As a beach girl at heart it didn’t take me too long to drop my bags and head out for Bondi Beach after we arrived at our Airbnb stay. Though it was overcast and kind of chilly, I still enjoyed sitting by the ocean, listening to the waves, digging my toes into the sand, and reading a book.
Had I not heard all the lovely Australian accents, Bondi could have fooled me for a beach in Southern California. (Not that I’ve spent much time there besides my one visit with the Favre cousins)! But it was nice to feel a little connection to something back home.
After a little nap, reading, and then putting my toes in the water it was time to get some dinner. Hall Street was definitely the place to be! There were tons of restaurants and bars to choose from. We decided on Bondi Hardware and were quickly seated at a bar overlooking the street. The host explained that it’s a menu based on sharing so we ordered the special pizza that night which had cauliflower and thyme and caramelized onions and was just amazing, as well as a basket of thick but sweet potato fries. It was a perfect feast and alongside I enjoyed a Mountain Goat summer ale and then Batlows Cloudy Cider. The Mountain Goat sure had an interesting flavor, but the cider was delicious. (And drinking cider reminds me of my mama).
Sunday was a super early wakeup call because it was time to learn to surf!!! Our lesson was booked through Let’s Go Surfing which is located on the north end of the beach. The walk there took us maybe 10 minutes and once we arrived the staff was very helpful in giving us the right wetsuits and prepping us for the day ahead. Once our group of 5 showed up, the instructor brought us down to the beach to grab our boards and get started. It was a 2 hour lesson that started at 6:30am which meant we had the beach pretty open for us. I was surprised how quickly we were in the water and trying to catch waves. Our instructor was great and really helped give us tips and watch our form to correct it as we went.
Surfing is SUCH a fun sport and I found myself laughing most of the time as I tried to catch a wave or fail miserably. It took me back to my days in Utah when I was learning to snowboard. I used snowboarding as the thing that would always make me happy when I was homesick while I was there. No matter what I always had a smile on my face learning and falling. Being in the water and surfing brought back all those feel good memories and I really wished I could just spend the next couple months learning how to surf in Bondi.
Finally got it!
After the 2 hours I was totally spent! While it definitely takes some strength to get yourself up and balanced, the bigger battle was between me and the waves every time I tried to get back out there. It sure makes the chairlift seem like a piece of cake! I can’t say enough great things about Let’s Go Surfing. They were extremely kind and encouraging throughout the lesson and so helpful with answering any questions we had. They also take pictures during the lesson (towards the end when you’re basically a pro) and have options for you to purchase them at the end. I would 100% recommend them to anyone looking for a surf lesson (I did the beginner one) on Bondi. And I am completely hooked on the sport and hope to pick it up this summer!
Now to find a place to surf in New England…
No comments:
Post a Comment