It's mad how you lose track of time when you're travelling. Apparently the last time I blogged was 8 days ago and every time I write one of these things I struggle to remember anything I did within the last week.
With Tuesday and Thursday being the cricket semi-finals I found myself at my usual spot by the river in the CBD to watch two games that I couldn't call in the slightest. Unfortunately both days were English-type weather at its finest so I've had to buy another hoody because the other one was getting too much use.
The first semi-final, New Zealand Vs South Africa, was one of the best games of cricket I've ever seen with no exaggeration. It's pretty unbelievable that after watching a game for 8 hours you still cannot tell who's going to win. The former finally managed to bring it home and with Australia winning their game against India pretty easily in the end it meant that I'd get to watch the two home nations play at one of the best stadiums in the World - I kinda like this whole travelling thing yanno.
In between all the cricket was a trip to the moonlight cinema in the Botanic Gardens. It's a really well run event which see's an inflatable screen blown up and a projector every night during March and showing a variety of films. Kate will be jealous to hear that Mean Girls was the film of choice - a personal favourite of mine and being one of the many chick flicks that I embarrassingly love. It was a really great atmosphere even if I was ridiculously cold and I still loved the film despite having seen it dozens of times (again without exaggeration).
Friday saw a few drinks at a friends apartment as they had only moved in a few days prior. As its mainly family members who read this I shan't go into much detail.
Saturday saw a friend from back home (It hurts to call Dartford 'back home' but in context I suppose it's close enough) touch down in Australia. This meant that I used the walking tour that I went on over 2 months ago and showed her all the sights around the city along with 1 or 2 facts that have stuck with me - I rate my abilities as a tour guide I won't lie. It was nice seeing all the sights again and it amazes me that I haven't got bored of seeing all the sights and I'm still as in love with Melbourne as I was when I first got here.
I also see my free tour as giving me good karma. It turned out that my friend is staying with family friends in the city and so we headed there and it was an unbelievably nice building with views of Albert Park (where the Grand Prix was) and the sea. As if the lovely apartment wasn't enough, it then turned out that the roof had a jacuzzi with a phenomenal view of the city and it's sights. We got a cheap bottle of champagne/fizzy wine and had a barbecue while the sun sets - one of my favourite nights in Australia yet.
Sunday was the World Cup final, something I can tick off my bucket list and I will guarantee that it will not be my last. The anticipation and atmosphere was spectacular - even if I did have Stan moaning the whole time about how he wasn't included in the attendance figure which was a World record for a One day game in Australia (93,000). The happiness of the Australian fans and players was so special and I'm so glad I was part of it all. With the rugby World Cup in England this year, the European football championships in France next year and the Cricket World Cup in England in 2019 I think it's safe to say that I'm going to have to start saving.
Monday was a long and hard day which all came good in the end. After buying tickets to see Ed Sheeran (a music artist) a couple of weeks ago, I messed up with my address details due to moving in and out of hostels etc and so to cut a long story short: the tickets didn't arrive. After begging the ticket office etc and ringing the company there was nothing that could be done. Eventually we got a refund and so, not being deterred, we hung around the Rod Laver Arena for 2 and a half hours trying to find some going spare. 10 minute's before it was all due to start we ended up getting tickets that were much cheaper than what we had paid originally (I'm going to try and claim that this is my good karma again) and I think the whole scenario made me enjoy the gig even more than I would have originally. Ed Sheeran really is great live - I'd strongly recommend it.
This brings us back to the present. Today saw a sharp improvement in the weather so of course I went running back to the beach while I still can.
Unfortunately my time in Melbourne is starting to run out and I think it's safe to say that it is the best city that I've visited in my life so far. Its the perfect size for me and as I've said before there is always something to do. The thought of living here has seriously crossed my mind - but it's something that would require far more thought than I've already put in. Tasmania is the next stop and so the next couple of days will probably spent trying to sort plans out and get myself back into the mindset of travelling.
It's nice to have so much to write about again after a slight lull over the last couple of weeks - well done if you've managed to finish this without falling asleep!
Happy Easter!
Tuesday, 31 March 2015
Monday, 23 March 2015
Beaches and Cricket
It's been a while so I thought I'd update you all on how chilled out I've been recently.
After another (and eventually last) week of work I didn't find too much time to socialise or do anything of particular interest apart from a pub quiz and a few beers here and there etc. However I did have the pleasure of having Mr Karl Kennedy from Neighbours (real name unknown/forgotten to me) perform with his band in my hostel bar which is always going to be a good story to tell.
The next major event was the Grand Prix in Melbourne which has create much envy from a lot of people and an event that was a really great spectacle to be apart of. Despite the cars being ridiculously fast and having to endure what felt like minor whiplash at the end of 52 laps it was a really great day out. Of course, Lewis Hamilton winning was a huge bonus but having a car break down in front of me on the warm-up lap was a particular highlight of mine. The only problem I found was after 20-odd laps or so when everyone started pitting it was impossible to tell who was in what position and who had/hadn't pitted etc - even with big screens and live commentary it only fell into place for me with 10 laps to go, by which time Hamilton was at least 3 seconds clear of second and 30 seconds clear of 3rd. Would strongly recommend anyone to try and get to one of these though, especially a street circuit - I personally would love to go to Monaco one day.
After letting my boss know that I wanted to spend time travelling again instead of working, I found that I had time to spend again, who'd have thought it?!
The week consisted of lot's of sun essentially. I think the people of Australia genuinely believe that 25 degree's is cold and so everyone seems to have the attitude that every day of sun is going to be it's last and this has translated to the travellers - obviously.
A day at Brighton beach (a 10 minute tram away, not a flight back to England) was as laid back and relaxed as you can expect with great views of the city from a distance and walking past a wedding spot in which we saw 3 ceremonies taking place.
The rest of the week saw the celebration of St Patrick's day, something that I, or any other of the English guys, had never celebrated before but it seems like every Australian and their friend were out somehow - even if it was a Tuesday night, amongst another beach trip and somehow more cricket.
The cricket is a bit more acceptable now as it's the business end of the tournament, so with 4 quarter-finals came 4 days of sitting in the sun and watching it. This included my 4th and penultimate trip to the MCG to see India destroy Bangladesh, the team that knocked England out so their loss didn't sadden me in the slightest. The Semi-finals are on Tuesday and Thursday before the final on Sunday and with the best 4 teams still in it, it's anyone's tournament which is exciting, but means I can only spend 3 more days watching cricket - bad times.
With the end of the World Cup fastly approaching it's that time again where I'm having to look into moving on and it looks like the next stop is Tasmania. While no plans are concrete, by the next time I've submitted a blog I might have a special guest for you - stay tuned.
After another (and eventually last) week of work I didn't find too much time to socialise or do anything of particular interest apart from a pub quiz and a few beers here and there etc. However I did have the pleasure of having Mr Karl Kennedy from Neighbours (real name unknown/forgotten to me) perform with his band in my hostel bar which is always going to be a good story to tell.
The next major event was the Grand Prix in Melbourne which has create much envy from a lot of people and an event that was a really great spectacle to be apart of. Despite the cars being ridiculously fast and having to endure what felt like minor whiplash at the end of 52 laps it was a really great day out. Of course, Lewis Hamilton winning was a huge bonus but having a car break down in front of me on the warm-up lap was a particular highlight of mine. The only problem I found was after 20-odd laps or so when everyone started pitting it was impossible to tell who was in what position and who had/hadn't pitted etc - even with big screens and live commentary it only fell into place for me with 10 laps to go, by which time Hamilton was at least 3 seconds clear of second and 30 seconds clear of 3rd. Would strongly recommend anyone to try and get to one of these though, especially a street circuit - I personally would love to go to Monaco one day.
After letting my boss know that I wanted to spend time travelling again instead of working, I found that I had time to spend again, who'd have thought it?!
The week consisted of lot's of sun essentially. I think the people of Australia genuinely believe that 25 degree's is cold and so everyone seems to have the attitude that every day of sun is going to be it's last and this has translated to the travellers - obviously.
A day at Brighton beach (a 10 minute tram away, not a flight back to England) was as laid back and relaxed as you can expect with great views of the city from a distance and walking past a wedding spot in which we saw 3 ceremonies taking place.
The rest of the week saw the celebration of St Patrick's day, something that I, or any other of the English guys, had never celebrated before but it seems like every Australian and their friend were out somehow - even if it was a Tuesday night, amongst another beach trip and somehow more cricket.
The cricket is a bit more acceptable now as it's the business end of the tournament, so with 4 quarter-finals came 4 days of sitting in the sun and watching it. This included my 4th and penultimate trip to the MCG to see India destroy Bangladesh, the team that knocked England out so their loss didn't sadden me in the slightest. The Semi-finals are on Tuesday and Thursday before the final on Sunday and with the best 4 teams still in it, it's anyone's tournament which is exciting, but means I can only spend 3 more days watching cricket - bad times.
With the end of the World Cup fastly approaching it's that time again where I'm having to look into moving on and it looks like the next stop is Tasmania. While no plans are concrete, by the next time I've submitted a blog I might have a special guest for you - stay tuned.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Working Week
It's been another quiet one.
Apparently it's been getting hot back home, and being on the other side of the world means that the opposite is happening here. Don't get me wrong I'm still able to go out in shorts and a t-shirt, so I'm not complaining by any means.
As I say it's been another quiet one this week, mainly down to trying to adapt my body clock to allow me to wake up at 7:30 everyday without feeling like death. Work is tough and I'm struggling to keep motivation all day when I'm out in the middle of nowhere but the people are awesome which makes it worth it.
I'm starting to know how the Proclaimers must have felt after walking 500 miles after this week - my poor legs don't even know what it's like to sit down any more after walking around all day everyday, but it gives me chance to walk off all of the McDonald's I suppose so it's not all bad.
The people though really do make it worth it. Thursday night was team night and consisted of a night of beer and dumplings (paid for by the boss, lovely) and Friday pub night turned into a reasonably heavy session in the town of Melbourne and so this week does have some positives and hasn't stopped me loving Melbourne by any means.
Despite plans to hire bikes and go to China Town on Saturday we had all been out the night before and after realising that Harry Potter was on the TV that night we decided to have a much needed quiet one.
After a ridiculous amount of ridicule from the guys about my unhealthy diet I agreed (it didn't take much persuasion) to let them cook me a meal which meant that my night consisted of a steak, jacket potato, cheese and baked beans followed by a stupid amount of snacks and sweets in front of Monsters Inc and Harry Potter - I am 18 believe it or not.... and I loved it.
Sunday was Future Music Festival - one of my best days in Oz so far. Despite spending 2 hours on dodgy WiFi trying to find a ticket I finally managed to get online and sort it out and a day of (responsible) drinking and music commenced in the 25 degree heat. Amidst the odd foam party and food we saw the likes of Example, Aviici and Sigma (I expect none of you to know what I'm talking about here!).
This brings me to Labour day - yet another national holiday - meaning I get a day off to watch England play a must win game in the World Cup later... We'll see...
Apparently it's been getting hot back home, and being on the other side of the world means that the opposite is happening here. Don't get me wrong I'm still able to go out in shorts and a t-shirt, so I'm not complaining by any means.
As I say it's been another quiet one this week, mainly down to trying to adapt my body clock to allow me to wake up at 7:30 everyday without feeling like death. Work is tough and I'm struggling to keep motivation all day when I'm out in the middle of nowhere but the people are awesome which makes it worth it.
I'm starting to know how the Proclaimers must have felt after walking 500 miles after this week - my poor legs don't even know what it's like to sit down any more after walking around all day everyday, but it gives me chance to walk off all of the McDonald's I suppose so it's not all bad.
The people though really do make it worth it. Thursday night was team night and consisted of a night of beer and dumplings (paid for by the boss, lovely) and Friday pub night turned into a reasonably heavy session in the town of Melbourne and so this week does have some positives and hasn't stopped me loving Melbourne by any means.
Despite plans to hire bikes and go to China Town on Saturday we had all been out the night before and after realising that Harry Potter was on the TV that night we decided to have a much needed quiet one.
After a ridiculous amount of ridicule from the guys about my unhealthy diet I agreed (it didn't take much persuasion) to let them cook me a meal which meant that my night consisted of a steak, jacket potato, cheese and baked beans followed by a stupid amount of snacks and sweets in front of Monsters Inc and Harry Potter - I am 18 believe it or not.... and I loved it.
Sunday was Future Music Festival - one of my best days in Oz so far. Despite spending 2 hours on dodgy WiFi trying to find a ticket I finally managed to get online and sort it out and a day of (responsible) drinking and music commenced in the 25 degree heat. Amidst the odd foam party and food we saw the likes of Example, Aviici and Sigma (I expect none of you to know what I'm talking about here!).
This brings me to Labour day - yet another national holiday - meaning I get a day off to watch England play a must win game in the World Cup later... We'll see...
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Living In Melbourne
Something's always on in Melbourne.
I really haven't done enough things of interest to justify writing a blog post but I thought I'd let the 5 or so people who actually read this thing know that I'm still alive etc.
It's not something you notice until you look back on it, but Melbourne always has something going on.
I've been here for a month now and during that time there's been 'fesitvals' galore. First of all there was the tennis, then there was St Kilda festival, then the week after that was White Night. White Night was weird, it was essentially a cultural festival I suppose and all over the CBD were light works, films, art, buskers, musicians you name it. There was even a woman who, for 24 hours, had a ridiculous amount of hay and was threading it round here to make some sort of birds nest... I really didn't get it. The events ran from 7am till 7pm and got more confusing and weird as the night went on to say the least. Apparently this is only the 3rd year it's been on and was ridiculously busy with around 150,000 people in the city apparently.
This week there's currently a food and wine week going on, before one of the biggest festivals in the World is here next Sunday during it's tour of Australia (Future music festival) and the week after that the Grand Prix is here.
I do love Melbourne and the fact that there's always something to do at the weekend week in week out. I've never seen myself as a city person but if I was ever rich enough I would love to live in Melbourne one day.
Anyway, White Night is essentially the only thing of any interest I've done this week!
Apart from another couple of decent trips to the MCG to see Bangladesh V Sri Lanka and India V South Africa (don't worry I'm not going back until the quarter-finals in three weeks now) and watching ridiculous amounts of the World Cup on the big screen by the river, my weeks been occupied with getting a job.
I've basically decided that I've seen the majority of the sights in Melbourne and so I've become less of a traveller and more of a resident. I've also decided that New Zealand is a must see from the amount of people who have recommended it to me and that by committing myself to this hostel for another month because of the World Cup final I need more money.
Well... need is an exaggeration for sure, it would probably be do-able without a job but it's a great way to meet people and it's something to do as well.
Don't judge me too much, but its door to door selling... This basically means that by the end of my time in Melbourne I'll be hated by about 80% of the population from knocking on their doors all the time but money's money... Even if its commission only!
I start tomorrow so who knows, this time next week I might have hated it so much that I am no longer working... We'll see.
For now though, tara.
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