Sunday, March 30, 2014

More- Week 42

This week there was another trip to the city and more surfing! The little one and I headed into the city on our own this week to check out the Sydney Wildlife Zoo. It's right next to the Aquarium and just as much fun. We even petted a bearded dragon and two snakes. She was thrilled and spent lots of time waving at the snap snap aka croc.










Surfing went much much better this weekend, I didn't run over any small children! The group was big again but they split those of us who had done lessons before away from the very beginners. I was a little bit worried when the others said they had all done 6plus lessons but while we were reviewing what we should have learned already they didn't know. This reassured me that I was in the right group for my skills. We learned how to turn in theory, I still can't manage it in practice. It was great that we were able to hit the water before the rest of our big group and got some good rides in. When the rest of the group came I practiced falling off my board in order to avoid people. I was hit once or twice by someone else. I didn't think anything of it while in the water but noticed a big bruise when I got home. I quite enjoyed the instructors who were great at giving tips and helping to catch waves. This was my last lesson with them unless I have some extra money at the end of my travels. I would recommend Manly Surf School to anyone looking to begin surf lessons. 



Too Much Fun- Week 41

This week was way too much fun, shouldn't weekends be for sleeping and relaxing…I might need another weekend stat! We did another city play date this time at Sydney's Sealife Aquarium. I definitely recommend this if you are visiting Sydney with kids. We had so much fun looking at all the fishes and trying to feed the children to the sharks, and we even tickled a shark on his belly (through the glass of course)!







I spent my weekend checking out Sydney's Casino The Star. I have to say that gambling is not my forte, as I lost 10 dollars on slots! I had another surfing lesson. This time during high tide and wow what a difference in my abilities. It's hard to get on the board when you can't touch and the waves are crashing in. I was still able to stand up but did less as it was such a struggle to get out. The lesson class was much larger this time which meant that we were constantly running into one another. Several people crashed quite hard. I did some nose dives and sideways falls to avoid people. The worst was near the end as I was surfing into shore, I ran over a small child. I was horrified and couldn't stop the board or turn (must take more lessons). Luckily she seemed okay just shocked. 

After surfing I finally was able to check out Luna Park, another great place! I went with some other au pairs and we had so much fun. My favourite was the bumper cars as we all crashed into one another and generally acted silly. The park itself was like stepping back in time and one of the rides was scary because it shook and rattled with its age. I kept expecting Ryan Gosling as Noah to come ask me out!








Needless to say, I spent sunday pretty much comatose watching Patrick Swayze movies from the 80's. I'm now a huge Swayze fan! Dirty Dancing is still my favourite though!

Play dates all around- Week 40

This week we decided to switch up our routine and have a play date in the city. We decided to check out the Darling Harbour playground which is a great spot for kids. There are all kinds of play equipment, and a water area as well. We had a blast running around and playing especially with the water!




Obviously clothes were optional or someone's nanny forgot about the water play area. Either way we had a blast playing!

I went out this weekend, first time in awhile with some aupairs on a bar crawl in the city. It was so much fun to meet new people and I even made some new friends. I love that the aupair culture here is so big and that I am able to meet people from all over the world. 









The Canadian graffiti in the bathroom made my night! 


Surfing- Week 39

I WENT SURFING FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER…………AND NOW I'M HOOKED!!

On a more serious note, surfing…not such a hot sport when you keep falling into the water! I was nervous going into my lesson but quickly understood what I was supposed to do. Stay away from the rips, catch waves that are white, paddle, catch the wave, paddle, slowly stand and ta da surfing. It's much harder than it looks to catch the waves. Luckily I'm pretty good on my feet and was able to get up almost every time. I can officially say I'm hooked on surfing and wow is it ever a work out. I'm looking forward to going again next weekend.











I fall more in love with Australia every day! 

Mardi Gras Parade- Week 38

This weekend was my first time at a Mardi Gras parade! I was expecting lots of half naked and proud LGTB and my expectations were more than filled. It was a very neat parade, my favourite part was probably Dykes on Bikes. Very cool! The streets were packed and I actually wait for over two hours before the parade started to make sure that I had a good spot. I watched most of the parade however near the end it was so tiring trying to keep my good spot and looking around people (I'm not tall you know!) that I left early. Overall it was a great experience and I definitely recommend it!