Sydney, Bloody Sydney

[delicious drinks and beautiful views at the Bondi Icebergs Surf Club]

Happy new year 8 days late!   (This is actually in advance for next year, so, you’re welcome. I’m very prompt.)

I’ve been back in beautiful Boulder for a week now, and boy has it been a whirlwind.  Big changes at work, friends moving, snowstorms…but really, who cares about that stuff?  I went to Australia!

The rest of my trip went swimmingly (sorry) in Sydney, where I was careful to spend a lot of time sunning myself on the beach, drinking beer, and eating delicious Aussie desserts.  It was very hard.

Anyway, here are pictures.  I’m going to cook something this week.  And that’s a promise!  Disclaimer: if you don’t like beaches, leave now.

[What I learned on vacation: it is HARD to take a picture of the whole beach without making the photo crooked.  Big sorries all around.]

[The elementary school I attended as a kid, Woollahra Public School.  It looks EXACTLY the same.  Also, is that hopscotch?!]

[Feet.  Beach.  Christmas.  What?]

[Mother and Sister, obeying Sydney’s famous thou-shalt-get-tan-on-Christmas law.  At least, I think that exists.]

[This chick keeps it all klassy, all the time.]

[This wasn’t weird because in New Jersey, we eat Christmas dinner outside in short sleeves and cowboy hats also.  So this was basically just normal.  Not.]

[These flowers are EVERYWHERE in Sydney – they’re called Agapanthus.  Once, when I was in fifth grade, our teacher made us write a short story or poem about something called an Agapanthus as homework, and everyone brought in epic poems about monsters and dinosaurs.  Then we found out that they were these.  Major buzzkill, but the sort of look like alien flowers, so that’s a little more gratifying.]

[Token touristy shot, to prove that this was actually Australia and not South Palm Beach…or am I just REALLY sweet at photoshop?!]

[Oh hai, Opera House!  You’re covered in (other) tourists.  I’m leaving now.]

[Gorgeous Tamarama and Bronte beaches on one of our nicest days]

[Bondi is strictly okay looking.]

[My personal highlight of the trip – an overnight in Whale Beach, one of Sydney’s northern beaches.]

[I want these Darling Harbour balloons in my backyard!  I guess that would entail having a backyard…]

[Nighttime shot of Darling Harbour…it’s pretty sweet.]

[Two of the best children I have EVER met in my life, Anton and Lucia]

[The fam at Watson’s Bay for fish and chips on our last day.  Fun fact: I am wearing glasses beneath my sunglasses due to a really fun, unexpected eye infection.  How’s that for trivia??  See ya, Sydney!]

Love the travel, but glad to be home!  I hope you’re all still kicking ass in the new year!