Great Barrier Reef

Matthes and I are already tired of the alarm sound from iPad, iPhone and the like, so we got out of bed at 06:30 in a not so good mood... a small breakfast with café latte (since it took a bit longer to prepare, we got it in a to-go cup - great thinking!) and we were already in the car on our way to a fantastic trip to the Great Barrier Reef (which, now we know, is not a single reef but many different reefs connected together - so it should be correctly called: we were at the Great Barrier Reefs).

Yesterday afternoon we spontaneously decided to go snorkeling today and with that we picked the perfect day (sun, calm sea), the best company with Poseidon Cruises (great, super nice team, good equipment, great information and delicious food) and since the day wasn't in such high demand, we also had the perfect group because we were only 30 people instead of 85 on the ship.

After a short introduction and a drive of about 1.5 hours to the first (of three) snorkel stops, we were equipped with lycra suits (UV and fire jellyfish protection), snorkel, goggles, and flippers and off we went to have fun.

I can't even say which of the three reefs I liked the most (unfortunately I can only remember 2 out of the 3 names: Harry's Reef and Miracle Reef) - everything was beautiful (the first snorkeling was super exciting: we both hadn't done it in ages and I tend to (almost) hyperventilate when I have a snorkel in my mouth), all different and besides the crazy number of hard and soft corals (which may have different names in German?), there were also many colorful fishes to see: alone, playing catch, in schools, and so on (bright yellow, black with white dots, striped, tiger, shimmering... and of course including Dory and Nemo)!

Three times snorkeling (you could also dive), each time between 45 and 60 minutes, with input from a marine biologist and delicious food. We made the return journey to the port in Port Douglas (almost 1.5 hours) with a smile on our faces and we think: it was spectacular and absolutely worth every cent (especially with our special discount)!

Ursula spent the day today sleeping in (this word hasn't been in my vocabulary for a long time), reading, writing postcards, and chilling by the pool and she found it wonderful (I don't think she ripped her dress).

We ended the evening with drinks outside at the resort bar. Again with the flying foxes show above us...

Unfortunately, photos cannot be uploaded at the moment - check again tomorrow...