“You are in this time of the interim Where everything seems withheld. The path you took to get here has washed out; The way forward is still concealed from you.” ~John O’Donohue, For the Interim Time They call it Crossing The Ditch. The Tasman Sea, a 1,200-mile-wide body of water separating Australia and New Zealand. … Read More
Australia
A Day in Melbourne: Artsy Laneways, Charming Arcades & Oh-So-Cool
If Sydney were a sleek, sunny and sophisticated young woman, it’s safe to say that Melbourne would be her ultra-hip, funkier teen-aged sister. Australia’s second largest city and capital of Victoria just oozes cool. From its lively narrow laneways to gorgeous nineteenth-century arcades to a diverse international array of foods and flavors, it’s a feast for … Read More
Hiking Cape Woolamai: Glorious Views, Wallabies All Around & Shearwaters at Sunset
Every trip has its favorite moment. It’s often unexpected, maybe even unplanned. It may surprise us or take our breath away or teach us something we didn’t know before. It’s top of mind, the thing we’re quick to talk about when friends ask what we liked best about a place. For whatever intangible reason, the … Read More
Australia’s Phillip Island: Rhyll Inlet Walk & Koala Conservation Centre
Rhyll Inlet Walk Trying to spot birds and wildlife on a nature hike is a little like walking through a Hidden Pictures page from Highlights children’s magazine. You know you should be able to find them – sometimes you can even hear them – but they can be elusive, blending in with the landscape, just … Read More
Bondi to Coogee Beach: Sydney’s Many-Splendored Coastal Walk
“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, Drink the wild air’s salubrity.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Merlin’s Song “Oh, I love going to the beach,” our Uber driver was saying as we rode through Sydney’s streets on a quiet Sunday morning. It was our last day in this city that had quickly won us over, and … Read More
A Day in Sydney: Harbour Bridge, Opera House & A Wonderful Walk
“Sydney Harbour…one of the finest, most beautiful, vast, and safe bays the sun had ever shown upon.” ~ Joseph Conrad, Mirror of the Sea Early Morning The morning sun was reflecting off angled glass windows of the Sydney Opera House as we began our walk along the Circular Quay. It was mid-January, the heart of … Read More
Australia’s Hunter Valley: Wine, Wallabies & A Koala Named Kamballa
I couldn’t get enough of that face. Her intense round eyes stared soulfully at us from the nearby fence top as we waited for a chance to pet this beautiful creature. Cautiously, she made her way toward us, her claw-tipped paws gripping the edge of the wood. “Approach her carefully, from her back,” her handler … Read More