Weekend fun in Sydney!

It was fun playing tour guides in Sydney as we met Kevin & Josephine there on the last leg of their Aussie adventure. Here are some photos from our weekend.

2 Asian girls, 2 American boys, and 1 fast boat to get to dinner!

Mmmm... who can say no to a roo & rump Firday?! I can!! (Not too sure about Whit with that face he's making.) And don't even get me started on the half price schnitzels! It's safe to say that we don't plan to dine at The Pub With No Name.

Kevin "acting" in one of the Opera House's theater; Jo, being his adoring fan/paparazzi

On the ferry back from an afternoon in the Sydney suburb of Balmain. A big reason for going out there (besides the scenic ferry ride), was to try "the best macaroons in the Sydney." We got to the bakery around mid afternoon and it looked like someone came through and bought out the place in fear of a famine approaching. I was then told to come around 8 am the next morning if I wanted some macaroons. No thanks!

Whit, that umbrella is not a golf driver! :)

View of Darling Harbour at sunset from our hotel room

Bay area comes to Aus!

For the past week we've had the pleasure of our good bay area friends, Kevin and Josephine, visiting Melbourne on their Aussie adventure. They soon discovered that while Sydney is considered the "sexy" city to visit, Melbourne can definitely hold its own with shopping and eating.

Are we in Japan or Australia?! :)

The view inside Melbourne Central- you can find virtually anything here- from haircuts to pet shops, supermarkets, cafes, designer boutiques, historical tower museum, to long distance trains. Talk about a 1 stop shop!

Out for Mexican food in Melbourne!

The Barossa Valley

Or simply called "The Barossa," it is one of the top wine regions in Australia. And where there's a top wine region, there's a Whit. So this past weekend we traveled to our 6th state/territory in Australia- South Australia, all for the purposes of 3 R's (rest, relaxation, and red wine).
The Barossa is a 1 1/2 hr. drive from South Australia's capital city of Adelaide. We had a fabulous weekend staying at a B&B in a vineyard very central to some great wineries. The weather was pleasant, we enjoyed delicious local foods, and drank a healthy amount of wine. We love the fact that the Barossa has a strong German heritage (go Keuer's!) and is relaxed without being too sleepy. Cellar door workers are friendly and knowledgeable, happy to show off their wines. We concluded from our weekend there that this is now our favorite wine country, trumping Napa!

The view from our B&B in Gnadenfrei (don't ask how to pronounce the name of the town, we're still figuring it out)

Wait, is that Whit with a glass of white wine?! How unusual!

No, we're not visiting a University, but wouldn't it be cool to take a wine course at this winery? We'd spend our time in between classes drinking wine on the perfectly manicured lawns.

The grapes that hold the beginnings of a great bottle of Barossa Valley cab sauv ... they tasted pretty good too. Harvest time must be just around the corner, we reck'n!

Our church for a Sunday- a quaint country Lutheran church that had the following sign out in front: "A Bible in the hand is worth 2 on the bookcase." The people there made us feel so welcomed!

The Best Summer City

Since our last blog post we have been savoring the summer in what must be the best city to spend it in- Melbourne. Between late nights, outdoor cinemas, festivals galore, nightmarkets and warm (but not too warm) weather, we have come to believe that this city knows how to do summer well. Melbourne really does come (more) alive during its summer months, and though autumn technically started March 1st according to the Aussie calendar, there's been a very nice and slow, if any, transition into fall. Let's hope it stays that way for awhile. :)

Here are some photos of what we've been up to in the last month, visiting places new and old, and just simply continuing to love our time here.

Great Ocean Road day trip

Split Point Lighthouse- we were able to go all the way to the base, but not inside. Whit exclaimed, "This is the first time I'm touching a real lighthouse!" Debbie replied, "Me too!" :)

A visit to Lorne on the Great Ocean Road again... can you spy a Whit?

Queen Victoria Night Market

Picnic at St. Kilda Beach (the nifty free sunshade really helped!)

Beach by day, beer & Scrabble by night- Since bringing back travel Scrabble we've been pretty religious on playing every weekend. So far Debbie holds the high score with 1 single turn scoring 27 points (fox, ex, if) and the highest point value for 1 word (zinc- 15 pts.) We can tell we're getting better each time we play! Perhaps the micro brews help?

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year! Gung Hay Fat Choy!

We just finished a 2 week long Chinese Lunar New Year celebration, and Melbourne was full of festivities. Though Debbie doesn't have the means, nor skills for that matter, to cook the traditional and yummy foods her mom makes during the New Year period, she and Whit have compromised by eating an abundance of Chinese suppers and snacks. Debbie is also enjoying being able to say "Happy New Year" a month later and not get any strange looks.

Southbank, turned Chinese market for the weekend, selling everything from fresh sugarcane juice to incense sticks and fortune telling. I'll only take the former, pls.


This was truly a hilarious sight- there was petting zoo set up with animals from the Chinese zodiac and kids were running around inside trying to pick up chickens to proudly display to their parents. Meanwhile the parents were cringing at what the kids were stepping in. Not too sure where the lama looking animal animal fits in to the zodiac ...

Gates of Chinatown! It was so crowded that day, it really felt like we were in China!

Melbourne- we're baaaack!

After I frustrating housing search in Sydney we have moved back to our beloved city of Melbourne. We packed up an SUV, full to the brim (all Debbie's fault), and drove from Sydney to Melbourne this weekend. It's not very common that people drive from one city to another, hence the Sydney to Mel route (& vice versa), being one of the most frequently flown routes in the world (per Whit, per Qantas).

We survived the estimated 10+ hour drive and even made it back to Mel in time to watch the Australian Open women's final in Fed Square with the crowd. We enjoyed a nice summer evening, picnic dinner, and cheering for both players. It's good to be back!

Guess who added an extra 870 km to this new SUV?

We're baaack! And it feels gooood! :)

What a great evening for tennis watching in Fed Square!

The match, as seen from the large screen in Fed Square. It was almost as good as being at the real thing- only 1 km away!

Happy Birthday, Whit!

Whitney Paul Keuer turned double 3's on January 24th. Happy 33rd Birthday to my favorite mate! :)

The birthday paparrazi strikes, right outside the bathroom!

Australian Open!

It came and went so quickly, a lovely weekend in Melbourne visiting friends, poking around town, and best of all, going to the Australian Open!
Going to the Open for Debbie is like Whit going to the National Championship Game (only when UT is playing, ofcourse). So you can imagine our excitement about seeing 2 night matches in Rod Laver Arena last Sat. night. with great seat (thanks Uncle Bain!)
We saw 2 Aussies play, both losing. The highlight was seeing Nadal. Debbie lost count with the number of proposals that were yelled out to him in between serves (none from her, thank you!). Whit observed how quiet, almost library like, it is during play. We both liked clapping in a steady beat with the crowd when challenges were made. The weather was quite pleasant and we had a great time!

Nadal, post match

The Australian Open billboard seen through out the city. The "Fed Express" looks a bit violent, eh?

Rod Laver Arena- so many times we have ran past it along the river. Today is the day we make it inside!

Look who's playing tonight!

Let the match begin!

Nadal vs. Tomic

We love the blue courts!

Our great seats- only 13 rows up!

More tennis the next day, in Federation Square this time

Chesty Cough

After being blessed with a free upgrade to business for the 14+ hr. flight back to Sydney, Debbie is convinced that she caught the flu-like cold she currently has from the woman next to her on the airplane. "Was it still worth it?" you ask ... sure was! (See photos below for proof.)
Debbie has been trying out different meds this week, including one named "Chesty Cough." Don't let the catchy name deceive you- its taste is vile, not "great berry flavored" as the packaging mistakenly claims.
We continue to observe unique Aussie terms while living here, and chesty cough definitely makes the list, along with "tasty cheese" (a mild while monterey jack/cheddar) and "brekky" (common term for breakfast). Notice any similarities?

If Debbie doesn't get better soon she may have to up the dosage to chesty cough's stronger cousin- "chesty forte." (Yes, that is the real name on the box.) Let's hope that doesn't happen!

The one and only- Chesty Cough (If you say it quickly it sounds like a German something or another - "Czety Kof")

Debbie's 3 new friends for the week

Now this is what we call flying!

Whit, taking a full advantage of the seat turned bed and back massager built in!

Aussie Keuer's, Part II

Happy New Year to all!

Our biggest news so far in 2011 is that we are moving back to Australia for another few months! Whit was asked to extend his time on his current case, located in Sydney. We feel so privileged to have the opportunity to return to a country we love and to experience living in a different city. Debbie is thrilled about going to the Australian Open in a few weeks. Whit is thrilled that Debbie gets to go to the Open and an easy Christmas present was fulfilled. :)

Packing is underway as we leave this week. More to come, including Christmas photos.

Love,

Whit & Deb

Good bye for now, Melbourne!

Our last night in the Bible House, and we both look at each other and comment how hard it is to leave Melbourne. 6 months have flown by as we grew to love this city more and more. We thank God for this unique opportunity here and will definitely be back!

Below are a few photos from our last week in Mel.

Picnic dinner along the Yarra River

Our church home in Melbourne- Cross Culture!

Can you spot the "K" that's been to every house we've lived in? We treat it like the traveling gnome. :)

Melbourne's Town Hall

Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand

We've been on holiday for the past week in New Zealand and it's been very relaxing. Our first stop was Queenstown, the closest airport to the famous Milford Sound on the west coast of the South Island. (Milford will require a post itself!)

Queenstown is very much like Interlaken, Switzerland, but better. It's a gateway city that offers the best of both worlds in our opinion- beautiful scenery (lakeside town with surrounding "Remarkable" mountains), sport options galore (hiking, mountain biking, jet skiing, sailing, & you can bungee too!), and a quaint, modern town with good eats and church options. Did we mention that it's overall affordable as well? It's now our #1 choice for a holiday home, topping previous favorite (South Lake Tahoe). I mean, how cool would it be if our grandkids can one day say to their grammar school friends, "I'm going to visit grandma and grandpa this Christmas... in New Zealand!" :)