Some of you know that i'm a bit of a Europhile when it comes to traveling. if i'm not visiting my family in south america, all my recent trips have been to one european country or three (including the work related trips i was able to wrangle). There's something I love about the history and culture and architecture that I love that draws me in a way that other continents couldn't.
So when we were planning this trip I was really invested in the european and south american portions, and the rest of it was just bonus. Erin would go on and on about how excited she was about going to Australia, and I could only think of my short time in New Zealand and hope that we could spend some time exploring the south island, which i hadn't gotten to do (rugby=work).
But I have been blown away by how awesome Australia is. The longer I spend here, the more I love it. As I'm so behind on my post writing, and I don't know how you, dear readers, enjoy the bible length posts we sometimes write, I will try to synopsize our trip since my last post:
So when we were planning this trip I was really invested in the european and south american portions, and the rest of it was just bonus. Erin would go on and on about how excited she was about going to Australia, and I could only think of my short time in New Zealand and hope that we could spend some time exploring the south island, which i hadn't gotten to do (rugby=work).
But I have been blown away by how awesome Australia is. The longer I spend here, the more I love it. As I'm so behind on my post writing, and I don't know how you, dear readers, enjoy the bible length posts we sometimes write, I will try to synopsize our trip since my last post:
That's MY waterbottle, jerk.
Bali (not part of Australia, but it's been a while):
Bali was nice. Here we are again in a country where if you eat with the locals, your full meal including bottled water will cost $2, but a (delicious) cocktail at a tourist spot will cost you $12. We thought the food would be unique and amazing, but it was fair to pretty good. The beach was nice, but we actually spent the majority of our time in the middle of the island in a city made famous by Julia Roberts. We don't do yoga, so we didn't partake in that, but we did drive a 50cc scooter about 250 km around the islands looking at temples, rice patties, monkey sanctuaries (those are some rascally buggers) and small towns. I like traffic in these lesser developed countries - do your best to nose your way into traffic without getting hit, lanes are a suggestion, and who says a family of four can't fit on a small scooter with their groceries. But we were still in recovery mode, so when our "home-stay" with a local artist ended up not being a cultural experience but just a delightfully cheap hotel, we didn't complain. vacation complete.
Bali was nice. Here we are again in a country where if you eat with the locals, your full meal including bottled water will cost $2, but a (delicious) cocktail at a tourist spot will cost you $12. We thought the food would be unique and amazing, but it was fair to pretty good. The beach was nice, but we actually spent the majority of our time in the middle of the island in a city made famous by Julia Roberts. We don't do yoga, so we didn't partake in that, but we did drive a 50cc scooter about 250 km around the islands looking at temples, rice patties, monkey sanctuaries (those are some rascally buggers) and small towns. I like traffic in these lesser developed countries - do your best to nose your way into traffic without getting hit, lanes are a suggestion, and who says a family of four can't fit on a small scooter with their groceries. But we were still in recovery mode, so when our "home-stay" with a local artist ended up not being a cultural experience but just a delightfully cheap hotel, we didn't complain. vacation complete.
yum
Sydney:
Sydney was kind of what I expected from Australia. We saw a couple sites, but spent much of our time preoccupied with finding a car. We hung out in Newtown, which was supposed to be the cool spot, but I was a little disappointed with the options of eating and going out. Not to mention the price of everything. But it was fun to meet Erin's extended family, walk around the harbor (have some delicious seafood) and to go to a museum dedicated to the prison colony origin of the country.
Sydney was kind of what I expected from Australia. We saw a couple sites, but spent much of our time preoccupied with finding a car. We hung out in Newtown, which was supposed to be the cool spot, but I was a little disappointed with the options of eating and going out. Not to mention the price of everything. But it was fun to meet Erin's extended family, walk around the harbor (have some delicious seafood) and to go to a museum dedicated to the prison colony origin of the country.
This, my rugby friends, is a Waratah.
Blue Mountains:
When we procured a car our first stop was the Blue Mountains. It's a mountain range that has a kind of natural blue smog about it because of the sap in the trees or the oil in the ground or something - we got conflicting stories. It was pretty, but the best part was meeting up with a friend of Erin's from her CS days. It's nice to hang out with someone new, and Susie (or Pink, as Erin would flip flop her name when telling stories about her), was a great companion for a bit. I thank her for making me watch Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. I may not have laughed at all, but it was a cultural cornerstone, especially as we inch closer to Alice Springs. There were some really great hikes, which we shared with our defacto dutch friend, Dennis, who liked hiking but didn't have a car.
When we procured a car our first stop was the Blue Mountains. It's a mountain range that has a kind of natural blue smog about it because of the sap in the trees or the oil in the ground or something - we got conflicting stories. It was pretty, but the best part was meeting up with a friend of Erin's from her CS days. It's nice to hang out with someone new, and Susie (or Pink, as Erin would flip flop her name when telling stories about her), was a great companion for a bit. I thank her for making me watch Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. I may not have laughed at all, but it was a cultural cornerstone, especially as we inch closer to Alice Springs. There were some really great hikes, which we shared with our defacto dutch friend, Dennis, who liked hiking but didn't have a car.
Route to Melbourne:
Outside of Canberra we bid farewell to Pink, who graciously donated her copy of a biography on William Buckley, an Englishman who was sent to Australia as a prisoner but escaped and lived with the aboriginals for 32 years back in 1832 (Thank you! it's been an awesome read so far). We started toward the coast, but then changed course and went through the Snowy Mountains. No, I have never seen or read the book, but the area was pretty, and there was a tiny bit of snow on the tops of the mountains (namesake safe). It was luckily my day to drive because we went through 70km of very windy roads which were fun for me, but nauseating for Erin. It took us a bit longer to reach Melbourne than we thought so we camped one night on the edge of a lake that was filled in over a town. Bummer for the town, but it was oddly cool to see trees everywhere in a lake.
Outside of Canberra we bid farewell to Pink, who graciously donated her copy of a biography on William Buckley, an Englishman who was sent to Australia as a prisoner but escaped and lived with the aboriginals for 32 years back in 1832 (Thank you! it's been an awesome read so far). We started toward the coast, but then changed course and went through the Snowy Mountains. No, I have never seen or read the book, but the area was pretty, and there was a tiny bit of snow on the tops of the mountains (namesake safe). It was luckily my day to drive because we went through 70km of very windy roads which were fun for me, but nauseating for Erin. It took us a bit longer to reach Melbourne than we thought so we camped one night on the edge of a lake that was filled in over a town. Bummer for the town, but it was oddly cool to see trees everywhere in a lake.
The Fitzroy and impending doooooom
Melbourne:
All the information we had on the town was a tiny slip of paper Erin had cut out of her long abandoned lonely planet guide that said to check out Brunswick street for bohemian cafes and bars. That sounded right up our alley and it was. The Fitzroy was like a white Mission district (since there are sadly no Mexican here - can a sister get a quesadilla please?!), so i guess maybe it's a present day Brooklyn. I bought a few new shirts (10 points if you can spot them in our new pics), and we searched for a place to stay that night. Failing that, we had a drink, ate some pintxos, and watched a woman play pj harvey, indigo girls and radiohead covers. And watched an apparently epic rainstorm approaching. Then we found a spot in a deserted aussie football stadium parking lot and called it a night. I have to say, we only spent 2 days here, opposed to 4 days in sydney, but Melbourne wins. i could live here.
Since then we've been along the great ocean road, kangaroo island and we're in the middle of traveling around the Barossa and Clare wine valleys. A self proclaimed city girl, I again had reserved my enthusiasm for other parts of the trip, but by now I am ready to buy myself a pair of Blundstones, a piece of land, and live on the land. But more on that later.
- SB
All the information we had on the town was a tiny slip of paper Erin had cut out of her long abandoned lonely planet guide that said to check out Brunswick street for bohemian cafes and bars. That sounded right up our alley and it was. The Fitzroy was like a white Mission district (since there are sadly no Mexican here - can a sister get a quesadilla please?!), so i guess maybe it's a present day Brooklyn. I bought a few new shirts (10 points if you can spot them in our new pics), and we searched for a place to stay that night. Failing that, we had a drink, ate some pintxos, and watched a woman play pj harvey, indigo girls and radiohead covers. And watched an apparently epic rainstorm approaching. Then we found a spot in a deserted aussie football stadium parking lot and called it a night. I have to say, we only spent 2 days here, opposed to 4 days in sydney, but Melbourne wins. i could live here.
Since then we've been along the great ocean road, kangaroo island and we're in the middle of traveling around the Barossa and Clare wine valleys. A self proclaimed city girl, I again had reserved my enthusiasm for other parts of the trip, but by now I am ready to buy myself a pair of Blundstones, a piece of land, and live on the land. But more on that later.
- SB
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