So I have of course neglected to mention anything about my time in Melbourne... Mainly because I have been so busy with my international jet set life style.But fear not I have been keeping a journal of what I got up to so here goes
Friday:
Got in as I said on Friday morning with a back pack the size of Mount Everest ( I exaggerate but not by much).
It was about 7.00 am and Greta was expecting me.. But for some reason the bus drop of was not where she and I had expected.. It was thankfully however even closer to her house in Carlton. So a quick taxi to hers was soon in order.
As you may know treading the streets is a favorite pastime of mine once in a city and Greta was eager to do the same. It had been a good bit of luck meeting/staying with her during the following week as it meant that she also had a week off from college.
So what did we get up to well there was a trip down to the heart of town including a visit to flinders street station and federation square. We went into the film museum. And I found out the first feature length film had in fact been shot in Australia (that I did not know).
We saw some kooky art Exhibition called White Noise and then headed to the 'mighty' Yarra river. Where we checked out the experimenta:Vanishing point exhibition. Which was also brilliant.
The town was very alive with the final of the AFL game being the next day, In fact the Swans (go Sydney swans) and the eagles (who cares) were teams form out of town and so the locals could not go as crazy as they might have.
But there were footie fans all over the place none the less.
I think I was pretty much passing out by about 22.00 that night from sheer exhaustion.
Saturday:
AFL final day, now for those of you who have followed my travels, you will of course know that I supported the Sydney Swans, Since I saw them play about 1 month earlier. The match was in the afternoon, so in preparation we got a a couple of bottles of wine from a great wine shop called clear skin.
Then we headed off to the a friend of Greta's, I think called Matt, Having said that I think all of Greta's male friends are called Matt.Any this guy had the Lushest Apartment ever with this amazing view over Melbourne. He had everything set up there from a great barbecue, to a fuss ball table.
But to the game, It was great, the swans won of course but it was a close match and although the Eagles pulled ahead briefly they managed to lose their lead to the swans by the end of the game. This is a amazing game to watch, I heartly recommend it to any to watch.
After the game it was time for some Ipod DJ'ing, more eating, dancing and more fuss ball action than I could cope with.
At about 20.00 we headed off to Brunswick street, the local hip street in town. And a few of us Packed into the 'Provincial' a bar/club type thing.
Most of the buildings on this street on the outside look deliberately shabby in order to give them that 'Shabby Chique' Thing. It was ok, but as Greta described it, It was full of Bogans. In Fact one of them had tried to chat her up with the following line."huh, You look like a secretary... That's sexy"
Some how it didn't work... What a surprise!
But since the music was rubbish we headed back to the Shack. By the way it is I think in my memory the only place in the world where there was a que for the mens toilet and none for the women's??!?!? What is going in the world?
Sunday:
Greta and myself had only a mild hangover. Since we didn't push our selves the day before.
Greta's Brother was in town as well, He was up from Tasmania with some of his bloke mates to watch the match in bars in Melbourne.
He, Greta and myself went to grab some breakfast/brunch type thing on Brunswick street at a place called Gluttony... Aptly named.
I ordered the Scrambled Surprise.... Jesus it was a monument to Egg/Bread/Tomato/Rocket salad. This was the biggest and quite frankly the best fry up breakfast I have ever had the bread was this delicious greasy and cheesy. Greta and her brother also got monumental breakfasts as well. I think mine was over 15 cm high!
Stuffed.. That is the only way to describe the sensation within my stomach at that moment in time. But Greta was determined we also visited a Gelati near by. As she says we all have a secondary stomach made specifically for desserts.
What of the rest of the day well the after noon was spent languish in the pool of my only sloth and gluttony using their house hold wireless net. So good. Actually what am I talking about .. We headed off to this great Museum. The Melbourne museum. I can't tell how great eh design and the content is of this place... They must have thrown money at this from every where, but it is so good.
But the evening we headed off to one of the Free (oh yes!) character comedy gigs at the Melbourne fringe festival. Not a bad night as we were joined by Tam, who was at the party the day before,and one of tam's mates.
Like all these things some good acts some bad...
Monday:
Although it was a holiday week for Greta, she did have to do some work, so she headed off to the library to get some Isolation/no distraction time. So I went around town sorted out some administrative things that needed to be done as well as headed off to the Fitzroy gardens.
Where Captain cooks Parents house can be found... Yes they shipped it here from the UK?!?!?!?
Um what else happened... Oh I know we went to watch Wallace and Grommit at the local cinema. So good!
Tuesday:
More tourist things National portrait gallery and the Rialto towers... Best view in town.
Greta is perturbed by how well I seem to be doing around town in terms of orientation myself.
But the evening Was the real main activity of the day.
It was going to be Curry night with some of Greta's mates from her course. I felt like a toy from a show and tell class, but no matter. A good night out though one of her friends was getting worried that I could spot him for the Secondary school teacher that he used to be.
Word of the evening was 'cheeky' as in the wine we bought to the BYO Indian restaurant.
By the way all of Greta's friends are Insane.. They are fantastic..
Like one of them was on a tram getting weird looks off this annoying idiot and then (the idiot that is says) what are you looking at.. She then turn around and says "you, you fashionable c*nt" and promptly hops off the tram...Class!
We relaxed later on a local bar called the comfy chair and headed to the back lounge area to avoid the bad singing of the guitar player in the bar. It has to be admitted by the end of the night I was slightly hammered, Wine, curse your inebriating ability!
WedGreat Ocean Road
Today would be My first and hopefully not my last Australian road trip.
The crew was Myself, Greta, Matt, Amy and Jean. Amy and Jean joined in to the trip at the curry night the night before.
Highlights of the day consisted of going to the TV series 'Round the Twist' lighthouse.
Seeing a lingerie shop called: Fishy nickers
Going to Erskine fall and Bells beach.
Eating our picnic lunch outside a run down antique shop with a porch.. Since it was tipping down with rain.
Rushing back to town to make sure Amy got to her Dinner appointment.
We slumped back to Greta's and watched Bottle Rocket, the first Wes Anderson (royal tennenbaums) film.
Sleep beckoned soon after.
Thursday
Thursday was to be a trip out of the city and a stay at a hostel, as we were going to see the mini penguins of Philip Island.
Certain things however prevented this from happening.
Primarily the stupid woman who runs the Hostel said that if we grabbed the bus at 3.40pm we would get there in time to see the penguins.. She was wrong of course! It was 4 hour Journey and by the time we got there .. The sun had set and the penguins had come into nest.
So Instead Greta and myself, sat around the hostel, Playing Pool badly, drinking wine and finding an obscure board game called Global Pursuit... Which we proceeded to play. We kinda made up our own rules for it as the game progressed.
Friday
Undetered by the previous nights disaster we hired some bicycles and headed to the penguin parade to see what we could see in the day time. It was a 12 km run and a tough one at that. I ask the hostel woman if there was jills she said yes but not too bad... Again she was monumentally wrong.
I was having a hard time of it but Greta couldn't cope and headed back hlf way through.. I preserved and got there! I rule! Any way I got a chance to see inside some of the nest boxes and checkout the nesting penguins... Another Australian animal I can tick off my list.
Back to town met with Greta again and then It was back to Melbourne where I got my Japan rail pass, and where I promptly left my Credit card behind!! Yes it was a bit of a panicky night as i didn't realize it for 6 hours and was flying to Singapore.
But before all that I headed to a special Screen if the proposition.. a film written by Nick Cave, of Nick cave and the Bad seeds Fame. After the film there was a special Q & A with the director , Nick Cave and wait for it Guy Pearce the star of the film.... Easy ladies.. I don't have his Phone Number.
A nice little film at any rate.
After the film Panic struck in as I realized I Couldn't use my card.. As I didn't have one... Thankfully over the course of 2-3 hours it all got sorted and I was financially solvent again.
Phew does not begin to describe it!
the end
Ps flew to Singapore the next day and that was two days ago... Almost up to date with this bloody thing!
