Exploring Geelong region

Cafe Go, Geelong, January 10, 2015

We started off our weekend at a little cafe in Geelong that Barry discovered when he was here in September. He said he thought I would love it and oh, was he right!! From the front of the cafe it looks like any other little coffee shop with a small seating area inside. Once inside though you walk out through the back of the cafe and it's a little hidden oasis! Gorgeous plants and lots of bright sunshine through the covered roof. Colorful seating, leather furniture and pretty knick-knacks everywhere. I could have sat there for hours. I tried to take a few pictures to show everyone (without seeming creepy). Took the top one over my shoulder.

Cafe Go

Long black

Hannah enjoying Cafe Go

We shared a nice selection of pastries and specialty drinks. They hand out stuffed animals instead of numbers when you order (so they can bring your order to you). Lydia thought this was awesome! Coffee is a bit different here. You can't often find drip coffee, so you have to order a long black or a latte. According to Wikipedia, "a long black is a style of coffee, most commonly found in Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. It is made by pouring a double-shot of espresso over hot water." It's similar to an Americano for all you coffee aficionados out there! What about coffee pots in hotels and homes? No coffee pots in hotels or the family home we are staying in now. Every place has had a kettle for hot water and instant coffee and tea seems to be the usual. We may splurge and purchase a coffee pot in our permanent rental that we move into next week (if they don't have one). Must have our coffee!!

Lydia loved the stuffed animal at Cafe Go

After filling up on drinks and goodies we took the kids to Kids Runamuk, which is an indoor playground. They loved it! There was a toddler area, but Lydia wasn't having that. She wanted to play in the big kid area. She loved peeking at us through the window up in the playground. Funny girl.

Kids Runamuk

After the kids were worn out we headed towards the coastal village of Torquay and the famous Bells Beach. Torquay is also the start of the Great Ocean Road and is known as one of the world's great scenic drives. We plan to do the full drive at a later time. Bells Beach is a famous surfing beach and is not for swimming by Kansans! A natural underwater rock platform contributes to the excellent surfing conditions at Bells. There is an international surfing competition held at Bells at Easter, which apparently brings thousands of tourists (not sure if we will go or not). The waves were huge on this beach! We enjoyed watching the surfers catch the waves. There was definitely some talent out there!

Bells Beach, January 10, 2015

Bells Beach surfers, January 10, 2015

Queenscliff was the next stop on our journey. It's another coastal village in the region. This village was beautiful and my favorite so far. Tons of quaint little shops and gives a European vibe. We ate a late lunch at Rolling Pin Cakes and Pies, which had a banner that said it had the 2013/14 Australia's Best Pie. Meat pies are common in Australia and similar to chicken pot pie, but many more flavors to choose from. We've discovered that Hannah loves the flavor of lamb, so we tend to order something with lamb everywhere we go. Lamb is much more common in Australia than in the USA.

Rosemary/lamb meat pie-YUM-O!

The kids were pretty tired after that (ok, so were the parents), so we headed back to our hotel for a bit. We took an evening walk along the bay and enjoyed seeing and hearing the sights and sounds of the bay. These black swans were fun to watch. 

Black swans, Geelong, January 10, 2015

On Sunday we went to Mass at St. Mary of the Angels Basilica in Geelong. We've done some communicating with the priest at this church, so after Mass we had the opportunity to connect with him in person. He was very welcoming and offered to help in any way we needed. His name is Father Kevin Dillon, and he said he's been to the U.S. 7 (I think) times. Several of those trips were to Hawaii as they do service projects there, but he'd also been to San Franscisco and New York. Never Kansas though.

After Mass we went to the waterfront to catch a light lunch and then took the kids on their first ride on the Geelong Carousel.

Geelong Carousel, January 11, 2015

We checked into our Airbnb rental for the week. It's a family home (the family is away on holiday), so it comes fully furnished. The family has 2 young boys, so there are plenty of toys around. It's got a big backyard, with a playground and sand pit. Kids are thrilled about that!! There's also a large covered patio with table and chairs, so we've been having most of our meals outdoors. We enjoyed going to the grocery store and stocking up for a week! I've been making some of our favorite meals, as we were ready for a break from eating out.

Newcomb rental, playground, January 11, 2015

Newcomb rental patio

Newcomb rental, Lydia loves sand!

Hannah has declared homeschool so much fun! She misses her friends, but in a happy moment said that she enjoys hanging out with mom all the time. I'll take it!

Finally, I know you were all wanting to see our sweet new ride. I wanted Barry to get this car for us, so we could drive the coastline in style. Isn't it pretty?

Unfortunately, Mr. Practical thought we better get this Holden Commodore Berlina instead (something about luggage fitting and children's safety). All joking aside, it's been a decent car so far and the luggage does fit (well, minus the 3 bags we stashed at a friend's place). 

It's a rainy Tuesday here, so we are stuck inside. Apparently this much rain is highly unusual. There are huge puddles everywhere and it is the first time we've seen that. Hoping the sun returns soon.

Sarah