Aussie's get a little feisty when they drink :)

Melbourne November 13th

Today, A few of us rented bikes and headed for the Melbourne Zoo. I mean, we just had to see some quintessential aussie Roo’s and Koala’s, right? Let me tell you though, it was a maze getting to the zoo. It took us 2 hours to get there and two hours back. I was pretty sore! And it was raining for the latter part of the day. But besides that, it felt great to get on a bike again. Melbourne was beautiful, too. The beginning the day started with a few laughs. We all stopped to get coffee, and asked for a regular coffee. The Aussie servers looked at us funny and said, do you mean a latte? And we tried to explain....umm, an americano? or just a regular coffee? And then finally she said, “oh, half black”. Turns out, that was a very strong expresso, but I wasn’t going to argue. In so  

many ways, Australia is so similar to the US, however, not in the convenient way we order our morning Joe. Then we saw a common street pigeon begging us for food, and it only had one leg.....then Jess commented saying “I bet that one legged pigeon is just faking it to get some crumbs”. And sure enough, he was......he put down his other leg right then and there.....guess you had to be there! After stopping for coffee, we got lost on the way to the zoo, but finally made it. We loved all the animals, but in my opinion, I have seen cooler zoo’s in San Diego. But really, it was quite nice to be in the Melbourne zoo of all places. 

Sydney November 15th and 16th

At promptly 6 am in the morning, I got up to watch our ship dock at the most brilliant and epic sail in I have ever seen. This was a sight to see. The sky was unbelievably clear, just waking up for the day. We could see the iconic Sydney opera house and the bridge in all of it’s beautiful glory. I had IPM for the first day in Sydney, but I was lucky enough to be able to get off around 2 p.m. due to switching with other people. Both Jess and I were on IPM, then released, so we went off together in search of an adventure. We wandered around town, and found some nice Aussies to tell us where we could find some good food and art. Let me just say, almost every Aussie I met has been oober friendly. They all go out of their way to help foreigners. It’s really refreshing. Anywho, back on course. We get to this area called Surry Hills and wander for a bit to find some food and internet for a bit. We then got some amazing, fresh, organic and gluten free food from this really neat nepalese restaurant. Such an feast for my taste buds. And so healthy! Then we headed back to the ship to change our clothes into something more classy. We got tickets to see “The Merry Widow” ballet at the Sydney opera house. Are you kidding me? The most iconic piece of architecture known to Sydney.....and we got tickets for a ballet there. I know they were kind of pricey, but to me, it was worth it. We got there, and I started to feel really nostalgic. It made me think of the Orange County Performing Arts Center back at home. There were tons of other sections of the huge opera house that had events going on. It was so full of energy and class. I felt like I was a young girl again, going to see some magic on stage. Jess and I sat a little further back than Eli, but they were still great seats! When the orchestra began to play, I was mesmerized. It has been so long since I have heard this many live musicians play classical music. And not only that, I am very familiar with the music of The Merry Widow, having studied it many times before. The dancers moved effortlessly, though I know their art form is demanding on the body and spirit. They were so expressive, too, because they could not use words to convey the story. The supporting couple were my favorite. The lead female was also exquisite. For some reason, I think the male lead was weak (I didn’t really notice so much, but Eli said he lacked precision). When the song “Vilia” began to play, I teared up. I was so nostalgic. I remembered all the countless times I learned this song. I am so blessed that I have learned to appreciate this beautiful classical art form. I felt rejuvenated, and it made me want to study classical music again.....who knows, maybe I will. :) I know I will never forget my love for classical music. The night out was simple, but effective. Watching the ship and the stars from a park bench across the bridge was a pretty captivating end to the night. :)

Sydney Day 2

Today, Sam and I rented bikes and went around town all day. In the afternoon, it began to rain, but it still was a very special day. I love riding a bike because I feel so free :) We got coffee in the morning, and I tried to convince him that Starbucks is great, but we should support local coffee. Turns out, the local coffee was really awful, and we ended up conforming...haha once again! So, we sat and drank our morning coffee while people watching and playing with my camera. Then, we hopped back on to our bikes and into the free botanical gardens. It was so lovely! We then saw several huge bats hanging from the trees. We must have watched them for a half hour at least! They were so unique! I mean, it’s not every day we get a chance to see a whole lot of bats hanging in broad daylight from several trees. We then plopped on the grass, and took shelter while the rain dripped slowly. After that, we wanted to find the artsy part of town, once again. So we asked several locals which way we could bike to Surry Hills. Then, after biking into what looked like a cool part of town, we stopped and ate delicious Thai food for lunch. After lunch, we saw some very angry Aussie’s get into a street brawl. We knew they were just drunk, so it was more funny than scary. This was a nice part of town too. I  always heard that Aussie’s get feisty when they drink, and I got to see it happen, right across the street. There was no actual violence, just very violent threats and words. And a ton of screaming, and punching of walls. I felt bad for the guy that was just trying to be on his way. He was just a skinny little fella who was wearing flip- flops. Not proper shoe-wear for a street brawl, I say. Anywho, the guy got in trouble, but I got a matinee of entertainment during my lunch. Overall, the day was wonderful. I felt so relaxed and happy to be alive. 

We come to the end of our contract soon. It really hasn’t hit me yet. I mean, it’s about time to face some real life things. When you are at sea, it seems like everything is so far out of reach. Life takes on a different pace here. You get to know so many people as family, because your family is so far out of reach. You also get used to meeting people, and then losing them really quickly. Getting attached to familiar faces is a really difficult thing to get over here. I have learned to give my heart fully to everyone I meet, but know that I may not see some of these people again, or for a really long time. I know every single one of these brilliant people have come into my life for a reason. I am so grateful I have had this opportunity. What a life! And when I get home, I am taking a trip a few places before I settle. First Portland, then Idaho, and then home sweet home, I know it seems forever, but I will be home the whole month of January. I miss you all so much. Soon!