The last few weeks have begun

Dear ones!

Since the cruise, I have been at home alone with the boys every day and all the therapies are on summer vacation. We do a lot of crafts, baking, and playing.

Unfortunately, Jett is very addicted to his Minecraft game on the Xbox. I have also had to play it several times (or had to^^).

Now I always take weekends off because I need time to recharge and gather ideas. I also take the opportunity to explore the surroundings here a little better and to spend time with my newly made friends.

So last weekend, I went to Catherine Hill Bay at the beach. It was very warm and after 40 minutes drive, we were very excited about the water! Unfortunately, shortly before our arrival, a shark had been spotted, as a sign on the beach revealed to us.

After some skepticism, we followed some brave other beach visitors into the water. Everything went well.

In the afternoon, we drove back to Newcastle and had some ice cream before meeting three newly arrived au pairs. Unfortunately, two of them had to leave soon, so the three of us spontaneously went to Redhead beach for an evening walk in the sun. Then I spontaneously spent the night at my friend's place. We cooked together and watched a movie before going to sleep. We got up again at 4:30 am to go to the beach and watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, it was a very cloudy morning, so we could only imagine the sun. However, we still went swimming :)

This weekend, another au pair and I went to the Blue Mountains. They are located about 2 hours west of Sydney. We took the train early Saturday morning and arrived in Katoomba around noon. There was a rockabilly festival with lots of great cars and great live music there on the weekend.

After a coffee, we started hiking because that was the main reason for our visit. And we were not disappointed. The weather was fantastic, blue sky and sunshine, but fortunately not too hot. We walked past small waterfalls and on the first day, we hiked the cliff walk and ended up at the Three Sisters, a beautiful rock formation.

In the evening, we grilled at the hostel and met another German guy, with whom we went for a beer in the village pub. After a short night, we set off early the next morning and explored the Giant Stairways. We walked alone through the Leura Forest and enjoyed the silence and the waterfalls.

Around noon, we picked up our things from the hostel and took the train a few more stations into the mountains and got off in a small sleepy town called Blackheath. On the advice of a local, we visited a small nature reserve where we had a little waterhole all to ourselves. It was very nice and relaxing. Unfortunately, we were a bit disorganized and had to sprint back to the train, but fortunately, we just made it in time :)! It was a very nice weekend that I will remember for a long time! I could get used to more weekends like this! Unfortunately, the following weekend will be the last one with my host family for now!

Next Thursday, I will board a plane to the Gold Coast, where I can stay with my host mother's aunt for five nights. Then I will continue to Melbourne, where I will stay for 4 nights before flying to Sydney. After 5 nights there, I will board a plane to Bali, where I will stay for three weeks. Two friends will also come there, which I am very excited about! I will try to blog from the road, let's see if the internet allows it :)

I am really looking forward to the upcoming trip, but I already feel a certain sadness when I think about saying goodbye to the family and especially to the boys. The time here has been and is very intense, and we have had many great moments together. After Bali, I will come back to the family for one last weekend before boarding the plane back home.

Tomorrow is National Day here, Australia Day, and we will go to the harbor to join in the festivities. I will report back!

Take care and see you very soon,

your Leyla