We're going to Australia!

Heron Island, part of the Great Barrier Reef

The tickets are booked for Nov. 26 - Dec. 11! That's about 12 full days of actually being in Australia (not counting losing a day there and gaining one coming back). This is so exciting! We haven't taken an international trip since 3 years ago when we went to Costa Rica (but that was just 4 days for me). Before that, it's been a long 4 years since we went to Europe. 

We are in heavy planning mode now, but the Great Barrier Reef is a must for us. We will probably try scuba diving for the first time. Luckily, we have friends and family in Sydney to give us tips and show us around.

One thing I've decided about my life though... I want to visit as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites as possible (of which Great Barrier Reef is one). We've already seen several. In order to keep track, the ones we've seen (that I remember off hand) are:

• Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
• Palace and Park of Versailles
• Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and Palace of Tau, Reims
• Paris, Banks of the Seine
• Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura * 13
• Historic Centre of Florence
• Piazza del Duomo, Pisa
• Venice and its Lagoon
• Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
• City of Bath
• Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church
• Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church 32
• Tower of London
• Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
• Maritime Greenwich
• Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City
• Redwood National and State Parks
• Statue of Liberty

That's a total of 18! We're excited to add a few more to our list after the Land Down Under!