kangaroo sightings

I had no idea that hot cross buns had any religious significance, but I suppose you learn something everyday. According to Wikipedia, hot cross buns are "traditionally eaten on Good Friday, with the cross standing as a symbol of the crucifixion." All I know is there were massive amounts of hot cross buns brought to work last Thursday before the long Easter holiday (Australia takes Good Friday and Easter Monday as holidays). I made it a point to try both the traditional hot cross bun with currants and the more popular hot cross bun with chocolate chips (apparently an Australian spin on the buns). I must say, warm bread with icing and chocolate chips served with a little bit of butter... mmm. I had two! Happy Easter!

Our road trip took us on a 1500km drive from Melbourne to Sydney (yes, those cities are only 880km apart via Hume Freeway, but the easy way is never fun). We actually went Sydney to Melbourne via the Great Alpine Road and the coastal scenic drive. Both were fantastic and with a one-way rental car for less than 8 AUD /day and unlimited kilometers, why not!?! The highlight of the Great Alpine Road was the pass up and over Mt Hotham . Not as tall as many of the passes in the US (at only 1860m) but gorgeous nonetheless. There's a ski resort up there that Brendan and I will definitely be back to check out in the winter – anyone is welcome to join! We pushed on to the coast and ended up staying in a roadside motel that night. The place was packed when we pulled in. However, we determined that this must have been the entire town hanging out at the bar since we were the first people to sign the guestbook in over a month and the parking lot was not equally as packed in the morning! The next...