Melbourne Continued

We had the day to ourselves on Tuesday but, as luck would have it, the weather was pretty awful. We tried to stick it out and explore a bit in the rain. We ended up at Crowne Casino (my very first casino!) and checked out the scene. 

I was shocked to find that there were no old sugar daddies and young hoochie women walking around. I pictured casinos to be what i've seen in Sex and the City and The Hangover, but maybe we just arrived too early. I wasted a dollar on a slot machine, lost it, and decided casinos were overrated. 

We walked around for an hour afterwards looking for a place to eat that wasn't overpriced. It was surprisingly difficult, but we finally settled on a place in Federation Square where most of us ate dessert for dinner. 

After the sun went down, we ventured back to the harbour and reached Eureka Skydeck 88. The elevator propelled us 88 floors in under 40 seconds. We stepped out to the viewing platform, where we saw all of Melbourne from the highest most viewing point in the Southern Hemisphere. 

It was an unreal experience to see the city from that high up and it made me love it even more. It was extremely peaceful. We ended the night at the Rooftop Bar where I felt like I was on the set of Girls HBO in Brooklyn. It was a really charming and perfect place to spend our last night in Melbourne. 

Cara and I at Rooftop Bar

We snuggle at bars.

On Wednesday, I went on my last academic tour to the Australian Arts Centre to get a tour of their incredible theater venues - one being Hamer Hall, which was designed to look like it was carved out of a cave. 

We grabbed lunch at Mamasitas, a reputable Mexican restaurant we had been hearing all about. The quesadillas were pretty amazing. At 4:30, we said goodbye to Melbourne and caught a flight back to Sydney. In comparing the two cities, I decided to make a chart:

                                  Melbourne                                    Sydney

Architecture:            mix of old and new                       new and modern

Streets:                      very clean; green                           few trees; more urban 

Inhabitants:              more adult                                     more young people

Nightlife:                   present, but much quieter              present and bustling 

Food:                         variety!                                         not as much variety (Asian/American)

Transport:                easier to navigate                          confusing

Cityscape:                 grid layout                                    unorganized jumble of streets

Beaches:                    not as many                                  several & beautiful

There are obviously perks of each city and I appreciate both, but definitely connected with Melbourne more than I expected. I'd love to go back someday and spend more time exploring. Something about that city just sticks.

Garden State Takes Garden City: Melbourne!

There are a few things you should know about Melbourne before I get started...

- It's pronounced "Melbin"
- It has been deemed the world's most liveable city
- It is the hometown of many Australian celebs (Michael Hutchence, Kylie Minogue, Cate Blanchett, members of Temper Trap...to name a few)
- It is known for it's impressive street art and cultural diversity

Flinders Station in Federation Square

View from the balcony in the boys' room

Federation Square

Our entire abroad program flew down on Sunday morning and we were given most of the day to explore the new city. I loved Melbourne almost instantly. Lush trees lined wide, steeps streets while narrow laneways were confined off main streets, almost out of sight. The laneways are a huge part of the city and are often missed by wanderers. Essentially, they house Melbourne's secret treasures: unique galleries, modest boutiques, and humble bars. Discovering different laneways made me feel a connection with the city - as if we shared a secret.

On our first night, we ventured to Melbourne's "Little Italy" located in Carlton. Restaurant owners stood on the sidewalks and tried to entice us to come in. We finally settled on one place, though I don't remember how because they all looked the same and offered the same things. We had a nice family dinner (I finally got pumpkin pizza) and then traveled down the street further towards one of their famous bakeries: Brunetti's! I ended up getting gelato, of course.

Brunetti's

As part of the academic trip, we were required to attend a couple tours. My first was on Monday, where we visited the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). We were able to view some exhibits that highlighted Australia's finest moments in film and TV history. Cool stuff. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch at Grill'd where I had an incredible lunch, followed by swimming in the hotel pool! For dinner, we found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Shanghai Dumplings. Probably shouldn't have trusted the dirty water cups and food that everyone felt was questionable, but I preferred not to question and just eat as I was starving. At the end of our meal, we received our "check," which was a small scrap of paper with a few numbers and chinese characters scribbled onto it. The total per person was about $5 or less per meal, which was a thrill compared to what the going rate seems to be ($16+), but at the same time it should've been a red flag from the start. We paid and got the hell out, agreeing that it would be better not to speak of the whole experience again.

Our next stop was Pony Fish Island, a "floating bar" located at the base of a bridge in Melbourne Harbour. We had a great night there, and I think it is because the conversation centered around New Jersey and home. Always a favorite conversation topic :)

Pony Fish Island

Coogee Coogee Coo!

We spent our Saturday at the glorious Coogee Beach. The beach itself was a lot smaller than Manly but was just as awesome:

At the end of the beach, we discovered a natural ocean pool - definitely my favorite part:

After climbing up the rocks, we got a fantastic view of the entire beach and ocean:

The Gang

                                       The Girls!

                                                        I returned home with no sunburn - success! 
                                          Beach days are my favorite days :)

It's A Small World After All

I found out a short time before coming to Australia that I have a distant relative living in Sydney. Her name is Barbara and she is my grandfather's cousin. I got together with her on Thursday and she happens to be one of the most interesting and adventurous people i've ever met. She has traveled to every continent except for Antarctica (let's be honest - what's there anyway?) and enjoys the occasional skydive.

She picked me up from my apartment around 12:30 and we began her "famous tour." Here's a list of places she showed me:

- Bondi Beach
- Bronte Beach
- Coogee Beach
- Rose Bay
- Watson's Bay
- Woollahra
- Robertson Park

It's funny how much the scenery resembles California as you move further away from the city. Lots of hilly streets, palm trees, and modern houses. We stopped for lunch at Doyles on Watson's Bay where Barbara treated me to lunch. I got a lobster roll and so did she.

We enjoyed a gorgeous view of the city from our table.

At the end of lunch, Barbara searched her bag and pulled out a package of Tim Tams - chocolate cookies found in 50% of Australian households and a personal favorite. She handed them to me saying, "Don't eat the whole sleeve in one day!" She clearly knows me well already. 

We drove through Bondi and I made sure to capture the picturesque view. 

Barbara brought up my grandfather, who passed away this fall, and we laughed about some of the memories we had of him. It made me happy to remember him and learn new stories from her that I hadn't heard before. She dropped me off at my apartment later that day and concluded the tour. It's comforting to know I have someone close by. Though she's technically a distant relative, I don't feel much of a gap between us at all. 

I enjoyed today more than ever because the more I see of Australia, the deeper I fall in love with it. And i'm falling hard. 

A New Girl in Newtown

Wednesday morning, I woke up with enthusiasm because the girls and I had planned out a fun-filled day of activities ("There's so much room for activities!"). We started with a trip to the Rip Curl store down on Market Street, where we found Nick, one of the instructors from Surf Camp. He gave us our free t-shirts and hats as promised. Afterwards, we traveled down George Street and made it to our next stop: Paddy's. This has become my favorite place to buy fruits & veggies (9 white nectarines for $1.50!!) and it never disappoints. We stocked up for the next two weeks. I also treated myself to a new pair of sunglasses because I stepped on my others and they broke -- this is why I can't have nice things.

We got back to the apartment and got some homework out of the way, then rewarded ourselves with tanning on the rooftop deck. The weather was perfect. 

In the evening, we joined our class on (Un)Popular Culture for a tour of Newtown - an town known for its hipsters, gays & lesbians, graffiti, and endless amounts of thai food. You can find people from all walks of life there - it's extremely eclectic. It's about a twenty minute walk from our apartment. King Street is the most popular street and the one we started on. Our professor led us through and down side streets, pointing out some wild street art along the way. 

Apparently, graffiti will be left untouched by other artists if they feel it is good enough to stay. Otherwise, it will be covered with other art; however, an artist will only cover it if they feel that their own work is better than what is underneath. Some of the art we saw has been there for several years, and some was brand new. I could smell the fumes from fresh paint on the side of one building. 

By the time our tour was finished (around 8:30), I was starving. We stopped at an authentic-looking thai place and, naturally, I ordered vegetable pad thai. I guess we weren't stuffed enough because we indulged in gelato right after. Every day should end with gelato. 

Surf's Up!

This weekend, I decided to try my luck at surfing with Surf Camp Australia. On Friday night, we all piled into a bus and headed to the South Coast of Australia to a town called Gerringong. The place we stayed was not so much a "beachside cabin" as much as a lakeside shack, but we made do. I figured the first step in becoming a surfer was to learn to rough it and go with the flow.

They woke us up at 7 am Saturday morning and we were disappointed to find that it was pouring rain. After a quick breakfast, we all reluctantly pulled on cold, damp wetsuits (also known as "wetties") which were rather unpleasant.

Our instructors led us down the road to Seven Mile Beach, where they distributed surf boards and split everyone into groups. Mitch, my instructor, gave us some quick tips on land and we were in the water in no time. The wind and rain on the beach was similar to that of a cyclone and made it difficult to control the board in the water or even keep myself standing upright on two feet! I was determined to learn though, and I tried to feed off of that motivation in the water.

All the energy and frustration was finally worth it when I stood up on the board for the first time. It was truly a rush that i'll never forget. I rode a few waves and suddenly the 2-hour lesson was over. We headed back to camp for lunch and went back out to the beach for another 2-hour lesson. By this point, I was exhausted, but tried to make the time in the water worthwhile.

I slept like a baby that night.

The next morning, we had our last lesson. Unfortunately, the weather conditions were the same as the day before. We enjoyed the rest of the time in the water before heading back to camp, where we watched a video of compiled surfing clips from the weekend. I was disappointed to find that the photographers didn't catch any pictures of me actually standing on the board, but they did manage to get a few of me anyways. I give surfers so much credit -- my arms are going to feel like jelly for days and I have a couple very dark bruises on my hips from carrying the board against my sides.

They drove us back to Sydney that afternoon. As luck would have it, the sun came out just as we were leaving and beamed on a gorgeous blue ocean. There was not a cloud in the sky. I'm still bitter about it.

It's great to be back - I was a little worried I wouldn't miss it, but for the first time, I was homesick for Sydney.