I was starting to get itchy feet, sooner than I expected; I needed to get out of the city.
Friday I took a train from Glenhuntly and was off to the Mornington Peninsula to visit the Rockstroms. The Rockstroms came to Japan, parents and 2 of the 5 kids, in April this year. I was going through a really tough time with the illness of my grandmother and all 4 of them were really supporitve and helpful. I was really excited to see them again.
Roberta came to pick me up and we went home. John was there (in a suit! ugh, haha) but had to rush back to work. Roberta and I had lunch and went down to the beach for a walk and around the coast a bit. They live in Mt. Eliza, named after Matthew Flinders's wife or one of his friends' wives or something like that (Australian history is...interesting). The rest of the afternoon was relaxed and I ended up having a nap before we went to dinner. Dinner was quite an experience; the small community where everyone knows everyone and you get recognized by people at half the tables in a small restaurant was so different from anywhere in Japan, particularly Tokyo. I focused on the delicious mouthwatering steak and the meringue- mmmm.
Marcus and I watched "A Fish Called Wanda" after dinner and John came home during it, after he had finished his aikido training in Melbourne. We stayed up til the wee hours of the morning, complete with a midnight snack...mmm.
Saturday morning we planned a rough itinerary for the day and set off. Some walks, wineries, food, and nature stuff were on the agenda. We tried to go to Stillwater Vineyard at 10.30am and found that it didn't open until 11am. I thought Australians started drinking earlier than that ;)
At Arthur's Seat, we walked around Seawinds, a massive garden that had been built by a guy who spent all his money on the garden and then ran out of money so he couldn't build a house there. Hmm. It was beautiful, with great views of the Port Philip Bay. We saw several kangaroos very close, all males, and they were just munching away on the grass. We headed to T'Gallant Winery and had several tastes before we settled in for a Tutti Gusti taste plate and some Pinot Gris. Yum. Yes, there was a theme to my visit. Eat, drink, repeat. The taste plate had a delectable selection of olives, salami, prosciutto, different breads and grissini, pickles, pickled vegetables, roast pumpkin, and a few other dishes.
We then went for a walk at Bushrangers Bay, whereupon both Roberta and I winged a bit; after I eat and drink, especially anything alcoholic, I want to sit and lounge in the sun and have a nap - not walk. However, the scenery was gorgeous, a nice soft dirt track winding through, first with views of farmland, then continuing out to hug the cliffside and provided a stunning lookout above a beach. By the time we got back to the car, we were ready for more gastronomic treats.
At Montalto, they not only offer wine tasting but there are a variety of olive oils that are produced. Lemon and basil infused options are a tasty variation, and of course the wine is a big draw; the Riesling there was my favorite wine of the day. We had a tasting plate again (the chorizo and roquefort were divine) and a pizza, followed by a brownie and hot chocolate. Yes, in 3 days in the Mornington Peninsula I probably packed on a few kilos.
The day was nearing its end as we arrived at Coolart, known for its colony of koalas. Koalas are incredibly difficult to spot, mainly because they look just like the trees they're in and they don't move at all. They roll themselves up into tiny balls, stick their claws in the bark, and close their eyes. We walked around looking in the gum trees and we went towards the trees that had tin around their trunks, as this kept koalas off - meaning that there would be koalas in the area, or so we thought. As we were climbing over a fence, John said he'd show me a koala if I gave him a dollar. I refused, and he pointed up into a tree with a ball of grey fur in it - there it was! It turned its head towards us, scratched itself, and looked the other way; apparently, for normal koala standards, I was getting some great action. I stood in various different positions around the koala to take photos which were relatively mediocre due to branches getting in the way but I was excited nonetheless. We searched for more but as I mentioned, they're incredibly difficult to spot and we gave up.
Once home, I had my nap and awoke just in time for Greek Lamb and roasted and steamed veggies. Yummm. And a beautiful red wine from South Australia. Another movie and off to bed.
Sunday morning we went down to Mornington for breakfast by the water, stopped off at home, then John and I went into Melbourne to meet Kate at Southbank. I thought I was getting a light lunch option when I ordered the lamb salad at Blue Train Cafe but instead I got 3 lamb chops and almond tabbouleh, with about 5 pieces of lettuce. Was delicious, though. After that, Kate took me to Capitol Theater and dropped me off. It was so nice to spend time with the family, they are really nice, interesting, well-rounded people. I hope I can see them again, in the not too distant future.
I met Greg and Saori for Jellyfish, an Israeli film in the Melbourne International Film Festival, and I was surprised by how much I liked it. 4 intertwining stories, with themes of lost innocence, what we take for granted, how shortsighted we can be, and of course, coincidence and how we affect one another often without realizing it.
Afterwards, we went for some Indonesian food, mmm beef rendang, then walked to Fitzroy. I met Bec that evening at Bimbo’s, packed as usual, stopped off at the Standard, then back to Greg’s. Some quality delayed American TV (Grey’s Anatomy, which I’d never heard of, shows the extent of just how cut off I now am from mainstream American culture), but afterwards Saori, Greg and I watched Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles. It’s a Japanese film, a father estranged from his son for 10 years goes to China as his son is dying – it was beautiful cinematography and it was a moving story. Made me a bit nostalgic for Japan, whilst at the same time making me really glad that I wasn’t in Japan. Strange feeling.
Fronsky the Greyhound and I hung out in the guest room that night. Was good ; )
Monday morning I headed back to St. Kilda after breakfast. Spent the day trying to write a proposal about Burma for an Australian travel publication, so we’ll see how that goes. Angie, Mark, Aiden, and I went to The Espy for dinner, yum. We had Malaysian, Italian, and Russian dishes, so quite an eclectic menu, and great atmosphere. My favorite spot in St. Kilda I think.
I was introduced to Big Brother, an utter and complete waste of time and brain cells if you ask me, but Angie was excited. It was a good last day in Melbourne. I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to catch up with Angie, Mark, and Aiden. Angie is the type of person I hope I have around forever; I think we could go years without speaking and then just come back together again. I can't wait to see what Aiden's like as a child, and hope the other baby/babies that pop out will be just as cute and cuddly :)
I’m waiting for my flight and I’m excited to be going, though sad in a way. It was really really great to spend time with people in and around Melbourne, some good quality time and I’ll miss the people, looks like I’ll have to come back. At the same time, I’m ready for a few days of not seeing concrete buildings everywhere, albeit pretty ones in Melbourne for the most part.
Showing posts with label Melbourne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Melbourne. Show all posts
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Melbourne and the Prom (Australia: Melbourne/Wilson's Promontory: 22-26 July 2007, Written 26 July 2007)
Sunday morning, 7am. Got ready for Wilson's Promontory and met Alisdair. Picked up Keriann then we headed to Alisdair's in Dandenong to load up the car. Although we were going for just a night, we had heaps of food, blankets, sleeping bags, etc etc etc. We arrived mid-afternoon at Wilson's Promontory. Admittedly my expectations had been built up due to lots of different people telling me how great it was. I had been drifting off to sleep in the back when Alisdair spotted an emu - how exciting! Thus far, the only emus I had seen were in Wanganella after Susan and I had driven around in the ute for a good 45 minutes searching for them.
We continued on and went to Tidal River campground to pitch the tent and get oriented. We were just in time to hike up Mt. Oberon for a sunset view. This walk was quite montonous and boring, as it was just a wide road that went uphill, turned a corner, went uphill again, turned, and... you get the point. What we were awarded with was phenomenal. The Prom, as it's known, is the southernmost point of mainland Australia. It is surrounded to the south, east, and west by endless water. Antarctica is, it seems, not very far away. We sat on rocks watching the sun setting over the ocean and the expanse of small islands, bays, and inlets was breathtaking. It was extremely windy so the walk back in the dark was a bit cold but worth it.
We got back to the campground and Alisdair made dinner - lentil pasta bolognese. Looked like dog food but tasted great. I had read in a brochure that wombats, emus, and kangaroos were commonly spotted at the Prom, in addition to heaps of birds, and I had been excited by the kookaburras and parrots that had quickly appeared at Tidal River. As we went to the car to pick up supplies, I heard something on the grass nearby, and my eyes could vaguely make out a dark figure on the ground. A wombat! I was really really really excited. Australia Zoo was the first time I had ever seen a wombat, and I was instantly enamored. With a name like wombat, how could you not be? I didn't want to get too close and I quickly turned on the torch; he seemed slightly alarmed and waddled off in another direction. At the cooking area, opossums started appearing out of nowhere. They look quite different to their North American counterparts and have long, bushy tails, and these ones were dark brown. They were mildly aggressive but ran away - I wasn't in the mood to share food.
It was pretty unbelievable how quickly the temperature dropped. During the afternoon I had been comfortable in a long sleeved shirt, and as the sun went down you could feel the air becoming chilled, and the winds picked up a bit. A few more wombats wandered around the area eating the grass, and we did our best with numb fingers to wash dishes and we were ready for bed. Keriann and I were sleeping in the car and Alisdair was staying in the tent. Keriann and I stayed up for a few hours chatting away and gradually warmed up a bit.
We had a late start in the morning and had a big breakfast of porridge, baked beans, eggs, toast, and cereal. Hmm. We went down to Tidal River and wandered around a bit. We continued up to several different lookouts, bays, and beaches where we got a good idea of how we were situated and the sense of how we really were at the end of the world. It was beautiful.
We didn't stick around too long and we headed back towards Melbourne. Stopped in Fish Creek for some greasy takeaway, and didn't stop again until we got to Alisdair's house. That night, we went down to Fitzroy to have $4 pizzas at Bimbo's and then to Rainbow Hotel to hear a jazz band. Greg, who I had been in touch with nearly a year ago, came to meet us briefly. Exhausted, we finished up early that night.
Tuesday was my outing with Angie. We walked all over St. Kilda with Aiden, part of the time me pushing him along. I really love this part of Melbourne, it is so aesthetically beautiful, right along the water with several cute streets packed with pubs, cafes, restaurants, and shops. We went down on the esplanade and up to St. Kilda Baths, where there is also a restaurant called Soul Mama. It is a vegetarian place and if this was how all vegetarian meals tasted, I bet not many people would have such a hard time cutting meat out of their diets. The way the system worked was that you paid a set amount for a bowl, and that would give you a certain number of dishes, with rice. Angie and I both had the 4 dish bowl, and I filled it with creamy mushroom and white beans, potato salad with aioli and pumpkin, seasonal stirfried vegetables, and a catalan vegetable pasta. She had grilled curry mushrooms, a lentil and pea curry, season vegetables, and malaysian noodles. Fantastic. All while having a gorgeous view over the water.
Later that afternoon I headed to Rosanna to meet Declan. It's out in the suburbs and a stark contrast to the variety of things available in Central Melbourne. We cooked a yummy stirfry and rented a DVD, with lime and black pepper potato chips (my favorite Australian flavor so far) and raspberry Tim Tams. This was my first exposure to the ubiquitous Tim Tams. Not bad.
Wednesday morning we lounged about until I headed back to Melbourne just after lunch. I went to a few cafes in the CBD, St. Jeromes on Caledonian Ave. was a hip little place where people were clearly there to see and be seen. I then was pretty frustrated by the speed of public transport so walked all the way to Fitzroy to meet Greg.
Greg is one of those special ones. I had emailed him nearly a year ago when he was living in Osaka but it turned out I was too late - by the time I got in touch with him he had already left Japan and was travelling in China, headed to India. He mentioned then that if I ever came to Melbourne I should look him up. So I did. He was not feeling well at all but was kind enough to meet me, and we just went back to his house and had a good chat. He lives in a beautiful old house that was originally built over a hundred years ago. Felt even older than the house at Wanganella! It was refreshing to have a honest, straight conversation about so many different things - living abroad, multiculturalism and what it means in different contexts, immigration laws, fear, politics, etc. etc. It was really great to talk to someone who knew policies in Australia and we could compare with both Japan and the US. I was pretty astonished to hear about some of the refugee stories and how Australia's policy is to either set them up in camps in the desert or ship them off the remote island such as Naoru, a place I had never even heard of but with a funny history in and of itself. We went to have dinner at Dante's on Brunswick Street, it was yummy. Food in Melbourne is pretty fantastic. Anyway, hung out a bit more then I decided I should let him get his work done/rest and off I went.
Hung out at home for a bit then got totally engrossed in the book I'm currently reading, The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh. It intertwines stories in Burma, India, and Malaya over a century, including the World Wars with Japanese involvement and it's an epic novel. Makes me want to go to India and certainly return to Burma.
Today Angie, Aiden, and I went to Queen Victoria Market up in the CBD and we bought heaps of fruits, veggies, and other delights like olives and cheese, mmm. I had a Turkish lunch and fresh juice and we quickly left before I could consume more. I got dropped off at the pool and I went for a relaxing mindless swim, until I got back. And here I am.
We continued on and went to Tidal River campground to pitch the tent and get oriented. We were just in time to hike up Mt. Oberon for a sunset view. This walk was quite montonous and boring, as it was just a wide road that went uphill, turned a corner, went uphill again, turned, and... you get the point. What we were awarded with was phenomenal. The Prom, as it's known, is the southernmost point of mainland Australia. It is surrounded to the south, east, and west by endless water. Antarctica is, it seems, not very far away. We sat on rocks watching the sun setting over the ocean and the expanse of small islands, bays, and inlets was breathtaking. It was extremely windy so the walk back in the dark was a bit cold but worth it.
We got back to the campground and Alisdair made dinner - lentil pasta bolognese. Looked like dog food but tasted great. I had read in a brochure that wombats, emus, and kangaroos were commonly spotted at the Prom, in addition to heaps of birds, and I had been excited by the kookaburras and parrots that had quickly appeared at Tidal River. As we went to the car to pick up supplies, I heard something on the grass nearby, and my eyes could vaguely make out a dark figure on the ground. A wombat! I was really really really excited. Australia Zoo was the first time I had ever seen a wombat, and I was instantly enamored. With a name like wombat, how could you not be? I didn't want to get too close and I quickly turned on the torch; he seemed slightly alarmed and waddled off in another direction. At the cooking area, opossums started appearing out of nowhere. They look quite different to their North American counterparts and have long, bushy tails, and these ones were dark brown. They were mildly aggressive but ran away - I wasn't in the mood to share food.
It was pretty unbelievable how quickly the temperature dropped. During the afternoon I had been comfortable in a long sleeved shirt, and as the sun went down you could feel the air becoming chilled, and the winds picked up a bit. A few more wombats wandered around the area eating the grass, and we did our best with numb fingers to wash dishes and we were ready for bed. Keriann and I were sleeping in the car and Alisdair was staying in the tent. Keriann and I stayed up for a few hours chatting away and gradually warmed up a bit.
We had a late start in the morning and had a big breakfast of porridge, baked beans, eggs, toast, and cereal. Hmm. We went down to Tidal River and wandered around a bit. We continued up to several different lookouts, bays, and beaches where we got a good idea of how we were situated and the sense of how we really were at the end of the world. It was beautiful.
We didn't stick around too long and we headed back towards Melbourne. Stopped in Fish Creek for some greasy takeaway, and didn't stop again until we got to Alisdair's house. That night, we went down to Fitzroy to have $4 pizzas at Bimbo's and then to Rainbow Hotel to hear a jazz band. Greg, who I had been in touch with nearly a year ago, came to meet us briefly. Exhausted, we finished up early that night.
Tuesday was my outing with Angie. We walked all over St. Kilda with Aiden, part of the time me pushing him along. I really love this part of Melbourne, it is so aesthetically beautiful, right along the water with several cute streets packed with pubs, cafes, restaurants, and shops. We went down on the esplanade and up to St. Kilda Baths, where there is also a restaurant called Soul Mama. It is a vegetarian place and if this was how all vegetarian meals tasted, I bet not many people would have such a hard time cutting meat out of their diets. The way the system worked was that you paid a set amount for a bowl, and that would give you a certain number of dishes, with rice. Angie and I both had the 4 dish bowl, and I filled it with creamy mushroom and white beans, potato salad with aioli and pumpkin, seasonal stirfried vegetables, and a catalan vegetable pasta. She had grilled curry mushrooms, a lentil and pea curry, season vegetables, and malaysian noodles. Fantastic. All while having a gorgeous view over the water.
Later that afternoon I headed to Rosanna to meet Declan. It's out in the suburbs and a stark contrast to the variety of things available in Central Melbourne. We cooked a yummy stirfry and rented a DVD, with lime and black pepper potato chips (my favorite Australian flavor so far) and raspberry Tim Tams. This was my first exposure to the ubiquitous Tim Tams. Not bad.
Wednesday morning we lounged about until I headed back to Melbourne just after lunch. I went to a few cafes in the CBD, St. Jeromes on Caledonian Ave. was a hip little place where people were clearly there to see and be seen. I then was pretty frustrated by the speed of public transport so walked all the way to Fitzroy to meet Greg.
Greg is one of those special ones. I had emailed him nearly a year ago when he was living in Osaka but it turned out I was too late - by the time I got in touch with him he had already left Japan and was travelling in China, headed to India. He mentioned then that if I ever came to Melbourne I should look him up. So I did. He was not feeling well at all but was kind enough to meet me, and we just went back to his house and had a good chat. He lives in a beautiful old house that was originally built over a hundred years ago. Felt even older than the house at Wanganella! It was refreshing to have a honest, straight conversation about so many different things - living abroad, multiculturalism and what it means in different contexts, immigration laws, fear, politics, etc. etc. It was really great to talk to someone who knew policies in Australia and we could compare with both Japan and the US. I was pretty astonished to hear about some of the refugee stories and how Australia's policy is to either set them up in camps in the desert or ship them off the remote island such as Naoru, a place I had never even heard of but with a funny history in and of itself. We went to have dinner at Dante's on Brunswick Street, it was yummy. Food in Melbourne is pretty fantastic. Anyway, hung out a bit more then I decided I should let him get his work done/rest and off I went.
Hung out at home for a bit then got totally engrossed in the book I'm currently reading, The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh. It intertwines stories in Burma, India, and Malaya over a century, including the World Wars with Japanese involvement and it's an epic novel. Makes me want to go to India and certainly return to Burma.
Today Angie, Aiden, and I went to Queen Victoria Market up in the CBD and we bought heaps of fruits, veggies, and other delights like olives and cheese, mmm. I had a Turkish lunch and fresh juice and we quickly left before I could consume more. I got dropped off at the pool and I went for a relaxing mindless swim, until I got back. And here I am.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Melbourne Part I (Australia: Melbourne: 19-21 July 2007, Written 21 July 2007)
It has been nonstop full on since I arrived in Melbourne. On the 19th, Susan and I left Aireys Inlet at 8am and we headed towards the city that I'd flown into but hadn't seen yet. We arrived after 10am in St. Kilda and went to see Angie and her 5-month old, Aiden. Aiden looks startlingly similar to his father, Mark. It was spooky! We chatted for a bit then Susan kindly took me to Dandenong where I was meeting Alisdair, a CS contact that truly embodies what the project is all about. I was exhausted so I took a quick nap before we headed off.
That afternoon we went all over the Dandenong Ranges National Park - the weather wasn't great, with intermittent rain, but we didn't let it bother us and we explored a variety of places. We stopped by Emerald Lake and saw the Puffing Billy, a steam train that's mainly just there for tourists but fun nevertheless; we checked out the Alfred Nicholas Gardens, which was breathtaking in this manicured yet natural layout with rainforest and eucalypt forest; and we got to the Mt. Dandenong Lookout, which offered views over Melbourne and was really impressive.
I headed in to the city on the train, and so I was alone and on public transport the first time I got to see central Melbourne; perfect. My immediate thought was that it was just like San Francisco; its location by the water, in my opinion the area around Flinders Street Station is just like the Market Street area in SF, and the bohemian alternative food/drink/nightlife vibe of the city is so nostalgic - I love it.
I went to Bimbo's to meet Conor and Joao, for our pre-CS meeting meeting. This cute pub/restaurant has $4 pizzas on Sun-Thurs, and they're yummy. A great deal and great atmosphere, smack bang in the middle of Brunswick Street, one of the main nightlife centres of town. Met a few others there then we headed over to Polly for the meeting I had arranged. It was a good turnout for a weeknight, probably about 12 people. Polly was awesome - red velour furniture, chandeliers, old wooden pieces, and a killer cocktail list. It's shocking how overpriced cocktails are in Australia but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and drink (haha that sounds horrible). Had some really great chats with people and decided it was the best way I could have spent my first night in Melbourne.
A few of us headed over to Bar Open, drank more, then Lee, Conor, and I went to Souvlaki King...mmm. I haven't had anything resembling that since I arrived in Japan almost 2 years ago. Fantastic. Lee drove me home in the cold rain; he struck me immediately, a really tall, lanky guy that just exuded thoughtfulness and a bit artistic and I don't really know what else but it was instant. He leaves for Germany in a few days which is unfortunate as I would have loved to have more time to get to know him better, but such is life.
On Friday, I met Declan in St. Kilda. Declan - how to describe? Irish, soulful, hilarious, kind, curious, inquisitive, one of my favorite people I had in Japan. We did a bunch of walking around St. Kilda and got lunch at Lentil is Anything, a vegetarian restaurant that is "Pay as you Feel" - there is a donation box and you give however much you felt that the food and experience was worth. We had the 3 curry platter which could have fed a family, and yes, we finished it all ;)
Acland Street is one of the main spots in St. Kilda and I really like it; lots of cafes, restaurants, pubs, shops, it's near the water, it feels a bit like Venice Beach and it just oozes laid-backness. It's good.
I hung out with Angie a bit in the afternoon and then went up to Brunswick Street again to meet Bec. Bec is an accountant for Intrepid, and she came on one of my trips to Japan. We met at Bar Open and after chatting for awhile went to Labor in Vain, also on Brunswick Street. Lee from the previous night was going to be there, and perhaps some other CSers, and Bec's mates from Intrepid were there as well. A good few hours of banter and beer.
I then headed to St. Kilda to meet Luke, and his CS friend Simon at the Village Belle on Acland Street. Both guys had spent much of the past 2 years living in South America so it was a refreshing break from the really-not-Latin America vibe of Australia - not that there's anything wrong with that anyway. We then went to Velado, which didn't really do it for me, being a bit of a yuppie nightclub, then over to the Espy. The Espy is great; free live music every night, a really eclectic crowd, and it's located right on the water in St. Kilda. I stayed as long as I could keep me eyes open and headed back.
Saturday was a lazy morning at home, then I went to Southbank as I was going to the footy with Sue and family. When I arrived at their flat, I learned that Sue and Ian had hit an emu on the road and their daughter Emily had gone to pick them up; Sarah, Emily's flatmate, had stuck around for me and so we went on a walk through the city. We walked along Southbank, up to Flinders Street, Bourke Street, Collins Street, and all that CBD stuff - tall high-rise buildings, shops, shops, and more shops, mainly of the mainstream variety, and restaurants and cafes. I had a Koko Black chocolate which made me very very happy (thanks Sarah!)
Got some lunch at Lord of the Fries just outside of Flinders Street Station, a chips place that has international sauces - we had the garlic aioli - yum. We then met Emily and went down to the MCG. Wow! - what an experience. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is huge, and holds nearly 100,000 people. The game we went to was Collingwood vs. Essendon. AFL, Australian Football, or footy as it's commonly referred to, is something like a religion here in Oz. It's shocking how obsessed people are with their teams, being raised from a very young age to support their teams; infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, parents, and grandparents all decked out in jerseys, scarves, flags, hats, whatever, with their team colors. There were about 60,000 people there today and it was great to see how into it everyone was.
After the game ended, we walked back and Sue and I did a walk-through of Crown Casino, which was just like Las Vegas, then I headed back home. Angie had prepared an absolutely gorgeous paella with chicken, prawns, sausage, mussels, and fish and we feasted. Stayed in tonight to recover from the past two nights, both financially and physically, also because I'm headed off early in the morning to Wilson's Promontory with Alisdair and Keriann.
My impressions of Melbourne are contradictory and perhaps a bit odd. It had been built up a lot before me getting here; Victorians and Melbourne people are extremely proud of their home and a huge number of them will claim that they live in the best city in the world. In many ways, I agree that it is a wonderful city. There is a lot of green space, and there is no doubt that the music scene, culinary scene, and nightlife is vibrant, eclectic, and of a very high quality. It's certainly a very livable city. But for some reason, it's not making me want to stay here forever. Not that that's a bad thing at all; I just suspected that it may have had that effect on me. We'll see, as I still have over a week in the area. People have definitely been friendly and I've met a good number of great Australians and other nationals, and been in some really funky, atmospheric restaurants and bars. A good start for sure. I also really love being with Angie, Mark, and Aiden and their home really just feels like home.
I also decided that I'm going to Tasmania to see Chris and Jeff; when they were in Japan in June I told them I didn't think it was doable this trip both due to my limited time and the wrong season (bloody freezing in Tasmania in winter eh?) but I started thinking about it and how I may not be able to head back this way for quite some time after this current trip and I decided I'd regret it. So, I head over to Tas from 31 July to 4 August. Can't wait.
On that note, I really must get some sleep so I can stay awake for the breathtaking scenery tomorrow.
That afternoon we went all over the Dandenong Ranges National Park - the weather wasn't great, with intermittent rain, but we didn't let it bother us and we explored a variety of places. We stopped by Emerald Lake and saw the Puffing Billy, a steam train that's mainly just there for tourists but fun nevertheless; we checked out the Alfred Nicholas Gardens, which was breathtaking in this manicured yet natural layout with rainforest and eucalypt forest; and we got to the Mt. Dandenong Lookout, which offered views over Melbourne and was really impressive.
I headed in to the city on the train, and so I was alone and on public transport the first time I got to see central Melbourne; perfect. My immediate thought was that it was just like San Francisco; its location by the water, in my opinion the area around Flinders Street Station is just like the Market Street area in SF, and the bohemian alternative food/drink/nightlife vibe of the city is so nostalgic - I love it.
I went to Bimbo's to meet Conor and Joao, for our pre-CS meeting meeting. This cute pub/restaurant has $4 pizzas on Sun-Thurs, and they're yummy. A great deal and great atmosphere, smack bang in the middle of Brunswick Street, one of the main nightlife centres of town. Met a few others there then we headed over to Polly for the meeting I had arranged. It was a good turnout for a weeknight, probably about 12 people. Polly was awesome - red velour furniture, chandeliers, old wooden pieces, and a killer cocktail list. It's shocking how overpriced cocktails are in Australia but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and drink (haha that sounds horrible). Had some really great chats with people and decided it was the best way I could have spent my first night in Melbourne.
A few of us headed over to Bar Open, drank more, then Lee, Conor, and I went to Souvlaki King...mmm. I haven't had anything resembling that since I arrived in Japan almost 2 years ago. Fantastic. Lee drove me home in the cold rain; he struck me immediately, a really tall, lanky guy that just exuded thoughtfulness and a bit artistic and I don't really know what else but it was instant. He leaves for Germany in a few days which is unfortunate as I would have loved to have more time to get to know him better, but such is life.
On Friday, I met Declan in St. Kilda. Declan - how to describe? Irish, soulful, hilarious, kind, curious, inquisitive, one of my favorite people I had in Japan. We did a bunch of walking around St. Kilda and got lunch at Lentil is Anything, a vegetarian restaurant that is "Pay as you Feel" - there is a donation box and you give however much you felt that the food and experience was worth. We had the 3 curry platter which could have fed a family, and yes, we finished it all ;)
Acland Street is one of the main spots in St. Kilda and I really like it; lots of cafes, restaurants, pubs, shops, it's near the water, it feels a bit like Venice Beach and it just oozes laid-backness. It's good.
I hung out with Angie a bit in the afternoon and then went up to Brunswick Street again to meet Bec. Bec is an accountant for Intrepid, and she came on one of my trips to Japan. We met at Bar Open and after chatting for awhile went to Labor in Vain, also on Brunswick Street. Lee from the previous night was going to be there, and perhaps some other CSers, and Bec's mates from Intrepid were there as well. A good few hours of banter and beer.
I then headed to St. Kilda to meet Luke, and his CS friend Simon at the Village Belle on Acland Street. Both guys had spent much of the past 2 years living in South America so it was a refreshing break from the really-not-Latin America vibe of Australia - not that there's anything wrong with that anyway. We then went to Velado, which didn't really do it for me, being a bit of a yuppie nightclub, then over to the Espy. The Espy is great; free live music every night, a really eclectic crowd, and it's located right on the water in St. Kilda. I stayed as long as I could keep me eyes open and headed back.
Saturday was a lazy morning at home, then I went to Southbank as I was going to the footy with Sue and family. When I arrived at their flat, I learned that Sue and Ian had hit an emu on the road and their daughter Emily had gone to pick them up; Sarah, Emily's flatmate, had stuck around for me and so we went on a walk through the city. We walked along Southbank, up to Flinders Street, Bourke Street, Collins Street, and all that CBD stuff - tall high-rise buildings, shops, shops, and more shops, mainly of the mainstream variety, and restaurants and cafes. I had a Koko Black chocolate which made me very very happy (thanks Sarah!)
Got some lunch at Lord of the Fries just outside of Flinders Street Station, a chips place that has international sauces - we had the garlic aioli - yum. We then met Emily and went down to the MCG. Wow! - what an experience. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is huge, and holds nearly 100,000 people. The game we went to was Collingwood vs. Essendon. AFL, Australian Football, or footy as it's commonly referred to, is something like a religion here in Oz. It's shocking how obsessed people are with their teams, being raised from a very young age to support their teams; infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, parents, and grandparents all decked out in jerseys, scarves, flags, hats, whatever, with their team colors. There were about 60,000 people there today and it was great to see how into it everyone was.
After the game ended, we walked back and Sue and I did a walk-through of Crown Casino, which was just like Las Vegas, then I headed back home. Angie had prepared an absolutely gorgeous paella with chicken, prawns, sausage, mussels, and fish and we feasted. Stayed in tonight to recover from the past two nights, both financially and physically, also because I'm headed off early in the morning to Wilson's Promontory with Alisdair and Keriann.
My impressions of Melbourne are contradictory and perhaps a bit odd. It had been built up a lot before me getting here; Victorians and Melbourne people are extremely proud of their home and a huge number of them will claim that they live in the best city in the world. In many ways, I agree that it is a wonderful city. There is a lot of green space, and there is no doubt that the music scene, culinary scene, and nightlife is vibrant, eclectic, and of a very high quality. It's certainly a very livable city. But for some reason, it's not making me want to stay here forever. Not that that's a bad thing at all; I just suspected that it may have had that effect on me. We'll see, as I still have over a week in the area. People have definitely been friendly and I've met a good number of great Australians and other nationals, and been in some really funky, atmospheric restaurants and bars. A good start for sure. I also really love being with Angie, Mark, and Aiden and their home really just feels like home.
I also decided that I'm going to Tasmania to see Chris and Jeff; when they were in Japan in June I told them I didn't think it was doable this trip both due to my limited time and the wrong season (bloody freezing in Tasmania in winter eh?) but I started thinking about it and how I may not be able to head back this way for quite some time after this current trip and I decided I'd regret it. So, I head over to Tas from 31 July to 4 August. Can't wait.
On that note, I really must get some sleep so I can stay awake for the breathtaking scenery tomorrow.
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