cheers mate!

time flies when you are having fun! the third leg of this journey is complete... more details to come later but wanted to at least post some pics of Sydney first... on to Melbourne!

the girls enjoying lunch at the icebergs

yep this is real! 

bondi beach after a sunday session

crazy pink flowers at the zoo

icebergs where i yoga-ed and lunched 

bloody marys midwest style

the sydney opera house!

watching footie with the mates

a real australian didgeridoo!

bondi lifeguard and my traveling mate (not really a lifeguard just a random traveler who pretended to be a lifeguard to jump in the pic)

view from Zumba class i took at the surf club

a real live kangaroo... they don't do much and act and look a lot like lila

i have a lot more gorgeous photos to post of the opera house, harbour bridge, and the botanical gardens but my brand new Mac Air is holding them hostage. to be posted once found! 

namaste!

melissa 

Hello Eastern Hemisphere!

I have arrived in the Eastern Hemisphere and it is amazing! My gracious hosts picked me up from the airport after the 14 hour flight early on Tuesday morning (yep you leap forward a day when you head down under). It was a beautiful day in Sydney and we quickly got out to enjoy it. They live about a five minute walk from Bondi Beach and it's breathtaking. Not only is the beach close there are tons of fabulous shops, restaurants, and bars within a few steps. We enjoyed lunch with mimosas at a cafe overlooking the beach and then headed to the beach for a couple of hours. Of course my midwest skin got burnt as the sun is intense down under especially since there is no Ozone layer. I have got to be careful! After enjoying the beach we enjoyed some wine and headed to dinner at a Thai restaurant  which was a little more authentic than my go to, Penny's Noodle in Chicago. 

I tried to get on the time zone here and slept in until I headed to a yoga class by the sea. My first yoga class in the Eastern Hemishphere! Although I was already red, I had lathered up with my SPF and unrolled my mat in a gorgeous spot in the sun overlooking the Pacific. It was an invigorating flow class led by a knowledgeable teacher who encouraged us to breathe in the sea. At the end of class before savasana, she encouraged us to sigh everything out... to let out whatever had happened that day, that month, or that year. I sighed... a lot. As I tried to let go of everything that has happened to me in the past year, tears started rolling down my face. I only hope that this trip allows me to let it all go. Not to forget everything that happened but to let it go and allow my spirit to be lighter as I move into the next chapter of my life. 

View from Yoga Mat

Namaste

Melissa