Day 178

"Mum and Dad" were coming home today from Bali so I thought perhaps we should give the kitchen/house a bit of a clean... I think Tess and I got a bit too comfortable throwing our things everywhere without them being home.

Day 177

Just to make the world a little bit smaller, it turns out that our neighbors here in Perth are from Ohio and went to OSU... with Tess's parents being in Bali for the week, Ken and Deb invited us over for a small dinner party with a few of their friends.

Day 176

New haircut!!! Took a bit of inspiration from my friend Georgie whom I met in Gryon... I figured she's got curly hair like mine and she can pull off the short cut so why can't I? It's very liberating to chop it all off! (Please excuse my work clothes/the bathroom shot, it was kind of a hectic day!)

Day 175

I was having one of those days where I simply needed a bit of alone time to clear my mind so I went into Freo to grab a coffee and go for a walk along the beach... I caught the early 1/2 of a beautiful sunset before heading home.

Day 174

This is "our" (McCann's) cat Tigger... whom I simply refer to now as "pup." She's sort of a cat/dog mix rather than a simple house cat.

Day 173

Where I spend much of my day here in the McCann home... in front of the television enjoying a few american programs!

Day 172

Tess took me to King's Park here in Perth before we went for a yoga class at her gym... nice view of the city from the park, eh?

Day 171

I got a job!! I am now an employee of the Tradewinds Hotel here in East Freo... bartending, serving, catering, etc. Very cruisy job. But hey it's a short walk from home and pays well!

Day 170

Mmmm Tess brought home some lovely Krispy Kreme donuts tonight. Yeah america!

Day 169

It blows me away that touchdown jesus made INTERNATIONAL news!! This article made it into the local paper here in Freo... I mean really ohio!

Day 168

I went job hunting by myself today in Freo (Fremantle)... felt good to use a bit of public transport and check out the town on my own, get a little independence back (I've been relying a bit on the ever lovely McCann family). I stayed in town until early evening it was nice to watch the sun set.

Day 167

Tess and I are trying to exercise more so today we went for a walk along the swan river...

Day 166

A very delicious stir fry prepared by mum and I for dinner tonight... yum.

Day 165

I went for a walk with SJ very early this morning along the Matilda Bay (you can see the city of Perth in the distance) and around the University of Western Australia (where she goes to school).


Before we met the rest of the McCann clan for dinner out in Fremantle for Hugh's last night in town, Tess and I went for a drive out to the lighthouse and sat by the ocean for a bit.

Day 164

Today was a day of nursing hangovers and lounging... and a quick trip to the local pub to check it out. This place is called the Left Bank and it's right across from the Swan River near Fremantle.

Day 163

Amy and Duncan's wedding!!


I may have just met them but it was so kind for them to let me be part of this day... and what a perfect day it was. Good weather, fun people, beautiful food and unlimited champagne. What a fabulous start to my Australian adventure!

Day 162

Prepping for Amy and Duncan's wedding tomorrow at the McCann's house (where I am staying here in Perth)... how yummy do these look!

Day 161

My first iPhone photos!! SJ and I went down one of the beaches in Perth for a lovely lunch of fish and chips... it was such a beautiful and warm day even though it's the start of winter.


After going for a drink at Little Creatures (a microbrewery in Fremantle), Tess and I stopped by the beach to watch the sunset.

Day 160

Very lame photo but I finally made it to Australia!!! (this was a sign in a mall in Perth)

Day 159

I spent the WHOLE day on flights with a layover in Singapore. Stayed awake for my Qantas flight... I wonder if anyone actually reads these info pages?

Day 158

The Istanbul airport looked more like a mall...

Day 157

I spent the rainy sunday learning to play backgammon and drinking tea in a small cafe in Taxim with Piers and his mom.


When we tired of the games we started walking back toward Saltanahmet (where our hostel was)... we came across the Galata Tower which is the tallest point in Istanbul. (This is me and Piers)


We also stopped along the way to browse the wharf and have fresh fish sandwiches that cost 3 turkish lira.


We had to walk past the Blue Mosque on our way back to the hostel everyday... what a sight.

Day 156

Girls trip to the Turkish Baths!! What an experience...

Day 155

Inside the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey.

Day 154

Today we got up and a group of us went to the Basilica Cisern (underground aqueducts).



After a cup of tea and some lunch, Sam, Nathan and I went to the Topkapi Palace. Here they have extremely old treasures including an 80 carat diamond, locks of Mohammed's hair, and the staff of Moses. The palace is also full of these beautiful tiles.

Day 153

First day wandering around Istanbul-- went to the Hagia Sophia with my new Kiwi friends Kylie and Pete. Istanbul was voted the culture capital of the world for 2010 so it was really nice to go around to all of the sites and learn about the Ottoman history.


We followed the Hagia Sophia with a trip to a cafe to have some turkish and apple tea and baklava.


Kylie and Pete had to head off to catch a flight back to the UK but I ended up meeting 2 english girls, Chloe and Becky who I tagged along with to the Blue Mosque and the Spice Bazaar.

Day 152

I spent the day traveling from Corfu to Turkey via Athens... on the plane I realized I was carrying several currencies at once.

Day 151

Spent the our last day in corfu in Kirkyra (corfu town) with the Canadians... on our way home from town I found these beautiful (tiny) flowers. I thought the differences in colors were so pretty!

Day 150

The infamous Pink Palace toga party with proper greek dancing, an ouzo circle, and plate smashing... and pink togas all around.


L-R: Me, Rachel, Sarah


L-R: Jason, Me, Jack (Cookie reunion!!)


A ring of fire just before the ouzo circle.

Day 149

Team Toss Pots... best flip cup team ever. I think we went 4 for 6? Tied for 3rd? It doesn't matter much we had so much fun.

L-R: Sarah, Chris, Rachel, Jack, Me, Amy

Day 148

Spent the day on 4-wheelers and went to a new beach (Gilfada) followed by a few hours in corfu town (Kirkyra) with new friends.

Day 147

Boring photo but we actually had a really nice room at the hostel! I shared it with Rachel (from the states) and Danielle (from Canada).

Day 146

Our first themed party at the Pink Palace... a clothes swap with the boys. (This is me with my new Canadian friend Sarah)

Day 145

The perfect start to our first day in Corfu... Jack and I flew/bussed in to visit Jason for the week. First things first, jump off big rocks.


Follow cliff jumping with a long kayak back to the Pink Palace... entertainment provided by Jacko who couldn't manage to stay in the kayak.


Doesn't it feel good to be reunited with some of your best friends?

Day 144

Back to Athens to wander for the day while I waited for the bus to Corfu... not a bad view for the day.

Day 143

But then we had to leave... on a 9 hour slow ferry back to Athens. I suppose the view wasn't too bad :)