I really can’t describe to you in this post how much I LOVE the city of Sydney. I had somewhat forgot how great it was from my first weekend, or just credited it to the fact that it was the first place I’d been in AUS, so naturally I would have loved it. But seriously, it is a fantastic place and my weekend there was SO fun.
I left everyone in Toowoomba and started my travels down there. There were some bumps along the way; such as the fact that I lost my boarding pass in the airport. But luckily, security in domestic flights here is nothing like over in the States. I’m pretty sure that was the only time I ever had to show my ID all weekend. So I arrived in the Sydney airport and caught a train (how convenient that a public transportation system would run past 5 PM) to Macquarie University where some of my friends are studying abroad at. I stayed at my friend Rachel’s apartment and we went to this party her friends were having. It was so cool because their whole apartment complex was filled with Americans that were in the exact same boat that we were, so it was all really fun. The next morning, she had an internship to go to downtown, so we both caught the train down there, where she left for work and I left to check into my hostel and explore the city. I didn’t do anything too eventful that day but I remember feeling slightly overwhelmed at all the places I wanted to go and all the restaurants I wanted to eat in and that I only had slightly less than 2 days to do it all in.
If you can recall all the way back to my first AUS post, the group I studied abroad with was CIS. There were about 8 of us students, our leader, Kym, and her son Scott and we all stayed in Sydney our first weekend. Kym was down for the weekend guiding another group, and Scott and his friend Andrew came down as well. One of the CIS guys who studies in Melbourne came up too, with some of his friends who were visiting him from Boston, so it was a mix of totally random strangers that made up for a really fun reunion. So anyways, Rachel and I wanted to see Kym while she was in town, so we went with Scott and Andrew and met up with Kym for dinner. After that, we went and had drinks with some of Rachel’s friends from the night before at Darling Harbour, but because it was so rainy and cold, the night ended short.
This probably worked out for the best, seeing as how I wanted to get up early to see all of Sydney. Now, I hate being touristy, but I pretty much did every tourist thing you could do in Sydney. I started the day walking through Hyde Park (after eating breakfast at this awesome French bakery) and made my way through the Botanical Gardens to the Opera House. The views of the bridge from the Opera House were awesome and so I walked along Circular Quay to get the starting point of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The weather forecast for the weekend was rainy, but it held off for most of the day and would only drizzle off and on, which made my walk along the bridge much more enjoyable. I didn’t actually walk up over top of the bridge (that costs major bucks and time, neither of which I had) but walking across it as a pedestrian was still SO cool. On the other side at Milson Point, there isn’t much to do, but I did get to see Luna Park (which couldn’t help remind me of ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’) and just as I was waiting for the ferry, a rainbow appeared right over the Opera House. Awesome.
After taking the ferry boat back (McDreamy?), I walked through Circular Quay to get to the Rocks, which is this cool district near the bridge with all these little shops and a weekend market with awesome stuff for souvenirs. I took a detour on the way back to the hostel, so that I was able to see Darling Harbour in the daylight without the pouring rain. After basically walking for 6 hours, I was tired and wet so I chilled out at the hostel until I was supposed to meet up with everyone for dinner.
Eight of us ended up going out to dinner at this Irish pub which was really close to both Scott and my hostels, before finishing the night at Scubar. It was awesome because Scubar (this funky little bar in Sydney if you ever get to go) was where we all hung out our first weekend there, so it was only natural that our Sydney reunion would end there as well. It was sad to leave everyone that night knowing I probably wouldn’t see most of them again, but unfortunately, I had to go back to Toowoomba.
The next day brought Sunday and a bunch of people had told me that while I’m in Australia, I should check out Hillsong church. So I got up the next morning and took the free shuttle over there. Definitely not a decision I regret. It kind of reminded me of EPIC at Northridge and was a good way to end my whirlwind trip of Sydney. After taking the train back to Sydney (public transportation running on Sunday was also a new concept compared to Toowoomba), I caught my flight back up to Brisbane to take the TT coaches back. And who should I meet at the shuttle station besides Michelle and Casey, some friends from Student Village! I guess I should’ve known… we all try and get out of Toowoomba on the weekends as much as possible… so we rode TT coaches back and arrived here at last.
Sydney was a blast and if I could come back and visit anywhere in Australia, it would be that magical city. The people are awesome, the views are amazing, and it’s just so iconic, that everywhere you go, it feels special. So now, I have 5 days of classes left and then 2 weeks of exams. It’s all pretty spread out, so I’m not feeling too overwhelmed (yet). Two of my friends, Daniel and Lauren are doing their nursing clinical in Mitchell (this small town about 5 hours west) so Trina and I are making plans to bake/watch movies while she does hers here at the Toowoomba hospital.
I’m still working (only 3 more weeks of it left though!) and counting down the 27 days until I get to arrive back in the good ole USA. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer weather (I’m super jealous) and awaiting my arrival… hahaha….
Showing posts with label Good ole TT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good ole TT. Show all posts
5.31.2009
5.04.2009
Golden Afternoon (Melbourne Part Two)
We woke up the next morning (Daniel’s birthday) and headed to Krispy Kreme for breakfast (love love love) before going to Melbourne 360 which is this giant tower that overlooks the whole city. It was a beautiful day and it was awesome to see all the buildings and the ocean from so high. For lunch, we headed down to the Greek Precinct which was delicious. The whole afternoon was pretty much spent meandering downtown, walking into various shops down by the waterfront. We came full circle to our hostel and walked about a block to DFO which are these outlets (not really outlets, more of a small mall, but…) We didn’t have much time in there because they were closing, so we had plans to come back the next day.
For dinner we headed out to this great place called BBNT (Burgers, Burritos, Nachos, Tacos) which was open late and absolutely delicious. By our hostel, there was a casino which we went to. Now, I’ve never been in a casino before but I have to say, it was pretty cool. I didn’t gamble much (unless you count the dollar or two I spent on the slots) and it took Lauren and I awhile to figure out any of the games anyway, but the atmosphere was really fun. After more celebrating of Daniel’s birthday, we went to this really trendy club downtown. I was exhausted from the whole day so I couldn’t wait to get into my bed, but it was still a blast.
The next morning brought us back to the DFO where we spent the morning shopping (I’ve missed shopping so much!) Some of the stores were really expensive and boutique-y, but we managed to find a lot of things for some great prices. We came back in the afternoon, Daniel and I slept while the others went to the aquarium and then we donned our new clothes because we had tickets to see Wicked! We saw that Wicked was playing in Melbourne and I’ve always wanted to see it, but never have had the opportunity to, so we splurged on tickets and went Sunday night. All I can say is that I loved it just as much as I imagined I would. The cast was great, the costumes were exquisite and it made a perfect ending to a great weekend in Melbourne. We ate a late dinner at BBNT again, made one last stop at the casino, and I feel asleep catching up on Grey’s Anatomy and the Office on Daniel’s iPod. Could life be any better? I think not.
Monday was our travel day, so after we made fruit salad from all of our left over fruit, we took the Skybus to the airport. From the plane, we took 2 busses to the train back to the TT coaches, only to arrive home to find that Trina, Casey and Michelle had made us dinner. Such great friends. :) The weekend was whirlwind was absolutely perfect. I’m paying for it now by working at the Breath constantly but I’ve got to save up for Sydney (and my jobless summer) somehow!
For dinner we headed out to this great place called BBNT (Burgers, Burritos, Nachos, Tacos) which was open late and absolutely delicious. By our hostel, there was a casino which we went to. Now, I’ve never been in a casino before but I have to say, it was pretty cool. I didn’t gamble much (unless you count the dollar or two I spent on the slots) and it took Lauren and I awhile to figure out any of the games anyway, but the atmosphere was really fun. After more celebrating of Daniel’s birthday, we went to this really trendy club downtown. I was exhausted from the whole day so I couldn’t wait to get into my bed, but it was still a blast.
The next morning brought us back to the DFO where we spent the morning shopping (I’ve missed shopping so much!) Some of the stores were really expensive and boutique-y, but we managed to find a lot of things for some great prices. We came back in the afternoon, Daniel and I slept while the others went to the aquarium and then we donned our new clothes because we had tickets to see Wicked! We saw that Wicked was playing in Melbourne and I’ve always wanted to see it, but never have had the opportunity to, so we splurged on tickets and went Sunday night. All I can say is that I loved it just as much as I imagined I would. The cast was great, the costumes were exquisite and it made a perfect ending to a great weekend in Melbourne. We ate a late dinner at BBNT again, made one last stop at the casino, and I feel asleep catching up on Grey’s Anatomy and the Office on Daniel’s iPod. Could life be any better? I think not.
Monday was our travel day, so after we made fruit salad from all of our left over fruit, we took the Skybus to the airport. From the plane, we took 2 busses to the train back to the TT coaches, only to arrive home to find that Trina, Casey and Michelle had made us dinner. Such great friends. :) The weekend was whirlwind was absolutely perfect. I’m paying for it now by working at the Breath constantly but I’ve got to save up for Sydney (and my jobless summer) somehow!
Here's to the Night (Melbourne Part One)
So I’m back from Melbourne and I already miss it. Melbourne is a beautiful city and I think that if I could live anywhere in Australia, that I would live there. The weather is great, the city is big without being overwhelming and it’s just so full of culture. But now, I’m starting to sound like a brochure, so I’ll just tell you what we did…
5 of us (Daniel, Lauren, Steffan, and Alex- who all happen to share an apartment) left Thursday afternoon, catching TT coaches to Brisbane, where we took a train from Brisbane down to the Gold Coast to catch our flight. Let’s just say it was not the most enjoyable plane ride I’ve ever had seeing as how I was seated next to the crying baby. Great. We landed in Melbourne that night and rode the bus into the city where we checked into our hostel.
The rate we had been told for the hostel was that we paid $26 one night and get the other 3 nights for one penny. I was skeptical at first, but we called to double check these prices and they were right so when we got there and they told us that it should have been $26 per night for all of us, we protested. Luckily, they let it slide and even didn’t charge us for the one night, which left each of us paying our $2.50 deposit for our 4 night stay. However, I will say that the hostel quality matched the price we paid. Let’s just say it wasn’t the cleanest place I’ve been, the bunk beds caved in enough so that I was scared for my life every time Steffan got into his top bunk and “free breakfast” means that the staff puts out white bread and jelly every morning. AWESOME. But it just meant that we were more motivated to get out and see the city.
Friday morning we got up and walked around downtown, seeing Federation Square and all the main streets that we were close to. Daniel even bought us flowers from the street in honor of May Day! (which is an unheard of holiday down here) We went to China town and had lunch before walking down to the Queen Victoria Market where they had crafts and fruits and veggies and pretty much anything you could ever want to buy. We bought a lot of cheap fruit and I got a lot of gifts for you all back home.
Melbourne (supposedly) has the biggest AFL (Australian Football League) stadium and we were able to get tickets for Friday night’s game for about ten bucks so we all went and sat in the nosebleeds watching Aussie Football, which to me looked like a mix between NFL and Rugby. I’m sure to anyone sports-inclined, they will say that it is completely different, but whatever. We had no idea who to cheer for (Melbourne Roos vs. the Collingwood Pies) but our team (we eventually decided on the Roos) ended up winning and that’s what matters anyway, right?
We left the game, making a quick stop at Mackers and went to this British pub where Daniel had his first legal (in the States) drink at midnight in honor of his birthday. After that, we headed up to the Fitzroy District where we had heard there were a lot of great bars and clubs. We stopped at a few, ending at one that heralded “90’s Night” where we danced the night away to Ace of Base, Counting Crows and B*Witched. Perfect. At the last place, I ran into James, who I had met while I was in Sydney the first weekend for CIS which was really exciting and we talked about how we’re both going down there soon during the same weekend so we will have another reunion. All in all, it was a fun night and I was already in love with Melbourne.
5 of us (Daniel, Lauren, Steffan, and Alex- who all happen to share an apartment) left Thursday afternoon, catching TT coaches to Brisbane, where we took a train from Brisbane down to the Gold Coast to catch our flight. Let’s just say it was not the most enjoyable plane ride I’ve ever had seeing as how I was seated next to the crying baby. Great. We landed in Melbourne that night and rode the bus into the city where we checked into our hostel.
The rate we had been told for the hostel was that we paid $26 one night and get the other 3 nights for one penny. I was skeptical at first, but we called to double check these prices and they were right so when we got there and they told us that it should have been $26 per night for all of us, we protested. Luckily, they let it slide and even didn’t charge us for the one night, which left each of us paying our $2.50 deposit for our 4 night stay. However, I will say that the hostel quality matched the price we paid. Let’s just say it wasn’t the cleanest place I’ve been, the bunk beds caved in enough so that I was scared for my life every time Steffan got into his top bunk and “free breakfast” means that the staff puts out white bread and jelly every morning. AWESOME. But it just meant that we were more motivated to get out and see the city.
Friday morning we got up and walked around downtown, seeing Federation Square and all the main streets that we were close to. Daniel even bought us flowers from the street in honor of May Day! (which is an unheard of holiday down here) We went to China town and had lunch before walking down to the Queen Victoria Market where they had crafts and fruits and veggies and pretty much anything you could ever want to buy. We bought a lot of cheap fruit and I got a lot of gifts for you all back home.
Melbourne (supposedly) has the biggest AFL (Australian Football League) stadium and we were able to get tickets for Friday night’s game for about ten bucks so we all went and sat in the nosebleeds watching Aussie Football, which to me looked like a mix between NFL and Rugby. I’m sure to anyone sports-inclined, they will say that it is completely different, but whatever. We had no idea who to cheer for (Melbourne Roos vs. the Collingwood Pies) but our team (we eventually decided on the Roos) ended up winning and that’s what matters anyway, right?
We left the game, making a quick stop at Mackers and went to this British pub where Daniel had his first legal (in the States) drink at midnight in honor of his birthday. After that, we headed up to the Fitzroy District where we had heard there were a lot of great bars and clubs. We stopped at a few, ending at one that heralded “90’s Night” where we danced the night away to Ace of Base, Counting Crows and B*Witched. Perfect. At the last place, I ran into James, who I had met while I was in Sydney the first weekend for CIS which was really exciting and we talked about how we’re both going down there soon during the same weekend so we will have another reunion. All in all, it was a fun night and I was already in love with Melbourne.
4.20.2009
Such Great Heights
So I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to blog about the last 18 days of my life without writing a novel and overwhelming myself, let alone you, and I’ve come up with this. I will warn you, there’s a lot to write about, but I figure if it’s in installments (Dicken’s style), you won’t be stuck at your computer for hours. Because let’s be honest, my life really isn’t as enthralling as you think and you all lead very busy lives, I’m sure.
So 2 and a half weeks ago, 5 of us (Daniel, Lauren, Emma, Anja, and myself) all boarded TT coaches to ride into Brisbane. Normally, this is a mundane, even comical 2 hour ride. Not so. They had gotten a new bus and the ride into Brisbane felt like a terrifying roller coaster, what with the driver trying to get as close as he could to the wide load truck in front of us and all. But we made it there alive and boarded the plane. I ended up sitting next to this cute older couple (Erin, you would’ve loved them) and tried to sleep for the 3 hour flight to Christchurch, NZ. By the time we got there, it was about 10 PM with the time difference and we didn’t have any place to stay. Unfortunately, everything in arrivals was closed for the night (I’m telling you, these airports are small) except the arcade and a vending machine. So our dinner consisted of cookies and we camped out with all of our luggage behind the Sega Strike Fighter Machine. I was able to get a few hours of sleep, using my towel as my blanket and waking up to the sounds of Need for Speed Underground (which some kid decided he needed to play at 4:30 AM.)
The next morning (Friday) we were able to get our rental car and get on the road to Mt. Cook. The car was quickly named Ellen and she was the greatest thing we had the entire trip. We spent the better part of the day driving but we stopped every hour or so just to get out and take pictures because it was so beautiful. I had no idea what to expect when going to NZ but it is honestly THE most beautiful place I’ve ever been. So much of it reminded me of Colorado with the mountains everywhere and I constantly felt like a hobbit was going to pop out from behind a tree. (Speaking of LOTR, you would not believe how many tours are available to see where they filmed, visit the jeweler who made the ring, etc. It’s ridiculous.) So anyways, one of our main stops on the way to Mt. Cook was Lake Tekapo and the St. John Observatory where Ellen chugged up this steep hill to see the lake from above. I honestly can’t even describe to you how gorgeous it was. I’ll put up pictures, but even those won’t do it justice. Also, I knew New Zealand was known for sheep, but they are EVERYWHERE. I mean, they aren’t running across the street or anything (except once) but there are tons of penned in cows, sheep, and deer which was weird considering deer are grossly overpopulated in the US.
Once we got to the hostel, we were starving, but of course, we didn’t have any food. So after practically selling an arm and leg to buy food from the hostel, we drove 45 minutes to the next town to go to a grocery store/ATM to get some much needed supplies. Like most mountain towns, Mt. Cook had nothing except for our hostel, a nice hotel and… well, that was about it. So we chilled in the hostel that night, wanting to be well rested for our hike the next day. Unfortunately, Lauren’s alarm was still set for Australian time so we ended up waking up at 11, not 8. But we still made a day hike up to Hooker Valley (which is part of Mt. Cook) and visited this huge glacier that was at the end, which was fun, but SUPER cold and windy. Again, all through this hike, I felt like I was in Lord of the Rings, which was kind of cool/kind of made me feel dorky. After eating our lunch in this cove by the glacier, we came back, warmed up with some Speights, ate some dinner and played Monopoly (NZ style with NZ money).
Wow. I cannot believe I’m only on the third day. Hope you all enjoy reading.
So 2 and a half weeks ago, 5 of us (Daniel, Lauren, Emma, Anja, and myself) all boarded TT coaches to ride into Brisbane. Normally, this is a mundane, even comical 2 hour ride. Not so. They had gotten a new bus and the ride into Brisbane felt like a terrifying roller coaster, what with the driver trying to get as close as he could to the wide load truck in front of us and all. But we made it there alive and boarded the plane. I ended up sitting next to this cute older couple (Erin, you would’ve loved them) and tried to sleep for the 3 hour flight to Christchurch, NZ. By the time we got there, it was about 10 PM with the time difference and we didn’t have any place to stay. Unfortunately, everything in arrivals was closed for the night (I’m telling you, these airports are small) except the arcade and a vending machine. So our dinner consisted of cookies and we camped out with all of our luggage behind the Sega Strike Fighter Machine. I was able to get a few hours of sleep, using my towel as my blanket and waking up to the sounds of Need for Speed Underground (which some kid decided he needed to play at 4:30 AM.)
The next morning (Friday) we were able to get our rental car and get on the road to Mt. Cook. The car was quickly named Ellen and she was the greatest thing we had the entire trip. We spent the better part of the day driving but we stopped every hour or so just to get out and take pictures because it was so beautiful. I had no idea what to expect when going to NZ but it is honestly THE most beautiful place I’ve ever been. So much of it reminded me of Colorado with the mountains everywhere and I constantly felt like a hobbit was going to pop out from behind a tree. (Speaking of LOTR, you would not believe how many tours are available to see where they filmed, visit the jeweler who made the ring, etc. It’s ridiculous.) So anyways, one of our main stops on the way to Mt. Cook was Lake Tekapo and the St. John Observatory where Ellen chugged up this steep hill to see the lake from above. I honestly can’t even describe to you how gorgeous it was. I’ll put up pictures, but even those won’t do it justice. Also, I knew New Zealand was known for sheep, but they are EVERYWHERE. I mean, they aren’t running across the street or anything (except once) but there are tons of penned in cows, sheep, and deer which was weird considering deer are grossly overpopulated in the US.
Once we got to the hostel, we were starving, but of course, we didn’t have any food. So after practically selling an arm and leg to buy food from the hostel, we drove 45 minutes to the next town to go to a grocery store/ATM to get some much needed supplies. Like most mountain towns, Mt. Cook had nothing except for our hostel, a nice hotel and… well, that was about it. So we chilled in the hostel that night, wanting to be well rested for our hike the next day. Unfortunately, Lauren’s alarm was still set for Australian time so we ended up waking up at 11, not 8. But we still made a day hike up to Hooker Valley (which is part of Mt. Cook) and visited this huge glacier that was at the end, which was fun, but SUPER cold and windy. Again, all through this hike, I felt like I was in Lord of the Rings, which was kind of cool/kind of made me feel dorky. After eating our lunch in this cove by the glacier, we came back, warmed up with some Speights, ate some dinner and played Monopoly (NZ style with NZ money).
Wow. I cannot believe I’m only on the third day. Hope you all enjoy reading.
3.29.2009
Where Happiness Lives
I don’t know if Brandon even reads this blog but this Scrubs quote is for him…
Jake: “Trust you? You don’t even know where New Zealand is…"
J.D: "I know you can dance your way there from Old Zealand…”
That’s right, I am leaving for NZ in approximately 3 days and I am SO excited! Not only is it 18 days that I don’t have to be in school but we are basically touring the entire country (both islands), which is sure to be beautiful. We take the Toowoomba Transit (fondly known as the TT shuttle) into Brisbane were we are catching a flight to Christchurch, NZ (in the south island). From there, we are spending the night in the airport until the car rental place opens on Friday morning, and then off we go…
Back in Toowoomba, I have been busy working and am finding myself busier than ever. This past weekend, 5 of my friends went over to Brisbane while I was stuck here; finishing assignments that are due before I leave. But it wasn’t all just studying. This weekend at my college (Steele Rudd) was Davis Cup weekend which is a big event weekend that we put on. Friday was the Desperate and Dateless Ball at the uni club where everyone dresses up crazy and hangs out. After work I went over and it actually ended up being really fun. Saturday was a road rally and a bonfire which I unfortunately couldn’t attend because of work but the weekend still ended up being a success.
Today and tomorrow I had signed up to do this room audit, where I basically get paid $22 an hour to go around to classrooms and count how many people are in them. AWESOME. And tonight I have to go to this Responsible Service of Alcohol Convention in order to get my Alcohol license so I can work the bar at Hog’s Breath, so I’m definitely staying busy.
My domestic skills are improving (Emily…) as I made the most delicious Chocolate Zucchini Cake yesterday. I wasn’t sure it was going to turn out because I’ve never actually made it by myself, but it did! I was so happy and now I get to sit here eating my favorite cake in the whole world. Life is good. (Don’t worry, I’m not eating all of it…)
For all you people who are keeping up with the Aussie slang (get ready to hear a lot of it when I come back) here is some more…
- Cotton candy= Fairy Floss
- Silverware= Cutlery
- Converse shoes= Connies
- McDonalds= Mackers
- Pickup truck= Ute (I made a fool out of myself when I got a ride home from work the other day and told the guy he “had a nice truck.” He just looked at me and was like “Truck?”)
- They also say “How you going?” instead of “how’s it going” or “how are you doing” which I have started to pick up.
Hope everyone at home is doing wonderfully… although I heard you got some snow, so sorry about that. You should all just move down under to enjoy some warmer weather. It’s no big deal, just fly on down…
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