Archives for June 2013

The day of unusual lakes.

Three of them.

After finishing the Great Ocean Road, we continued on our way into South Australia. We first stopped in the town of Mount Gambier. I found it very charming. Not only do you get free drinks at the pokie machines, there’s also a giant sink hole garden in the middle of town. From there we began our day of unusual lakes.

First stop: Blue Lake.

Not only is the lake a gorgeous shade of blue, it also changes color every year nearly over night. I’ll let you read the Wikipedia instead of trying to explain the process. If I were a resident of Mount Gambier I’d definitely be stopping by the lake every so often to check on the color changes. The lake provides the drinking water for the city so there’s no swimming or water fun allowed. Otherwise I’m sure it’d be quite the tourist hotspot.

Second up: Pool of Siloam.

The water in Pool of Siloam is seven times saltier than the ocean. We headed here so that Mike could have the experience of “swimming” in buoyant water. Since I had already swam a few times in the Dead Sea, I was ok to sit this one out. Plus, it was a windy day and the idea of showering off with cold water outside was really unappealing.

And finally: Our own private lake.

We found a campsite that night next to our very own private lake. I believe we were in Coorong National Park. This also happened to be the night that Mike decided to go on a little wombat hunt. All I know is I woke up alone in the tent to hear expletives followed by running footsteps and the car door slamming. No actual wombats were spotted.

From here we continued on until we reached my favorite city of the entire trip: Adelaide.

xo, jill

Big Thing Thursday: Bench

Size matters.

If I scoured my photographs as thoroughly as a I think I did, today’s post will be the final Big Thing Thursday. Out of all 11 Big Things we visited it was also the most fun!

The Big Bench was installed in 2002 as part of an exhibition. It was built at 2.5 times scale as a park bench and sits on top of a giant mine deposit in Broken Hill.

At first when we came upon the bench I didn’t think much of it. I was actually a little disappointed. Luckily, Mike was thinking more creatively than me. To truly enjoy the bench you just need to change your perspective.

Big Thing: The Big Bench
Location: Broken Hill, New South Wales
Rating:

I hope you enjoyed this mini tour of Australia’s Big Things. To check out others you may have missed, just click here. There are plenty more out there… but they’ll have to wait until next time!

 

xo, jill

Golden Hour on the Great Ocean Road

Quiet beach.

One evening Mike and I drove out to a lookout along the Great Ocean Road. I couldn’t tell you exactly where we were… somewhere near Peterborough. I went down the steps and enjoyed some quiet time on an empty beach. Just me and the seagull.


xo, jill

3 Things I Actually Miss About Abu Dhabi

Time and distance.

You never know what you’ll actually miss after leaving a place. Last year I made a few predictions when I wrote “5 Things I Will Miss About Abu Dhabi” and “5 Things I Will NOT Miss About Abu Dhabi.” Since it’s been over a year now, I thought it would be fun to think over and share what it is that I actually miss. Taking a quick little trip there last month helped to straighten everything out in my mind.

The Top 3 Things I Actually Miss About Abu Dhabi:

Celebrating Molly’s marriage (missing Hannah and Sarah)

1. My friends. I know. In the original post I didn’t include friends and colleagues because I already knew that I would miss them a lot. Well, it turns out… I miss them tremendously! There’s no way they couldn’t be included on this list. Spending time with friends during my quick visit back just solidified how much I love them. Like I said before, it felt like I had only been gone for a few weeks. We’ve all bonded through our shared experience in the UAE in a way that’s hard to explain.(Soldiers in the trenches feels a bit too hyperbolic.) I’m so glad I had great friendships to help me get through the difficult times and celebrate the great times.

One of the only photos of my bed, outtake from our Christmas 2010 video

2. Clean sheets. I probably bring this up several times a week. There’s nothing like coming home from a stressful day at work or a long trip to find your bed perfectly made with a fresh set of clean white sheets. I was seriously spoiled. Living in a hotel apartment might be the greatest thing ever simply for this reason. Amazing. It’s really not the same feeling when you wash and change your own bedding…

Photo by my sister, example of a bodega style shop

3. The food. That’s pretty general but by “food” I mean:

1. The extensive and cheap grocery stores
2. The bodegas on every corner
3. All of my beloved novelty snacks (Square Crisps!!)
4. Saj 2 Go, Forty Fruity, and other regional eateries
5. Meals prepared in Emirati homes

In short, I’m pretty content with not living in Abu Dhabi anymore but I’m also grateful for my three year experience there. I’m glad I hit the green light on that adventure.

xo, jill

The Grotto on the Great Ocean Road

Peaceful.

The Grotto is another little spot I enjoyed along the Great Ocean Road. A sinkhole and waves have created a peaceful little open cave that’s popular with visitors.

If only you could take a little swim in that pool.

xo, jill

From the Hip Friday

Beach bums.

***First, a word about From the Hip Friday. I’ve been going back and forth for several months over whether or not I should lay this weekly feature to rest. But… the reality is that I really love seeing everyone’s less than perfect photos. It’s not often you get to see blurry, out of focus, or blindly composed photos on a travel blog, right? There’s just something that really appeals to me in many of these photographs. So with all that being said, I’ve reached a compromise. From the Hip Friday will now run every other week (opposite of Big Thing Thursday). And like always, if you have a photo you shot from the hip (meaning without using the viewfinder), please share it here!***

Today’s photo from the hip comes from Mike. He snapped it while visiting the beach in Jurmala, Latvia. During the Soviet Era, when high level Communist Party officials needed a little beach holiday they came here. The beach is 33km long and covered in white quartz sand. I can see the appeal! Who knows what Mike’s intended subject was here, but I’m sure it definitely wasn’t the beautiful women. Right?


Thanks, Mike!

xo, jill

From the Hip Friday features photos taken without the use of a viewfinder. If you have a photograph that was taken from the hip you’d like to share here, please contact me!

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