Anya Kazakova at Alexander McQueen Fall 2009
Only 3 days left, and so much more fun/sun to soak up! We have spent the last week finishing up finals, going to the beach, saying goodbye to some good friends and now packing. The final countdown has begun. : /
Quick rundown of our Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne trip!
In Newcastle we spent some time walking around seeing the city and the beaches. The beaches were super nice and there were some brave souls out surfing in the cold, granted they had wetsuits, it still seemed too cold for us! The city is the second oldest in Australia, well known for the great beaches, and for being the leading exporter of coal in the world! Our second night there we cooked a kangaroo filet dinner. (Abigail and I were responsible for the veggies, Karissa and Heather took the initiative with the kangaroo since we both looked at it with bewilderment.) Not having meat in quite a few years it was very different, but to describe it somehow I guess it was a little chewy in texture and not too bad. Karissa and Heather enjoyed it and it is cheaper that the other meat at the store, so good for a student’s budget! The next day we went on a Hunter Valley Wine Tour. The Hunter Valley Wine Country is about 40 minutes west of Newcastle, and famous for their distinctive styles of Semillon and Shiraz wine. We went to 4 different wineries and tried some really great (and really awful) wines. I now know that I hate dessert wine, tastes like syrup!
In Sydney we went to the Paddy’s Day Markets, which are famously known as the best markets in Sydney. They sold everything from souvenirs, to fruit, to hair extensions. Very extensive markets! That night we got to see the Vivid Sydney Festival. Everything was lit up and there were lots of little exhibits all through the Sydney Harbor. There were moving light images projected on the Opera House, Customs House, and other famous buildings in the area. Being in the harbor area really made us feel like we were in Australia, with the Opera House to the right the Sydney Bridge to the left and people everywhere, despite the rain it was truly an experience!
I saved the best for last, which was of course Melbourne. Melbourne was our favorite city in Australia, without a doubt. The city is full of graffiti, coffee shops, and awesome architecture. We had heaps of fun exploring and made a really fun new friend there (Ben if your reading this your actually not thatttt fun :D). We got to check out Federation square, as you can see in the video. There are always extravagant street performers there doing some intense acts. They tend to be a bit “seedy” as the Australians would say. We also found a fabulous Vegan friendly fast food restaurant with a very clever name- Lord of the Fries. Loved it! On to the Footy! We went to an Australian League Football Game, which we have wanted to do since being in Australia This game is unlike anything we have really ever seen. It appears to be a mix of soccer, football, rugby, and basketball, if that’s possible, played on a round/oval shape field. It was very entertaining, and we were dully pleased when the game ended with the entire stadium breaking into song for the winning team, we were laughing hysterically. Our last night in Melbourne we got to go to Luna Park, which was the one thing we relay wanted to do while in Melbourne. The Park’s entrance is a huge laughing face which is symbolic for the St. Kilda area. We were completely let down to see there was construction going on and the face was covered with a tarp. But we still took some pictures and Ben taught us how to do punk jumps. We had so much fun in Melbourne just walking around the city and hanging out. Wish we could have seen more and stayed longer. But I have a whole life ahead of me to make it back…
Quick rundown of our Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne trip!
In Newcastle we spent some time walking around seeing the city and the beaches. The beaches were super nice and there were some brave souls out surfing in the cold, granted they had wetsuits, it still seemed too cold for us! The city is the second oldest in Australia, well known for the great beaches, and for being the leading exporter of coal in the world! Our second night there we cooked a kangaroo filet dinner. (Abigail and I were responsible for the veggies, Karissa and Heather took the initiative with the kangaroo since we both looked at it with bewilderment.) Not having meat in quite a few years it was very different, but to describe it somehow I guess it was a little chewy in texture and not too bad. Karissa and Heather enjoyed it and it is cheaper that the other meat at the store, so good for a student’s budget! The next day we went on a Hunter Valley Wine Tour. The Hunter Valley Wine Country is about 40 minutes west of Newcastle, and famous for their distinctive styles of Semillon and Shiraz wine. We went to 4 different wineries and tried some really great (and really awful) wines. I now know that I hate dessert wine, tastes like syrup!
In Sydney we went to the Paddy’s Day Markets, which are famously known as the best markets in Sydney. They sold everything from souvenirs, to fruit, to hair extensions. Very extensive markets! That night we got to see the Vivid Sydney Festival. Everything was lit up and there were lots of little exhibits all through the Sydney Harbor. There were moving light images projected on the Opera House, Customs House, and other famous buildings in the area. Being in the harbor area really made us feel like we were in Australia, with the Opera House to the right the Sydney Bridge to the left and people everywhere, despite the rain it was truly an experience!
I saved the best for last, which was of course Melbourne. Melbourne was our favorite city in Australia, without a doubt. The city is full of graffiti, coffee shops, and awesome architecture. We had heaps of fun exploring and made a really fun new friend there (Ben if your reading this your actually not thatttt fun :D). We got to check out Federation square, as you can see in the video. There are always extravagant street performers there doing some intense acts. They tend to be a bit “seedy” as the Australians would say. We also found a fabulous Vegan friendly fast food restaurant with a very clever name- Lord of the Fries. Loved it! On to the Footy! We went to an Australian League Football Game, which we have wanted to do since being in Australia This game is unlike anything we have really ever seen. It appears to be a mix of soccer, football, rugby, and basketball, if that’s possible, played on a round/oval shape field. It was very entertaining, and we were dully pleased when the game ended with the entire stadium breaking into song for the winning team, we were laughing hysterically. Our last night in Melbourne we got to go to Luna Park, which was the one thing we relay wanted to do while in Melbourne. The Park’s entrance is a huge laughing face which is symbolic for the St. Kilda area. We were completely let down to see there was construction going on and the face was covered with a tarp. But we still took some pictures and Ben taught us how to do punk jumps. We had so much fun in Melbourne just walking around the city and hanging out. Wish we could have seen more and stayed longer. But I have a whole life ahead of me to make it back…
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY DADDDYYYY!!!!! :D I know your ideal boat is probably not pink purple and yellow, but i had limited color choice :) i owe you a beer and bomb!!
Federation Square of downtown Melbourne, our favorite Australian city! It reminded us of Chicago, plus it had lots of vegan restaurants.
