I can't believe it's been a week since my last post! I'm so sorry for the delay but there was no wireless internet in Melbourne. I'll go day by day again.
Sunday - We left around 9am, piled on buses, and headed to the airport. Flying domestically in Australia is incredibly simple, none of this liquid nonsense we have in the States. You don't even have to take off your shoes. We had an hour to blow at the airport so we got some breakfast and I bought new sunglasses (I left mine at the dorm) then all piled into the plane. Seventy twenty somethings with four guides equals loud, unorganized plane. Some people didn't realize that size restrictions for carry on baggage is different here so they brought on standard US sized rolling bags which are much, much to big for the overheads here. It was kind of chaotic as a lot of people had to check their bags and find their seats. They almost unloaded us, which would've been bad. We arrived in Melbourne with enough time to explore the city for awhile. I, unfortunately, had some bad sushi and was holed up in my room for most of the evening. Thankfully, my friend Ashleigh kept me company and when I was feeling good I got to see some of the city and explore Federation Square.
Monday - Bright and early wake up call for our first lesson about Melbourne from our program director Mark. It's funny because there's a huge rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne and we have all Sydney-ites teaching us but they all seem pretty neutral on the issue (except one professor, Sharon, who is hilarious in her hate of Melbourne). Afterward, I went on a tour of the Australian Center of the Moving Image, which was beautiful, brilliant, and so inspirational. People forget that Australia has a vibrant film and television culture and it was so well represented at ACMI. There was a great exhibit on the history of film, television, video games, and the internet in Australia along with beautiful displays of their most famous stars - from director Baz Lurhman to Cate Blanchette - whose Oscar is on display. They had amazing interactive displays with video games, lighting, camera tricks, and animations. We all felt like big kids. Check out our time splice video! http://www.acmi.net.au/timeslice/Timeslice.htm?file=ts-20090928-6d7f6196c4ce097aa2182e2498258713.flv After ACMI we went to grab lunch - crepes! They were delicious and very filling. We then met up with Taryn, Molly, and Megan and went to the Melbourne Racing Museum, which was interesting for Taryn and I (we both ride) but kind of boring for everybody else. We then decided to do some shopping because Victoria (the state Melbourne is in) is known for its boutique culture and off-beat clothing. We went to the Ugg store where I could get a pair of comfy, warm shoes then I got the most amazing pair of pajama pants from this store called Peter Alexander. I wish we had it in the States! It's so cute. My pants have unicorns on them - or horses with swords on their heads for those Scrubs fans reading. I also got a beautiful hand-made purse, one of only six in the world, that will be perfect for work. It's really classic and I can't wait to beat it up at Showtime and in LA. :) Finally a stop at a
beautiful photography studio where I bought a print of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and a little gift for a friend. After a short nap we headed to Little Italy for a feast. It was great pasta, great wine, and great friends. Megan, Ashleigh, and I went to this little churros place for dessert where I had a peanut butter chocolate churro. Healthy it was not, delicious, definitely. I headed home pretty early because Tuesday was an even earlier wake up call.Tuesday - Started at 7am, bright and early, with Starbucks with MJ. We then proceeded to pile on a bus for our tour of the Great Ocean Road. I can't even begin to describe the absolute beauty we saw. It's akin to driving the Pacific Coast Highway but much more because there's almost no development along the whole road.
We stopped in Lorne, a cute resort town where wealthy Melbourne-ites vacation where I got a wonderful piece of banana cake and was almost attacked by an angry duck. We stopped and drove all along, taking pictures and enjoying ourselves in the bus. Our tour guide was fantastic, he was hilarious and let us play our own music the entire way - he even played "Never Have I Ever" with us. Fantastic. Then we stopped in Apollo Bay for some fish and chips for lunch, which were also delicious. I had my obligatory peppermint Magnum, my favorite ice cream bar, and Ashleigh and I wandered around finding post cards and hilarious Australian tabloid magazines. We were all tired and weighed down from lunch so the bus was quiet for awhile on the way to the Twelve Apostles - the most famous sandstone formations on the Great Ocean Road. They were stunning and we got there right at sunset so it was even more beautiful. The bus was lively and happy as Mac (our guide) took us off roading for a bit before heading to one last lookout. We spent some time in a cove, exploring the beach and where there was once a shipwreck with only two survivors. By that time it was getting dark and we were all hungry again so after another hour bus ride we landed in a little town with a great noodle shop and a Macca's (that's what they call McDonald's here) where Megan and I got teryaki noodles and some fantastic McFlurries. By that time we were all exhausted and the two hour bus ride home was quite besides the music playing. Back in Melbourne we all crashed despite best intentions to go out. It was nice to fall asleep with all that splendor on my mind, I think sometimes we forget with all the shit that goes on that the world is really a beautiful place.
Wednesday - Departure day! Thankfully we had time in the morning and afternoon to do some more exploring. I took a photographic Melbourne tour with some people and we shot some beautiful photos around the city. It's a great place to take pictures because they've put an insane amount of modernist architecture and art installations all around the city so there are interesting and fun shots. We walked for about three hours, snapping pictures and playing with our cameras. After a getting on a wrong trolley which doubled our time back into the city (but who cares, the trolley was free and it was fun!) Ashleigh and I broke off from the group and had an amazing, AMAZING Greek meal. Probably the best I've ever had, better than Steve's in Boston. It was absolutely delicious and the restaurant is open twenty four hours! I wish we could've gone back and bottled their hummus and tzatziki, I would live on that and their baklava for all eternity. Unfortunately, at lunch, Ashleigh realized she left her phone in the cab so we spent a couple hours trying to retrieve it but
were unsuccessful. So, after the initial panic and then frantic search for it we were both wiped so we decided to decompress in Starbucks for an hour before our bus left to head to the airport. We had an uneventful flight - with dinner and wine for free to boot - and then went back to Unilodge to crash.It was a great trip, though I really love Sydney the most. Melbourne is too trendy for me, I like the more classic feel Sydney has. Not that Melbourne isn't a fantastic place to visit, I just don't think I'd live there. But, it was an amazing trip and we had a wonderful time. It was good to get out of Sydney for a couple days and experience Melbourne and its "four seasons in one day" (freezing, raining, boiling and sunny, then cold again).
Today was uneventful - Pilates in the morning, which always makes me feel good, then class (where I, yet again, asked all the questions during the guest lecturer's lesson), packing for Cairns, and now Internship Night with some former program participants who can give us the low down on what Sydney is like in terms of the workplace.
Another amazing weekend - Cairns with Megan for skydiving, white water rafting, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, and just plain relaxation on the beach! Next week is hectic with a paper, a six page journal, and two finals so hopefully I can fill you in between academic obligations. But for now...
G'night from down under!
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