Bondi to Bronte

         This past weekend my family here took me on a very famous walk along the beach and the cliff-side. For two weeks each year, about a hundred sculptures are placed along the the path and thousands of people come out to see them and enjoy the spectacular beach weather. We went early in the morning and had a big breakfast that we prepared in a park near Bronte Beach and then we walked to Bondi which is one of Sydney's main tourist beaches. The sculptures were made of a wide assortment of materials and no two were alike or even similar. They all seemed made specifically for where they would be placed and added so much to the atmosphere that it made me wish they would keep them there all year round. They were smart enough to bring two cars and we parked one at the end so we could drive back to Bronte as the kids would not have been at all happy about having to make the walk back. We already had to bribe them with ice cream to get them through to the end without too many complaints as it was.
        When we arrived back at Bronte we went for a much needed swim as it was a very hot day and I had a great time playing in the high surf. Jumping in the waves brought back memories of childhood and it had been too long since I had been in a proper ocean. After a while we headed to a pool carved out of the rocks by the sea that high tide fills as it washes over it's edges. This was a very different experience and one I will definitely make my way back to. It was really a very spectacular idea and a very simple one at that which made it all the more beautiful. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the time we spent in the water, but I did take tons of photos during our walk. I'm sorry already because I fully intend to include far too many photos. I can tell that it's going to be really difficult for me to choose between them, so this time I'm just going to choose them all. If you get bored, stop looking. :-P I didn't edit these at all! It's really this beautiful here!

Live Album Recording

        Sunday instead of having church as usual, all of the Hillsong campuses throughout the city joined together for the recording of Hillsong United's newest album. Admission was free and it took place in the Sydney Entertainment Center which is insanely massive. It was a packed house and as you may have guessed, it was an absolutely amazing night. As I'm sure you'll notice, we were somewhat in the nosebleed section, but I honestly think it only added to the experience. I went with a few friends from Switzerland and worshiped God surrounded by people from all over the world, one of the perks offered by a big city. God is doing some really amazing things in the hearts of his people here in Sydney. I feel blessed to be a part of it and to have met so many wonderful people through Hillsong. I tried multiple times to upload a video I strung together from my favorite songs of the night, but it seams Blogspot has a few kinks to work out. I posted it on facebook instead if you care to watch.  Life here is getting really exciting! Lots of fun things planned for the weekend. Tell you about them all soon!

American City of Future (1925) #2

I just stumbled across this and I find this pretty interesting. Some of this looks really good....at least in theory. Maybe we should give his ideas some thought. ??

American City of Future (1925) #2

Halloween

        Halloween is just starting to take off in Australia, but up until a few years ago, it really wasn't celebrated here at all. It has always been my favorite holiday and I'll use any excuse I can find to take part in all of the childish traditions, so I went all out for the kids and did my best to show them what Halloween is all about in the States. We had a little party for them and invited a few of their friends and this allowed them to decorate the house and also help me with a few fun Halloween desserts. I also took them and their friends trick-or-treating and we all dressed up and had a lot of fun going door-to-door asking for lollies (all candies here are called lollies) even if only about a third of the houses we went to participated in the tradition. They told me it was the best Halloween they'd ever had and that made it all worth it. I'd say the day was definitely a success. If you can't figure out what the desserts are...they are witch cupcakes and ghost rice crispy treats. The jellies I didn't make. Their daddy picked them up in Hong Kong for the party. ha.

Sydney Opera House & Botanical Gardens

        Since it was a particularly beautiful day, this past Saturday we decided to take the ferry into the city. We went to Circular Quay for lunch and then took a walk past the famous Sydney Opera House and through the Botanical Gardens. The Opera Houses are Sydney's most famous landmark so I was glad to finally get to see them in person. I hope to one day see a show or a concert inside so I'll have to keep my eye out for something that looks particularly interesting.
        What really blew me away though, were the trees in the Botanical Gardens. There were so many insanely old and beautiful trees. I had never even heard of most of them. Australia has such diverse plant life because its climate is so varied.  It always amazes me to see how they grow so strangely over time, reaching for the the water and putting down new roots as they become more and more enormous and have a greater need for it. I really can't describe them, and although the photos don't really do them justice either, it's better than nothing. I hope you get a feel for how gigantic they were.
        There are also several shots of bats in some of the trees. There were literally hundreds of them hanging from the tree tops in broad daylight which really surprised me. They had furry brown heads and made a lot of funny squeaky noises. I understand it that they are actually harmful to the trees and becoming a problem in the park, but I enjoyed them all the same. I hope you do too!