Australian adventures...

Surfing in Noosa

Sorry for the prolonged absence but I’ve been on my honeymoon! I have so many amazing stories and pictures to share but given the theme of this blog I’ll try to stay on topic.

I’m happy to report that Australia is one of the healthiest, most fit countries I’ve visited. At times I felt like I was in Santa Monica as the gluten free diet is very popular and restaurants boast about their offering of gluten free, vegan, vegetarian and even paleo items.  Juice shops can be found all over town, the equivalent of Starbucks here in the states. Subway sandwiches can also be found in every major city and the menu includes fresh fruit smoothies. Oh and SUSHI!!!! Sushi is extremely popular, maybe even more so than in California (if that’s possible!)

Fitness-wise they are very active. EVERYONE surfs, at least in the coastal cities. Dave and I had a view of the ocean from our apartment in Noosa and were a little intimidated by the number of surfers we saw. But when we got to the beach we realized that many of them were children! Lots of girls too which was inspiring. Paddle boarding and snorkeling are also popular and I was in good company when I ran the opera house stairs.

Shrimp on the Barbie...we had to

Now for the unhealthy aspects of this culture. First of all, I have never seen so many McDonald’s ("Macca’s") or Burger Kings ("Hungry Jack") in my life! Of course I realize Sydney is a huge tourist city and we were there during the most popular tourism season of the year (summer/ new year’s eve) so maybe they cater to tourists and not locals.

Diving the Great Barrier Reef

My other big complaint . . . the SMOKING.   Again, it may have been tourists smoking and not locals but I couldn’t walk down the street in Sydney without gagging. Dave didn’t seem to mind or even notice which shocked me. Then I realized that smoking in restaurants and bars was still permitted in Michigan until a few years ago. (I have only a vague recollection of smoking sections in California restaurants during my childhood.)  

If my company happened to transfer me to our Sydney office I definitely wouldn’t complain. For the most part it suits my lifestyle perfectly (they are also extremely eco conscious which I love.) But I will settle for visiting again in a few years. Perhaps I’ll head to the west coast and do a bit of wine tasting. And the one other thing I wasn't able to do. . . hold a Koala:)