Never in a million years did I think that my first two posts on this blog would be about sports (I’m counting the horse race/fashion as a sport. Be serious). Don’t get me wrong, I love sports, but we really do do a lot more than that out here, I promise…
What started out as a weekend that seemed to be doomed really ended up being quite nice. Doomed is a strong word right? Let me just give you a little insight as to why I say that. It all started when Rob went to pick up the rental car, which costs a pretty penny out here. He gets there right before they close, give him the keys, and he gets in the car. Not only is it not the car that we opted in for, but it’s manual. Now, Rob knows how to drive manual, but it has been quite a while and the ride ahead of us included some busy highways in rush hour. I may also add that the first street he would have had to go up has a huge hill on it – could we say destined for stalling? I think so. So he went back in and returned the car. Not a good start. Thank you Europcar.
Now forced to do some sleuthing I found an alternate method of transportation…a Queensland Rail train followed by a Translink bus. How bad could it be? I will never do it again. The added level of stress at 8pm is anything but enjoyable. We finally arrive at our 4.5 star hotel in Surfer’s Paradise to check into a room with a broken phone, 2 separate twin beds, a hole in the floor, and a rude (and anything but knowledgeable) girl at the front desk. We decide to go get something to eat, and when we get back the weekend finally took a positive turn. Thank God! The new guy at the desk (Mohit!) has them convert the beds into a king, the phone gets fixed, and we can finally sleep. The next morning, we also found out that we got breakfast for free both days…who can complain about that? Not us – the cost of breakfast out here is ridiculous. I have never appreciated Fairfield County breakfast costs so much in my life. No, I’m not crazy.
Okay. Done venting. Promise.
The rest of the weekend went really well! We hit a beautiful sandy beach at Surfers Paradise during the day Saturday, where I learned that it is possible to get “sand burn” from the wind, but it was so worth it (exfoliation!). After the beach we went back to the hotel, hit the sauna, had a glass of wine on our hotel balcony which had beautiful views of the city and the ocean, and followed it up with dinner at Mario’s in Broadbeach (thank you Natalie for the recommendation). It honestly was the BEST Italian restaurant we have been to since my arrival. It was like a little taste of home.
Now for the main part of the weekend – the reason we took the trip that allowed me to have my beach day – the Australian PGA Golf Championship. I have to say that I now have a newfound appreciation for golf – please note that I didn’t say love or passion. I still don’t think I could sit through a game on TV, but I do think I COULD enjoy playing it. We arrived early, followed some of the mornings golfers, and returned to the first tee for the last two golfers of the day – Rickie Fowler of the U.S.A., and Australia’s own (and current Master’s Champion!) Adam Scott. Unlike the rest of the crowd, we didn’t follow them around in a Bagger Vance like fashion (movie reference). We watched them tee off and then skipped a few holes here and there to get prime viewing positions which resulted in a great experience.
Golf is definitely not easy, and I am officially convinced that at least half of the game is based on your mental state. If you get frustrated easily, I don’t think it’s the game for you. As usual, I digress – back to the match! While my American girl patriotism wanted Rickie Fowler to win, I will confess that I did think it would be nice for Adam Scott to win on his own turf, which he did. He is a Gold Coast boy, so I am sure winning the match in his hometown region meant a lot to him and the Gold Coast residents.
In closing, I am now ready to take my golf lessons, and surprisingly I would be open to attending another PGA golf event. Who would have thought? That’s enough of me for now – check back in later this week for some pictures from the beach as well as the golf tourney. I PROMISE I will be better at updating the blog. Scouts Honor!
Over and out,
American Girl in Australia
americangirlinaussieland 
So glad you’re enjoying the sporting life! Sounds like you’re experiencing all transport methods too! LOL! Keep up the blogging!
next blog should be about the search for liam hemsworth and/or any other beautiful australian man for me! haha kidding but i love these blogs, can’t wait for more!