With the place empty, I decided to stay in my pyjamas and take advantage of the free internet. Time slipped away from me again. I wasted a good few hours stressing about how big Sydney is and whether I could purchase my train ticket on the internet. Without a printer, I would have no ticket to hand over and no proof of purchase. All this faffing was interspersed with blushes when Lucas returned more than once and I was still seated by the laptop and still in my pyjamas. Oh dear.
Fearing that I looked like a hermit as well as the fact that I was wasting my day stressing about nothing, I decided to shower and venture out to explore Melbourne. My stomach growled with displeasure as I was about to leave. Fearing the effects of the ridiculous Australian prices on my wallet (i.e. Because I’m a tight arse), I grabbed some cereal. However, what I thought was Weetabix (a familiar cereal back home), turned out to be something a lot stranger.
Impostor: Everything seems to be compared to the iphone these days, why not this?
What I thought was Weetabix was in fact Weetbix. Some weird shrunken rectangular wheat biscuit that was more flaky than a Weetabix. I felt like I was in Alice In Wonderland where everything is all backwards. I thought it was just a random encounter and that everything else would be pretty much the same (it wasn’t and things aren’t the same but we’ll get to that when I do my first supermarket shop in Sydney!).
Thanks to Google Maps, I managed to find my way back to Elsternwick station and arrived in Central Melbourne with ease. I wanted to visit Federation Square and flake out in the Botanic Gardens located further south. It was a beautiful day so I decided to have a little stroll before settling down for something to eat.
The architecture of the surrounding buildings in Fed Square was crazy.
I liked the juxtaposition of the old with the new.
There were plenty of sitting-in-the-sun opportunities here and everyone seemed to be taking advantage.
They even have deck chairs here. My derriere was reunited with one of these later.
Despite the modern exterior, there was still a bohemian undertone to Fed Square...
...man I've never wished so hard that I could play the piano.
One massive burger and chips later and I was revitalised and ready for more exploring.
By this point it was rather late in the afternoon and places seemed to be shutting so I didn’t visit any of the nearby galleries or museums. I went for a walk by the river and saw these two guys.
Not only did I think feeding seagulls was bizarre, but they used a full bag of chips to do so!
It was so annoying that I didn’t capture the photo that I wanted to. One of the guys kept holding up chips and a seagull would swoop down, hover and pluck if from their fingers. It was a surreal sight and a sight that unfortunately never occurred again when my camera was poised. After 10 minutes of banter with the tourists I decided to call it a day and move on. As I walked away, the seagull did it again. Why I oughta…!
I carried on walking and passed a series of runners, cyclists and rowers. Everyone seems to be very fit and active. I felt so at home but at the same time, so out of place. After choosing hiking boots over trainers for my trip, I’ve not been able to go out for a run since being away. It’s a minor regret but not something that keeps me up at night. A pair of trainers is on the list of things I want to buy with my first wage in Sydney. Amongst the active-bods that surrounded me I saw something I thought was pretty awesome and tried to stealthily take some shots.
This guy knew his way around a mountain bike! I watched in awe has he rolled out several stunts over the rocks with no fear.
I certainly don’t get to see this at home! So far I was impressed with Melbourne. There was a lot to see and the surrounding atmosphere felt very relaxed which put me at ease. So much so that I got a bit lost trying to find the Botanic Gardens. Whilst I thought I was going further south, it turned out I was actually going further east. How I managed to go sideways rather than down I don’t know. It felt like I was going the right way!
Instead of visiting the Botanic Gardens (by the time I realised I was going in the wrong direction it was sunset. I was tired and it was cold), I went over a bridge that sang to me and saw the mighty MCG stadium.
It all started with a scenic walk by the river.
I saw the weird...
...and the wonderful (MCG). I actually found this by accident but ssshhh, don't tell anyone!
The start of the William Barak bridge which conveniently connects the MCG and other entertainment venues with the central business district (CBD).
Proximities.
I was disappointed to find that this nearby bridge did not sing to me.
However, my spirits lifted when I saw this. Ha! I tried in vain to find Robin Avenue to no avail.
Watching the sun set over Melbourne’s city skyline was beautiful. It was at this point that I decided to head back. What I didn’t realise was how dark it would get in such a short amount of time. By the time I reached Elsternwick it was pitch black and the streets weren’t very well lit. If you don’t know by now, I can’t navigate myself in the dark. Well ok, I can’t navigate ordinarily anyway but the absence of light means I don’t recognise anything and I can’t see the road signs. Ergo, I’m screwed.
Still, I enjoyed the view of Melbourne's skyline
The first signs of the sun setting.
In a fruitless attempt to distract myself from the whole getting-lost-on-my-way-back-to-the-flat, I stopped by the shop next to the station. I took my time selecting a drink and I circled the store a few times looking for inspiration of the sweet kind. Then I saw them. The Tim Tams. I first heard about Tim Tams during my stay with the De Souza family in Kuala Lumpur. I was watching re-runs of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on E! as there was nothing else to watch (or do at that moment in time). It was surprisingly entertaining as I had no idea who these people were and what they were doing. I felt like a granny pointing at the telly proclaiming, “Who’s this young whipper-snapper? In my day…” Well that wasn’t quite what I said. It was more like, “Who are these people? What is the point of the Kardashians?” But I felt like a granny for saying that. My question was soon answered. Kim Kardashian likes Tim Tams and received a box load from this guy who likes her (some Aussie bodyguard). What then ensued was a conversation about Tim Tams in which I discover that they just happen to be the most awesome confection that’s known to man. Those are strong words. Coming from someone who just happens to have eaten pretty much all confections known to man, I must see for myself!
….and that I did ladies and gentleman. For the Tim Tam IS the greatest confection known to man. Thank you Kim Kardashian as, if it wasn’t for you wanting to stuff your face with a box of Tim Tams, I would never have known about them. Nobody else since has told me about the Tim Tam. To think, I could have experienced Australia without tasting Tim Tams. To the Brits out there, it’s basically a step up from a Penguin. It’s thicker, tastier and has a lot more varieties. I must admit, the Penguin does have those cute little jokes on the wrapper which is difficult to beat. But the Tim Tam…*dribbles*
Ok, back to the story. With drink and Tim Tams in tow, I set about finding my way “home”. I read my Google Map instructions backwards and it actually bloody worked…well sort of. I got about two streets away and then had no idea where I was.
Praise Kim Kardashian for iphones…no wait, that’s not right…anyway. It’s a good thing that everyone in Australia seems to have an iphone with Google Maps on and doesn’t mind a mildly distressed stranger pestering them for directions. A young teenager put me back on track.
I made it! Well…sort of. I made it to the street and then forgot the house number. Oh bums. I paced up and down the street in the hope that one of the buildings would look familiar. They were all identical. As I stood and contemplated whether I had any other option but to text Jay for help, a black cat brushed up against my leg. I jumped out of my skin but somehow managed not to scream my head off. Instead, I jumped to one side and almost karate chopped this poor moggy. Having realised that the potential psycho mugger was in fact a household pet, I mumbled a few expletives and looked over each shoulder to make sure that nobody witnessed my foolishness. Speaking of, I text Jay for help. He waved at me from the balcony and I walked up knowing that I was about to get the piss ripped out of me.
Not to worry, I had a Tim Tam and all was forgotten. What a day…
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