through it all I am going to try and continue to update you all! So please continue to check back to my blog, just with the understanding that the quality of the blogs may decrease slightly as I will probably be giving a rushed account of my journeys. But I will post, I promise. Until then- Bon Voyage!!

I Ate A Kangaroo

I couldn't let myself leave Australia without trying Kangaroo. Yes, Australians eat Kangaroo. And so I needed to too. I had been told that kangaroo was tough and chewy, especially if overcooked. Plenty of people here order a rump of roo (like a big piece of steak), but this did not interest me in the least. I decided that the best means to ingest this iconic aussie animal would be on pizza, with other "things" that could potentially mask its taste if unpleasant. So last night at the Australian Heritage Hotel I ordered their famous kangaroo pizza, accompanied by cheese, roasted capsicum (aka peppers) and berries. The pizza was tasty. I ate every inch of it. This means that kangaroo was not only edible, but actually quite to my liking. It was tough and chewy, as I had been told, reminding me of a piece of well done steak. I don't foresee myself craving roo again, but I am happy that I can say I tried and enjoyed kangaroo.

OPRAHHHHH MANIAAAAA

Oprah came to town, to Aussie town. Did you know that? Because it was a HUGE deal around here. To the Aussies, Oprah is practically on par with the gods. There was more excitement about her arrival than if it had been the Queen of England. Aussies love Oprah. Ironically, it's when I'm farthest away from the US that I am closest to Oprah. When I was in Melbourne, we accidentally stumbled upon Oprah and her crew dining in an elegant arcade (aka shopping mall). There were tons of security guards outside the venue warding off crazy fans with cameras. When I returned back to Sydney was the same time that Oprah arrived in Sydney. While at work I was able to see the filming of her show at the Opera House. I couldn't actually see Oprah, but I certainly saw the massive audience sitting on the Opera House steps cheering her on. How fun. It was all anyone could talk about for days. But not Oprah has gone, taking with her the hoopla, hype and madness. Normalcy has returned to Sydney. I just thought you should know in case you had wondered or worried where Oprah had gone. =)

The Great Ocean Road Road-Trip

One item on the top of my list of "Places To See & Things To Do" was to drive The Great Ocean Road, one of the world's most famous and beautiful coastal drives, and see its most prominent landmark- The Twelve Apostles. The road stretches 151 miles along the bottom of Australia through seaside towns, beaches, country hills and rainforests. I shared my desire to drive the road with Aubrey, and she was all for taking a road trip! While there are many guided tours of the road, we decided it would be more cost effective and fun to rent a car and drive the road ourselves.

Monday morning we woke and set-off to rent a car for the day. At the shop they informed us that they only had manual cars left, which I thought was a major problem considering that I don't have a clue how to drive stick. Fortunately, Aubrey's first car as a young teen was a manual car so she volunteered to be the designated driver for the day.  We grabbed the keys, hopped in the car and were off! The car rental place had given us both horrible directions and maps (the index page was missing so I had no idea which map was for which area of Melbourne) so it took us nearly an hour just to make our way out of the city and onto the highway. However, after stopping a couple of times for help we made it onto the correct highway which turned into The Great Ocean Road. Finally, we were cruising off on our road trip adventure!

We enjoyed driving along the windy road, taking in the beautiful scenery around us. One moment we would be staring at the gorgeous ocean coastline, and the next we would be rolling through the country side surrounded by cattle and sheep. Our final destination was to reach the Twelve Apostles which from Melbourne was about a 4 hour drive, but the whole fun of driving the road is stopping at the small towns and sights along the way. First, we stopped at the Sheoak Falls. We walked through the rainforest for about 20 minutes until we reached the lovely waterfall hidden in the brush. After resting by the falls, we resumed our drive. Due to our desolate location, we had no radio reception and thus no music to accompany us on our drive. While I was not bothered by this static silence (thanks to the hooligans who stole my radio in New Haven), it drove Aubrey nuts.  She was desperate to find some sort of music to listen to on our drive, and at any opportunity would pull up to parked cars and pedestrians and ask them, "Excuse me fine gentleman. You wouldn't happen to have any CDs that you are looking to part with, do you?" I cracked up laughing every time she did this (at least 5 times), and each time they would shake their heads no. Everyone she asked was either in a rental car like we were, or they had ipods. To make up for this lack of music, Aubrey and I sang. We sang Christmas carols and 90's music hits (Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Will Smith were the favorite artists) at the top of our lungs as we drove along the road. I wish we had recorded our performances, because they were pretty spectacular. Undoubtedly grammy worthy.

Brye ready to rock-and-roll as the DD

Cruising down the highway

At the start of the Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road

The Sheoak Falls

Our next pit stop was at Apollo Bay, a seaside town located midway between Melbourne and the Twelve Apostles. We noshed on crackers, cheese and watermelon while sitting by the ocean, and then carried on. We arrived at the Twelve Apostles around 5:00 p.m. The Twelve Apostles are limestone rocks that jut from the water right of the shore of the Port Campbell National Park. I'm not sure why they are called the Twelve Apostles (there are only 8 rocks), but they were awesome and a unique site to see. We arrived just in time to see the sun set behind the rocks. Then it was time to make the trek back to Melbourne. It was such a fun day, and I am so grateful that Aubrey a) knew how to drive stick and b) was willing to drive the entire length of the trip. It was a long day and she was a trooper. I thanked her repeatedly for making my Great Ocean Road-Trip dream come true! It was the perfect end to an awesome weekend in Melbourne.

The Twelve Apostles

The seaside coast

The end of the trip: sunset and our sturdy car

Melbourne Holiday

Last weekend Sara, Aubrey and I took a 4 day holiday to Melbourne, the rival city of Sydney. People here seem to be particular to one city; I personally love them both. I was told by some that Melbourne was a lot like New York City, but I disagree. I think it is more like a Philly- very cultural and artsy while at the same time historic. It mixes old European flair with a hip, funky art culture. We spent the first night in the city and the following 3 nights in St. Kilda, the beach part of Melbourne comparable to Bondi Beach in Sydney. We had an absolutely lovely time. It was the first and last trip that the three of us took together. Sara is leaving this week to return to the USA, thus it was bitter sweet to be able to travel to this awesome city together before she left.

The tour guide books say that Melbourne is a city you visit for the food, shopping and art, and so our trip was primarily comprised of eating (my favorite activity), shopping (window shopping that is) and exploring the city streets filled with colorful graffiti and art. Hannah, one of our Australian friends, put us in touch with Simon, one of her good friends who lives in Melbourne. He generously offered to be our tour guide weekend and took us all around Melbourne making sure to show us the local favorite spots not mentioned in tour books. But make no mistake, us tourists still made sure to see the places Lonely Planet said not to miss. I thoroughly enjoyed wandering the alluring and intricate cafe and boutique filled streets- they pulse with a unique energy. Additionally, Melbourne has a great trolley transportation system which makes getting around simple as can be. Some of the main sight highlights of the trip included: the Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens, art galleries, various fairs and markets, the Melbourne Luna Park, and Brighton Beach.

My favorite mural located in St. Kilda

Brighton Beach: Lined with the cutest, most colorful cobanas



Gazing at art...



The Melbourne Luna Park located in St. Kilda

Indulging in amazing tapa bombas...one of the food highlights of the trip

On Monday, Sara had to return to Sydney for work so Aubrey and I decided to rent a car and drive the Great Ocean Road. The details of this adventure will come shortly in another blog. Thus I will leave this as- TBC!