Beachy Keen

As I have mentioned, I am counting down the final days of my absolutely sublime three month vacation here in Australia. On April 1, I'll enter back into the working world, and while the idea of giving up my beachy keen lifestyle leaves me with trepidation, this new gig excites me tremendously.

Even though I've been nothing but a glorified bum for the past 90 days, I've learned a lot about Sydneysiders and I'm glad I took the time to adapt to my surroundings appropriately. In New York, I found solace under a cherry blossom tree in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Here, I relish in quiet time at Tamarama Beach. The ivory sand and mouthwash colored waves get me every time.

Let's be honest though. My lifestyle as a working woman won't completely defeat my cruise control mentality. With a 9-5 steady plus 20 vacation days, 10 sick/personal days, and a dozen national holidays (Good Friday AND Easter Monday, seriously), I don't think I'll be beach deprived for a long time coming.

Week in Review

I realize I've been a pretty sorry excuse for a blogger. It's funny how time just slips away so easily here. Regardless, it's been a pretty eventful week and I'm excited to share a few musings.

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day this past Tuesday and it was the first time I can remember being able to wear a green sundress and not a sweater, pants and winter cap! We O'Donnell's were the only micks in the group, but the juxtaposition of a Malaysian, a Pole, a Greek and a few Sydneysiders was amusing nevertheless. On St. Patrick's Day everyone is Irish, right?

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were spent training and learning about a job that I hope will begin this week, although I am too superstitious to let the cat out of the bag just yet. It's a dream gig and one that will really make my Sydney experience worthwhile from a career standpoint, but I don't want to get too excited until the ink is dry. If everything goes as planned, it will be a fantastic opportunity and one that will definitely keep me on my toes.

As always, the weather has been stunning, so I met Kendra and her friends from Connecticut at the beach on Saturday. I arrived just after everyone had a bit of a scare from a shark sighting. Luckily, I got to Bondi and found the three girls with all their limbs attached.

Sunday was a treat - we spent the day at lovely Watsons Bay (pictured) having drinks on the deck of the Watsons Bay Hotel. The place looks over the Harbour and out into the city and it's very popular with the locals, so I was glad to show our guests a great spot off the beaten (tourist) path.

Looking on to this week, I am excited to spend my last few work free days soaking up the sun. Kendra and her friend Nick are headed north to explore Queensland and do some camping at the Great Barrier Reef, and I am so thrilled for them to have that experience. I hope to be able to head north myself soon, but I'll be sure that my adventure includes a big bathroom and a very fluffy bed!

PS - Huge shout out to my mates at 5W who sent me such a lovely package this past week. Colored cotton balls, glue, mud masque and skyn - what more could a girl as for!

Two Months

This past Friday marked two months since we arrived here in Sydney. I'm still astounded that we made this leap and I don't know if that will ever go away. It's wonderful to be so excited about life!

I've been meeting a lot of people about jobs and I'm hoping to get in the swing of things in the next few weeks. Although perpetual vacation is an absolute dream, I am definitely ready to start applying myself in a business sense. There are only so many beaches in Sydney! Haha.

Kendra and I met some Brooklynites the other day and it's been really interesting trading stories and learning about other people. I especially like meeting Americans and finding out what made them move to the other side of the world. Sometimes it's a job, but for many it seems like more of a "now or never" decision, similar to how we landed here.

Kendra's friends from growing up are visiting this week (shout out!) so she's very excited to show them the city and have some familiar faces around. We're also looking forward to celebrating St. Patrick's Day this coming Tuesday. There are a ton of Irish immigrants here in Australia and we'll definitely be pounding a few Guinness with the best of them. It should be a busy week, and we're looking forward to more gorgeous weather and each day that will bring new adventures and fond memories for us.

Coogee to Bondi (and more funny words)

Kendra and I are lucky enough to have some of the most magnificent beaches in the world just a short ride away from our apartment in Sydney. We took advantage of another stunning afternoon and checked out the Coastal Walk, which starts at Bondi Beach and weaves its way south to Coogee. We arrived on the trail just above Coogee and headed north, dropping down and winding up the ocean cliffs of the Tasman Sea. We came upon Gordons Bay, which houses a heaping collection of old rowboats and one of the most breathtaking ocean views I have ever seen. Heading onward, we came to Clovelly Beach, a tiny inlet that calms the sea for families and young children to swim. We let ourselves get lost a little bit around Burrows Park, where the ocean path hugs the cliffs so closely that we couldn't resist a photo op from above! Rounding the bend, we found ourselves at Waverley Cemetery, a gigantic yet reflective resting place on the water. Many of the residents were buried there in the late 1800's and early 1900's, which made for a interesting and tranquil history lesson. Next up was Bronte Beach, a lovely little spot with picnic tables for a yummy lunch with a view. Finally, we came to Tamarama, which I have wondered about since meeting a band a few years ago by the same name. When they told me the name of the band originated from the beach where they grew up, I never imagined something so lovely. The sea was a gorgeous green and seeing the brave surfers battling the trecherous waves made my sis and I stop to take it all in. On the way to Bondi, we came across the most lovely sandstone, naturally carved in swirls and whirls that would be impressive for the most skilled sculptor. It's hard to believe such beauty can be created by the elements. But seeing is believing, so check out more photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Chelsea.ODonnell/CoogeeToBondiCoastalWalk#

Melbourne

After a few days out on the open road, Kendra and I had a chance to visit Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia. It's a really funky artsy town, full of graffiti-covered laneways and stunning architecture. We got to walk around and visit all the neighborhoods, many of which are similar to New York. Fitzroy reminds me of the Village, with its tiny specialty shops and dozens of restaurants. We stayed in St. Kilda, a great little suburb about 20 minutes south of the Central Business District, right on the ocean. Melbourne is much different from Sydney because while there is tons of stuff to do at night, there is not that much activity in the day time. In Sydney, everyone is running, swimming, sailing, going to the market, and on and on. Melbourne is a bit more quiet, although they definitely have their share of things to do after dark. It was a great place to see, but after a few days on the road and some time in the city, we were ready to come "home"!