After going out with my Dad and Uncles to the local pub last night, we again had a quiet day. We visited my grandmother’s grave, and then drove around the area with my Grandpa, taking in some of the sights…
The Ardboe High Cross is over 1000 years old, and still largely intact.
We happened upon this rainbow while driving through the area where my dad lived before the family moved to my Grandpa’s current house.
This weekend Deakin University sponsored a fun trip for us study abroad students. First we got to go take a surfing lesson. Though the weather was gorgeous, the water was unfortunately flat. We did however get to paddle around on our surfboards and play some games, which was fun. And I now know how to surf, at least in theory.
We couldn’t take cameras onto the beach with us (because there was no one to watch then while we were in the water) but here’s a picture of me afterward:
After lunch, we headed to another beach, where we hung out for a few hours. It was gorgeous. Though the day cooled down a bit, I went in the water, and walked up a path that had a nice birds eye view of the beach:
I also discovered this:
Unfortunately, despite the fact that the day got cool and cloudy, and that I put on sunscreen a few times, I managed to get burned basically everywhere, including some lovely 2nd degree sunburns on my chest and back (and possibly arms?). It’s pretty painful, but I’m trying to suck it up and enjoy my time anyway. I’m guessing I’ll need about a week to heal, but since this coming week is filled with class, academic excursions to museums, and paper writing, staying inside and resting up should be no problem.
As if to boost my mood after I realized how bad my sunburn was, my group and I stumbled across this beautiful rainbow at sunset on Saturday night:
Today we spent most of the day in the bus traveling along the Great Ocean Road. It’s pretty much what it sounds like: a road that runs along the ocean. It was built by WWI vets from 1919 until it was finished about 30 years later. There are many beautiful scenic stops along the road, where we got out to take pictures:
We also got to see some Kangaroos at a distance on a golf course before we hit the Great Ocean Road.
(Yes those small things are Kangaroos).
Even cooler than the Kangaroos however, was the Koala we got to see up close and personal at the Kennett River Koala Walk! (on the Great Ocean Road). It was on one of the lowest branches of the tree, and seemed to put on a show for the group so we could get lots of great pictures. Here’s one:
I’m looking forward to our museum excursion in Melbourne tomorrow. I’m also looking forward to this awful sunburn being healed!
Cheers!
