Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
I arrived in Melbourne after an uncomfortable 8 hour bus ride at 8am so you can imagine my frustration when I was told check-in wasn’t till 2pm! So I left my bags in the luggage room and had a walk round the city to waste some hours away. After calling home I met Brian outside the museum, emotional is not the word! Seeing someone that close to you (who I’ve known for over 10 years as it turns out), after being away from home for so long was great. After seeing the flat we had a walk round Melbourne and had a sushi lunch. I then returned to the hostel for a nap and tea before meeting Brian, Laura and their flatmates Gav and Jess. We all headed to St. Kilda to watch a live band, who weren’t very impressive and have few drinks.
The guys had put off all the tourist activities so we could do them together so the next day we went to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. This is a museum dedicated to the history of film and T.V. so I loved it. It also had some great exhibitions and activities to take part in. In the afternoon we had a few ciders on one of Melbourne’s rooftop bars. December 17th was the big day. With Brian and Laura’s flatmates away for Christmas I moved in. It was great to move into the flat, just off Fitzroy Gardens, and have somewhere I could call home for a while. In the evening I met up with Matt and Carl. We went bowling for Carl’s birthday and I gave him his present of Twilight badges because he’s really strange and loves the books and films. We also ended up on the karaoke singing Tiny Dancer, Matt’s favourite. I also ate some really nice naan bread.
Our tourist activity for Friday was a tour around the MCG. The 100’000 seater stadium is extremely impressive. As well as seeing the pitch, changing rooms and member’s area we also learned about the history of the ground and club. The cricket club was founded just 3 years after Melbourne itself and the ground has held some of the most historic cricket and AFL games ever. The real shocker however was that a yearly membership, which includes all international and domestic cricket and all AFL games costs $540 (about 300 pounds) and after being a member for 50 years it only costs $15. We also visited the Sport’s Museum in the grounds which had the coolest interactive games ever! The next couple of days were filled with a trip up the Rialto Tower for a 360’ bird’s eye view of Melbourne and a picnic in the Botanic Gardens. We also visited the Old Melbourne Gaol. We went on the Hangman’s Night Tour. In darkness we were lead around the jail by a guide who showed us the cells and gallows and told us stories of some of the 135 executed prisoners including the infamous Ned Kelly. All of this was done under the illumination of one candle which made for a very creepy 90 minutes. Another visit to an art gallery further increased my appreciation of art. I’m really starting to understand the enjoyment of taking a couple of hours out of your day to walk around a gallery viewing all the works of art.
As the days floated by in Melbourne, Christmas drew nearer. I was going to travel to Sydney for Christmas but it seemed a stupid idea with Brian and Laura in Melbourne. Why spend Christmas by myself when I could spend it with close friends? So I decided to stay, which made everyone happy including mother, and we started to prepare for the big day. We searched the city for decorations which was less successful than we hoped. Australia doesn’t seem to celebrate Christmas like we do back home, this meant we had to settle for some basic ‘deccies’ and some homemade ones to give the flat that Christmas feel. What we didn’t have any trouble in acquiring was food and drink. A trip to Dan Murphy’s and a couple of trips to Coles supplied us with all the provisions we’d need for the Christmas weekend.
So after a disappointing build-up (the festive T.V. schedule was disgustingly barren) the big day was finally upon us. I woke up to a couple of txts from Phil and Anna which was lovely and Brian and Laura had parcels to open that had been sent from their families back home (I’m not putting that in to make you feel bad mum, honest) so Christmas excitement was bubbling. After having some scrumptious bacon butties for breakfast we all got washed and put our Christmas clothes on and the preparation of dinner took place. Apart from remedial tasks such as chopping and peeling, Brian took the reins. It was a good job he did because I wouldn’t have a clue where to start.
Mid-afternoon we all sat down to our feast. For starter we had pâté which was followed by a traditional dinner; turkey, spuds, carrots, broccoli, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy. There was plenty for all of us and it was absolutely delicious. Brian really is a whiz in the kitchen and Laura and I were both very proud and awfully grateful. For dessert we had Brian’s speciality, a recipe passed down from the Kennedy family, Banoffee Pie, which was just perfect.
After all our food and wine we were feeling rather sleepy so in the brief interval between The Grinch and Elf we had a walk round the park. We returned to the flat refreshed and sat down with a few drinks, some chocolate and enjoyed some Will Ferrell and Jerry Maguire. We had all had a lovely day and a Christmas none of us will ever forget, however I think I can speak for all of us when I say we were all a little homesick, I sure was. I was more homesick than any other time of my trip, brought on by the time of the year and the constant reminders of the snow back home. I felt a lot better after watching some videos sent from back home with Christmas messages from people in the road. I also had a lovely video call with everyone back home in Di’s before they had dinner. This was a perfect cap to an amazing day and I went to bed full of Christmas food and joy.
Boxing Day was unfortunately my last day in Melbourne. After sitting down to my last tea and toast in the flat and watching some of the Boxing Day test I got changed and packed my bag. It was hard leaving Brian and Laura. The two weeks I had spent with them were wonderful. I am so happy that we managed to meet up during our travels and spending Christmas together was superb. However I couldn’t stay with them indefinitely and it was time to hit the road again. The fortnight of staying in the same spot had rekindled me appetite for adventure and I was looking forward to New Years Eve in Sydney and I was getting very excited for New Zealand. So with that I jumped on an overnight bus and left the incredible city of Melbourne. Apart from the flies which are the most persistently annoying sons of b****es ever, Melbourne is the perfect city. It is an incredible place that has everything and its relaxing atmosphere and cafe culture give it a real European feel. It is the one place I have discovered on my trip that I would have no problem moving to permanently.
- comments