Darling Harbour

After doing their tour to the north of the east coast, Laura and Andi arrived in Sydney. Of course they woke up at ungodly hours like 9 am or something and we stayed in bed until 12, so on their second day we agreed to meet some time in the afternoon.

Diana and me got out at the Central Station which was a bit farther away than where we wanted to go because we wanted to walk through the city. We stopped at a hostel to pick up some tourism flyers (they have the biggest selections), we went through a mall (not very interesting), through China Town (more interesting, but yet to eat there) and we eventually arrived at Darling Quarter. We exchanged some messages with our friends who were still busy with sunsets at the Opera or whatever. We decided to meet at Darling Quarter but there was still plenty of time until they arrived so we moved on. We were not prepared.

Bam!

The whole thing is spectucalar, it feels big and open and the restaurants look great and there is the water in between and there are people walking and sitting and the music is not too loud. We wanted to try kangaroo steak for the first time, so we went looking for a restaurant that offered it.

Boom!

We found a restaurant called Cyren which not only had a menu item with kangaroo in it, it was also with mashed sweet potato, my new favourite. The atmosphere was great, the food was also great, my vocabulary is not so great and needs extending. The desserts were also great and of course I picked the best one.

I couldn't decide which of the three photos to use so I posted all three.

The next day was the last day of our friends in Australia, so we met once again at the harbour to laugh at them for going back to cold Germany.  We all cried a litte, they gave us their all-day pass for a visit in the Chinese Garden and then we didn't have any more use for them so we sent them away.

On that day there was also a Thai festival at the harbour. We visited that first, ate some very sad Pad Thai and made our way to the Chinese Garden, since it was only a hundred meters away.

CHINAA GARDEEN!

It was beautiful but my expectation was one of tranquility which was destroyed by the view of the skyscrapers all around and the sound of the traffic including some horns now and then. At the end of our round we found some tables where you are able to drink tea but they also had other drinks on offer. I had a white brownie (huh?) and a vanilla shake that were so tremendous that I forgot about the dissapointing meal earlier.

It's been a while and we haven't been at the Darling Harbour since. We dumb.

Sydney - The Beginning

- Fuck Melbourne!

- OK?

- I love Sydney! It's so much better here. Do you like Sydney too?

- Perh....

- Look at all the trees! They didn't have such nice trees in Melbourne. It all looks better, it's not just the weather. I am happy. I love Sydney.

The first days in Sydney, it was raining ferociously.

Diana loves Sydney. She decided we will move here permanently after we are done with our tour and as always I don't have any sway when it comes to the big decisions. We initially planned on staying in Sydney for two weeks. Now we are in the end of week four.

Sydney has better weather than Melbourne. It is cleaner. The trains are newer and better. Everything apart from rent seems cheaper than in Melbourne but the rent is a real killer. Melbourne has a concetrated CBD where everything that matters in the city is condensed in a dozen blocks in the middle and then in specific streets with rows of restaurants and shopping opportunities. In Sydney everything seems more distributed. I am not sure I like that part. Sydney is more beautiful, downright impressive around the harbour. You can get a boat ride cheaply connecting the north to the south and it is just relaxing and fun.

Close to Central.

I like it, but I don't love it. Just like every metropolis it has a traffic problem which at least subsides in the night. There are just too many people for my taste especially in the CBD and too much noise. The use of shitty house music in the shops is even worse than in Melbourne.

We didn't see enough of the north side up until now. I could see ourselves living there because it seems more quiet but it is not as well connected with trains as the south and the buses are slow due to too many stops. It doesn't matter what I think because it is not my decision to make anyway.

I must stop writing now. The master is calling.

Phillip Island

Andi and Laura who we know from the Germanies came to Australia. Laura likes penguins. Phillip Island has a lots of penguins and facilities built especially to watch them go from the water to their nests after sunset. So it was decided (by Laura) that we all go to Phillip Island so that she could see the penguins.

New BFF!

So we woke up way too early to go to the airport and pick up the rental car they would use for the Melbourne part of their trip. We hopped in and drove two hours to the south. We dropped our things in the motel and went to the Nobbies Centre first to get information about their penguin program. Then we went to the other side of the island in the north-east for a walk. I don't remember why we did that but it was a good decision.

Art.

In my mind this entry was going was going to have a huge amount of text because we spent one and a half full days there but now I don's think there is all that much to say about our walk other than it was beautiful.

Beautiful.

We walked through a foresty bit where we often had a view of the sea and then we walked down to a watery bit where we walked on bridge-like structures made of wood floating slightly above the water. Then, on our way back we saw wallabies and kangaroos (I think).

These are pretty small so they are wallabies?

We took that car again and Andi and Laura dropped us at Cowes which is the only town on the island. They went on to the penguin show. Diana and me went to have some food.

Cowes

For the first time since I know her, Diana wanted to have Italian food but because it was the first time and I couldn't tell if she offered to stay at the Italian restaurant we were at because of me as opposed to because of her, we went on and ate some fish and chips. It was, in Diana's words, the blandest fish she ever ate. Somehow I still feel guilty for that. After that we went to get some ice-cream and sat on the stairs close to the beach. Luckily, it was not the blandest ice-cream we ever ate. It was actually pretty good.

Beach

 Cowes is a nice quiet town, pretty likeable and I would have gone for a swim if it wasn't getting a bit chilly. We had at least another hour before we were going to get picked up but we didn't want to go have drinks of any kind because we ate too much and then additionally we ate ice-cream and we had enough of everything in our bodies. We went to a supermarket to buy some food for the next day and sat there and read our books until we were picked up.

This way to Antarctica.

On the next day we went to the south-west end of the island beyond the Nobbies centre because according to the maps we might be able to see sealions there. Unfortunately we didn't see any. Instead we got to see volcanic mass that is a couple of millions years old or something aaaaaaand ...

free penguins

We went to the end of the path and took some more photos. Everything was beautiful again but in a different kind of way compared to the north side of the island. When we felt we had enough beauty for the day, we took the car, Andi brought us to our train station and we parted ways for a while. They went on their own trip to the Great Ocean Road and we went back to Melbourne because I had to leave for Greece in two days.

Eleventh Base - San Remo

Phillip Island is connected to the main land with a bridge. After we visited the island we slept in a motel on the other side of the bridge. If I did it chronologically, I should have posted this after the description of our visit but I wanted to end the series of Melbourne posts with something more substancial than this one, so let's get it out of the way.

Looks like a Busta Rhymes video.

That was it.

Tenth Base - Space Hotel

Okay, it was more of a hostel than a hotel. Diana who has already been in hostels has told me that this one is comparetively less chaotic and also less communal. We have been there three times with breaks in between. We slept there before the Great Ocean Road tour, after the tour but before Phillip Island and also after Phillip Island and before my leaving Melbourne for Greece. The first and third time we have been in a small room without a bathroom. I don't feel comfortable with it. The second time we were upgraded to a room with a bathroom and it was glorious. Private bathrooms for life!

Nice color combination.

In the middle of the lower floors there was a "gym", cinema and a communal room but noone wanted to be there because the rooms were small and there were not windows ... which is OK for a cinema I guess. On the top floors there was a kitchen and big balconies which were much more inviting. All in all, it was good for what we needed at the time.

Great Ocean Road Day 2

DAY 2 LET'S GO!

... to Loch and Gorge.

 Our guide explained on the way there and then additionally on the way away the story of the place. It boils down to a shipwreck because of a storm and only a guy and a girl surviving. The guy saved the girl and climbed up an impossible wall to get help. In the end they didn't have a romantic relationship. Now of course our guide would fill in much more details but she needed half an hour to explain all of the story. One reason that it took so long is that she interrupted herself every minute or so in order to assure us that she knows she is rambling but she can't help it. It was fascinating. Diana of course slept through half of it.

Our guide also said that this was her favourite place we visit today but I don't see it. Perhaps if I was alone and I got to swim there but the place is so small, even with ~10 people it felt crowded.

Next stop: 12 Apostles again.

Now with a helicopter ride.

Diana didn't want to come with because she finds helicopters boring. It was my first ride and I liked it. I would get a pilot's license if it wasn't so expensive. It doesn't seem too difficult.

View from the Gibson steps.

Next we all went to the Gibson's steps in order to see the piglet stacks from sea level and appreciate their size more. It was a bit crowded but I liked it there. The reason you don't see any of the stacks in the photo is that I am tired of talking and showing the stacks by now, so I defiantly look in the other direction. Vive la resistance!

Next up, Diana's favourite place.

Maits Rest Rainforest

I didn't realize how much Diana likes forests until we arrived there. Apparently she has the same reaction to the view and smell and sounds of the forest as I have with the sea. She decided that we will live close to a forest like this when we settle down so that she can go for a walk every day. I feel my say having less and less worth in this relationship.

I forgot to take any pictures of Apollo Bay so here is another one of the rainforest.

We were let loose at Apollo Bay for lunch where everybody could do their thing. It was a small beach town. I went for a swim and we ate Japanese and had some ice cream that is apparently the best of the coast. I haven't tried anything else from the coast.

We went on and had a few more 15 minute stops on our way so that we could take photos with interesting views. It was beautiful but by now beautiful was getting pretty common.

 No idea.

We stopped at the place pictured in the photo above. I forgot how it was called. It is not on the list. We had tea and cookies. This is the part, believe it not, where I got to know the other people in our group better. That's shortly before the end of the tour. We had an a guy from Argentina, a guy from France that also lived in Canada and the US(?), an Chinese girl and a Korean-Japanese couple. The Korean girl worked as a masseuse and as she was working on her boyfriend I came and asked for her to teach me. Her boyfriend immediately stood up and ran away.

- Why are you going away? I can be gentle.

- You don't look gentle.

Initially we tried to go with the tour starting on a Saturday but that didn't work out because it was full. So we went to the one starting Tuesday instead. We were very lucky in that we were only 7 people in a bus with a capacity with 20. If we went in a full bus I wouldn't have enough space for my legs and/or bag and Diana wouldn't be able to sleep.

Diana asked me what the purpose of a lighthouse is.

The Split Point Lighthouse is apparently famous because there is a TV-series called "Round the Twist". Apparently there are people who book the tour only to see this lighthouse. Why not rent a car? Apparently there are other people who don't know that "their" lighthouse is on the tour and when they realize there is much hugging and crying. All this was lost on every one of us because none of us knew about the series.

Bells Beach

This is the most popular spot on the greater coast for surfers. And one dog. I am still on the fence about if I want to learn surfing. Even after getting good at it, it seems like a disproportionate amount of preparing and waiting for a few seconds of fun. But then again, so is sex with me.

We did a group photo with everyone and went on the final stretch of the road but not before a short break.

Kangaroos

A couple of hundred meters further we had our first look ata kangaroos. We should see more of them on Phillip Island up close but the first time always carries a bit more excitement.

The Great Ocean Road was great and doesn't need to be made great again. Thank you!

Ninth Base - Port Campbell Hostel

We stayed there for one night as part of our Great Ocean Road tour.

All 7 of us slept in one room.

- Do you remember that I woke you up?

- No. Why?

- You kept every one awake with your snoring. So I called your name a couple of times and when you didn't hear me, I came down and woke you up.

- Oh God! Everyone hates me silently now.

- Only if they noticed it was you who did the snoring.

- Didn't you just tell me that you called me by name?

Great Ocean Road Day 1

 The plan was to rent a car after we are done with Melbourne, go to Adelaide seeing the sights on the Great Ocean Road and the leaving the car in Adelaide and staying there for a couple of weeks. We abandoned the plan for three reasons.

1. The longer we stayed in Melbourne, the closer we got to the date where I was to leave Australia because the three months of my visa were up. So in the end there was very little time left, to stay in Adelaide.

2. We didn't find a car through the car relocation services for the days we wanted to. That would be much cheaper than the normal prices for renting a car.

3. We had friends coming over from Germany. They did their own thing but we would miss them entirely if we went to Adelaide.

So we decided to do a trip with Ride Tours. Apart from being cheap and having a funny website, the company boasted with two advantages over competitors. They took two days to do the trip. Some companies offered one-day trips and they thought it was too rushed. And on the first day they went for the end of the Great Ocean Road and worked their way backwards in order to avoid the crowds of pretty much any other company. As it turns out, both of those were smart moves.

This is where we had cookies and tea but it is not the village I am going to talk about in the next paragraph.

So off we go, too early in the morning and we drove for three "boring" hours (that is a quote from our guide) to the city at the end of the Great Ocean Road. Diana can't cope with sleep deprivation so she slept almost all the way through. On our way we came through a village which consisted approximately of 8 buildings. One of those was a police station because obviously  less than a dozen families can't be trusted to not kill each other (probably with friendliness) in Australia. And then there were two churches next to each other. Yes.

Logan's Beach

Eventually we arrived in Warrnambool. It's just as difficult to write as Würrtemberg. Or was it Wurttemberg? Whatever, we went through to arrive at our first "real" destination which is Logan's Beach. No relation to Wolverine. In the winter, it's a place where whales can be seen. In the summer months, the company took it off their program but there were some people who wanted it back in because it is a nice beach, so we went there even without the whales.

Then we went to the supermarket to get some food. Next stop: Tower Hill.

Tower Hill

Tower Hill is an inactive volcano that was replanted with native trees. It was a nice contrast to the beaches although you could still see the ocean from the point where we climbed up. We also saw a koala and some emus. We were told the emus are brash and will come at us to get our food, but ours were shy. Didn't even want to take a photo with me. Is it because I look like a terrorist?

Bay of Islands

So Tower Hill was to the west of Warrnambool which I copypasted right now because I don't want to go into the effort of typing it. The Great Ocean Road was to the east. We went through the town again and officially started our trip on the Road and reached the Bay of Islands. It was beautiful but I remember nothing of its history.

Bay of Martyrs

Next was the Bay of Martyrs. The downside is that the place has a grim history. It's where they let Aboriginies fall off a cliff because the human race sometimes sucks.

We did a break there long enough for some of us to swim. I consider this to be the most beautiful beach I ever had a swim. The water was very cold but I got used to it quickly. Bonus points for the fact that there were only three people in the water including me and the visuals and sound of the waves were quiet and calming. As it should be.

The Grotto

The Grotto is also more impressive in the winter than in the summer. What gives? Apparently the waves fill up the grotto through the hole you see in the photo and when it is full the pressure of the next wave results in the water being shot up like a fountain. Although we didn't see all that, it was still one of the most beautiful stop of our tour and I made my favourite photo of Diana and me there.

London Bridge

The London Bridge is a structure that's impressive for sure and I don't know why but it left me completely cold. The part on the left was also part of the bridge up until a few years ago if you must know.

After the London Bridge we went to the hostel we were going sleep in later but only for dinner. Diana cleaned the meat from the bones of the chicken for me because I don't like touching bones with my fingers or fork (or because I am a big child, whichever you prefer). We had to eat fast because we had to be at the 12 Apostles by sunset.

12 Apostles by sunset

On the way to the Apostles our tour guide explained to us how they got their name. It boils down to a tourism marketing department trying out different names until this one stuck. Not only is this story completely boring in itself, it gets worse. Apparently there originally were 14 stacks in close proximity, so in order to legitimise the number 12, they gave a different name to two of them. After two of the stacks collapsed, they didn't reintergrate the two other ones, so now there are only 8 stacks that are called 12 Apostles and then another 2 Piglets. What the hell did the two stacks do to you? That's so unfair! I still get angry when I think about it.

We waited there for a while to see the pinguins coming out of the water and they came but not in the numbers we hoped and by the time they did appear, it was too dark to see them.  After the Apostles we went back to the hostel but much slower than we were driving before because it was dark and you can't see the animals crossing the roads that well.

Sleep.

St Kilda

The first day we arrived in Melbourne, one of the first thing that was explained to us by our host was how to get to St Kilda. It's like there was no other choice than to eventually go there. So I went a couple of times.

The first time was alone and riding the tram. An older lady started a conversation with me. After a while she explained that she went there to see her son taking part in the parade.

- What kind of parade?
- A gay parade.
- Huh.

After I told her what kind of work I do, she told me that her son worked in an IT company and to look it up. I liked her.

I don't understand the modern usage of the word "pride".

I thought I had luck for arriving at a party on my first day there but I later found out that everywhere you go in Melbourne there is a 50% chance of there being a festival of some sort. The whole thing was fun, despite the forced "whoos" half the time. The best or the worst thing I saw (I can't decide which) was a half a dozen men taking part with Greek flags. The patriotism of my fellow Greeks swings between ludicrous and worrying.

A bit later I went swimming and it was dissapointing all around. It took ages to get deep enough, the water was unclear, it smelled a bit like petrol.

Dissapointing.

The next couple of times we went there, we visited a good restaurant, there was a warm day with much more action on the beach with a beach volleyball court every couple of meters. There was a single day good for swimming where the waters seemed a bit more clear but other than that, it was dissapointing.

The best day for St Kilda.

I get that you can't get good swimming conditions so close to the harbour but other cities do have good beaches and it WAS advertised as the premier beach of Melbourne. The buzz at the beach at generally around St Kilda was good but I have seen comparable in the 2000 people village at the beach we go in Greece for the summer. At least I think it is still this way because I have avoided the busy season for a decade now.

The whole thing brought Melbourne down a notch in the consideration as a place to live for a longer period of time.