Whitesboro'd

After a long, grueling journey, I am back in upstate New York, with a nice dusting of snow to greet my return (read: sarcasm).

With the completion of the Australian adventure, I will be grounded for some time. Work beckons, and the vacation time has been drained. Of course, I will be scheming in the interim, and of course will keep you up to date on what I have in mind.

I will be posting up all photos from Australia on Photo Bucket in the coming days. Keep an eye out for that.

Final Day in Sydney

And so ends another adventure. Today marked my final full day in Australia, and I am now back in the room, about to get ready for the big push tomorrow. As always, I get a little depressed whenever it comes time to leave one of my travel destinations, and today was no different. My plunge back to reality was always coming, but who would have thought so soon? Anyway,  I didn't let it put a damper on the occasion....

I started out the day by exploring two sections of the city that I never got around to during my stay in Sydney with the girls: King's Cross and Wooloomooloo (that's right...Wooloomooloo). King's Cross is the red light district of Sydney, but there are supposed to be a couple of interesting things to check out. Its seediness didn't really show during the early afternoon, it just seemed like any other inter-city suburb, with lots of traffic, some shops and places to eat. I ended up walking about Victoria Street, a residential street filled with old Victorian terrace houses. The street is also lined with trees, and offers a nice, relatively quiet reprieve from the ruckus going on around the area. I explored on foot a bit more, and came across a neat side street with some unique looking coffee shops and boutiques. From there I made my way into Wooloomooloo, a district locked near the harbor. Its historically a working-class, lower income area, but the public housing in the area is actually well done, and not some eye-sore monoliths you might expect.

As I came to the harbor-side I bounded upon a place recommended by the guidebook: Harry's Cafe de Wheels. The place  isn't really a cafe, its a just a small trailer, but its actually a Sydney icon. Famous for its meat pies and hot-dogs, the little trailer first began operations in the 1930s, serving sailors based at the wharf. The place is still going strong all these years later, and has a large number of photos hung all around the sides of celebrities who have stopped by for a bite. I noticed Russell Crowe had his mug up there. I figured, "When in Rome", and went for a meat pie (only $3.70) smothered in bbq sauce (as lunch time was just beginning, the line wasn't very long, but a small crowd began to gather as I ate). It didn't blow my world away, but it was pretty good. Definitely messy. Anyway, I tried a local favorite, just like Mr. Crowe. He and I are basically drinking buddies.

From there I cut through the city's botanical gardens, which abut the CBD's eastern edge. The park is huge, and apparently immensely popular with the locals (no surprise, gorgeous as the weather was today). Joggers and walkers went up and down the walkways, while the grass was filled with a number of pick up football (soccer for the Yanks) games. Some sat on the grass in the shade of trees, taking their lunch or to read. I stood by and watched to see how good the locals were at football (alright, I suppose) for a while, and then moved on.

I crossed from the gardens to the CBD to once again look for Aurora Place, the office building designed by Renzo Piano. Before reaching it I crossed the pedestrian mall of Martin Place, where a crowd had gathered to watch skate-boarders performing tricks over a stairway. Interestingly enough, they were the same dudes I had just seen a couple days before in Brisbane, doing the same thing. Small world, I guess. I too stood by and watched for a bit, putting the "action" setting of my camera (three shots in a second) to the test.

This time I found Aurora Place no problem (now that I knew what it looked like). The exterior is pretty impressive, but the interior let me down a bit. Unfortunately the lobby is just a bank of elevators, and not much else. However, I became acquainted with Edward, the receptionist (not sure what else to call his position-he basically is there to greet people, and make sure no bad shit happens). He immediately asked if I needed assistance; apparently a young guy listening to an iPod and sporting shades was a bit out of place in the building. I explained my reason for entering, and he lightened up, and was quite the friendly chap. He let me flip through a coffee table-type book they had on the history of the building, and questioned me on my interest in modern architecture. We chatted for a while longer, interrupted once by another worker in the building (security guard I think), who came over to complain about the country's politics with Edward. His claim that "the Labour and Liberal parties are all a bunch of fucking cunts" took me a bit by surprise, and made poor Edward (who I would say was in his 60s), blush. Anyway, with a decent discussion on Aurora Place, and an idea of the local sentiment towards the two main national political parties, under my belt, I said my goodbyes and headed out.

Going back for a rest in the hotel, I walked part of the way along King's Street, a portion of which is a large, pedestrian only shopping arcade. Usually this is nothing special, but at that time I was able to catch some impressive street performers, including a little Asian guy performing acrobatics with a jump-rope, a dude banging out tunes on plastic cans (the kind you might buy driveway sealer in) with drumsticks, and a Japanese couple playing a didgeridoo and some kind of cymbal.

After resting up in the room, my last order of business in Sydney was lunch with Pierre. We agreed to meet in front of the Town Hall once again. For me it turned into an ad-hoc people watching session, as he showed up quite a bit later than we agreed. It was OK though, I felt like a local, waiting at everyone's favorite meeting point. We had a nice dinner of Chinese, this time in a small hole-in-the-wall joint some way down George Street. After dinner we strolled about for a while, affording me the opportunity to witness the Friday night crowds hitting the bars, restaurants and clubs along George street. We eventually settled on a bench located in a little pedestrian square, chatting and enjoying the perfect night air. Unfortunately I had to call a stop to proceedings as the time passed 10, so I could come back and prepare for tomorrow's long road home.

With that, my time in Australia has reached its end. For now. The past two weeks have slipped by quicker than I had imagined, which is a testament to what a good time its been. There is so much to be had in this country I can only say I definitely plan on coming back. What I have seen so far has impressed though, and I think we can call this one a success.

Photos: tree-lined Victoria Street, in King's Cross; Harry's Cafe de Wheels in Wooloomooloo, where Your Correspondent rubbed shoulders with the greats (OK, not really) for a quick lunch; Sydney CBD from across the Botanical Gardens with football matches going on in the foreground; Renzo Piano's Aurora Place, in Sydney CBD; Your Correspondent and friend Pierre, before parting ways; all six of the inhabited continents have now been touched upon by The Four Corners. 

Sydney: A return

I said my goodbyes this morning to Brisbane, and caught the airport express from the Fortitude Valley station to catch my flight back to Sydney.

I didn't reach my hotel, a quaint little place located on Crown Street in Surry Hills until after 4. After taking a while to settle in, there isn't very much to report. I actually made the walk from my current location to our previous hotel, all the way in The Rocks. Hayley thinks she might have left her glasses in the room when we left all those days ago, and requested I go back and see if they had them (they didn't). The walk took me longer than it might during any other part of the day. As it was already after 5 o'clock, I was pretty much full steam into the Sydney rat race, and the sidewalks were absolutely packed with people.

After that I slowly made my way towards Chinatown, where I figured I would grab a quick dinner (once again in that large food court, where the prices are reasonable). I tried to find an office building designed by a favorite architect of mine, Renzo Piano, located on Phillip Street (not far from the original hotel). I actually couldn't find the damn thing, and a local I asked had no idea where it was. Now that I know what I am looking for (Google image search), I'll go back for another peek tomorrow.

From there I marched down George Street, stopping to take a couple photos of the Town Hall (a favorite waiting/meeting place for the locals. If you remember from my first stint here, this is where I waited for Pierre when we met), which I hadn't had the chance to do the first time around. Soon I was in the bustling Chinatown and filling my belly.

With nightfall already draping over the city, I made a quick stop for a provisions at a Cole's, passing by a street performer doing an awful impression of Michael Jackson while lip-syncing to his music, and headed on back to Crown Street.

Tomorrow marks my last full day down under. I plan on meeting up with Pierre again in the evening hours, but will hopefully spot some things that were overlooked during my stay here with the girls. See you back here then.

Photo: Sydney Town Hall. Photo taken while Sydney rush-hour was at full-tilt boogie.

Brisbane Day 4

The final full day in Brisbane. With so much already accomplished, it was a bit quieter today, but satisfactory nonetheless.

I started out the day by crossing the Brisbane River via Story Bridge, a cantilever bridge built in 1950 that is something of a landmark to the city. Story Bridge connects Fortitude Valley with an urban village I had yet to explore, Kangaroo Point. Kangaroo Point is located on a peninsula that juts out into the river. There isn't a ton to be had there, but what is interesting about it is the presence of a large outcropping known as Kangaroo Cliffs. It doesn't take much to get up there, just a few steps, but once up there you can get a nice view of the CBD on the other side of the river. There is also a cafe and some benches where one can sit an enjoy the breeze. Apparently the cliffs can be used by rock climbing enthusiasts, and I noticed some designated areas (plastic hand-holds placed into the rocks) after I took the stairway down.

Just below the cliffs and along the river there is a tiny little nature reserve. Quite a peculiar find in such an urban setting. There I got into something of a staring contest with a large lizard, who didn't seemed perturbed by my presence. He won, as I eventually got bored about 30 seconds in and moved on. From there I took the river-walk (yeah, pretty much every part of the city has one of those) and since the weather was warm and sunny, why not? I eventually made my way into the eastern part of Brisbane, in a village known as Woolloongabba. That's right. Woolloongabba. You don't see names like that in upstate New York. Anyway, Woollongabba is home to Brisbane's large cricket ground, known as "The Gabba". Beyond that, the area has become a haven to antique sellers, and boasts some nice cafes as well. Upon entering the district I came across an oddly-colored (pink? maybe salmon...hard to tell) Russian Orthodox church, right in the shadow of The Gabba. Moving on from there, I reached a pedestrian-only street with several shops, and grabbed a steak sandwich at a little shop located across from a violin-maker (you could see the wooden shells of violins-in-the-making in the window. Pretty neat). The food was good, and I became acquainted with one of the waiters, an older guy (60s? Maybe even 70s) named Alan, who chatted me up when he came to clear my plate. I have found nearly all the locals I have interacted with here in Brisbane (and Australia in general, actually) to be delightful folks, and Alan was no different.

A combination of bus and train saw me back to the room for a breather. I set out once more, this time for the CBD. It was there, along Adelaide Street (parallel to Queen, just a block over) where I caught the 471 bus to my actual destination, Mount Coot-tha. Mount Coot-tha, located on the northern end of Brisbane (same side of the river as Fortitude Valley), is the city's highest point, and is supposed to offer awesome views of the city. The ride took a while, with a few stops made in between, and eventually it was just me and the driver heading for the Mount Coot-tha viewing point, the final stop on the route. Luckily I asked the driver when the buses would stop running, because this prompted her to get out and show me on the sign near the stop. Turns out the bus I just disembarked was literally the last one to make the trip. Had she not gotten off and realized this,  I would have been stranded. It appeared that my luck had finally abandoned me. However, she was nice enough to give me just a couple minutes to jog up and snap a couple photos. The view is pretty sweet, but, also unlucky, it had become overcast, but at least I got to see it. I quickly dashed back to waiting driver to make the return trip.

As I hopped off at Queen Street,  I was contemplating taking a river boat tour, which Alan had recommended. However, by the then the weather took a turn for the worst, and began to rain. The river tour would have taken two hours, and I figured I had already had a decent fill of the city sites. So I took cover under an awning on Queen Street and got lost in my thoughts for a brief while, and then eventually caught a train back to the valley.

And that was the final day in Brissy. At first glance, the city doesn't seem to have much to offer the visitor, but, with a little research and creativity, you can have an enjoyable time (as I did) and discover some neat, fun things that might otherwise be overlooked. What I must say is that my timing was a bit off (arrived on Sunday) meaning I missed the weekend festivities (the bus driver, when I told her where I was staying, commented how it could get really loud on the weekends. I was thinking, damn, I missed it). Also, with all the restaurants, cafes, and live music venues, Brissy is really best visited with at least one travel companion. The same can be said for all places. Though I, the urban warrior, have grown accustomed to going solo, I really felt the need for a wing-man (or woman, perhaps that would be even better) during my stay. That still doesn't take away from the nice stay that I had.

Back to Sydney tomorrow for two more nights, then the long trip home. Come back tomorrow.

Photos: walking across story bridge; Your Correspondent, from atop the Kangaroo Cliffs; lizard near Kangaroo Point nature reserve. Bastard wouldn't stop looking at me;  poor choice of coloring on a Russian Orthodox church; the view from atop Mount Coot-tha. Your Correspondent, stepping in for a quick photo before the bus leaves.

 

Brisbane Day 3

And so ends another day in sunny Brisbane (it sprinkled just a touch today....but the weather was again close to perfection), here's how it went down:

I started off the day by grabbing a train to the other side of the river, getting off at the South Brisbane station (just across from where the state library and gallery of modern art are, if you remember from yesterday's proceedings). From there I headed into West End, an urban village (all these districts of Brisbane are officially called urban villages) adjacent to South Bank.

West head is tiny in area, but lots of character is squeezed into that space. West End is Brisbane's bohemian district, filled with quirky cafes and bars, ethnic restaurants, and some eccentric book stores. Much of the action takes place along Boundary Street, while much of the streets that extend off of Boundary are primarily residential. If you can't quite decide on something to eat, just peruse the offerings on Boundary, you will find something to your liking: Greek, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, along with other bars and cafes offering all kinds of different styles. Apparently over a third of the areas population was born overseas, so its no surprise that you can hear a babel of languages on the streets.

From the looks of things, there are a number of neat little places to grab a breakfast in West End, including the interestingly named Gun Shop Cafe. I had already had a a cheap breakfast in the room fashioned out of yesterday's grocery shopping, so I couldn't justify paying through the nose for a full breakfast, but I did pick up a delicious coffee roll (roll with raisins baked in and with a strawberry frosting) from two Vietnamese ladies running their bakery out of basically a garage. I also came across the funky Bent Books bookstore, fashioned out of multi-colored corrugated metal (like something you might find in Caminito, in Buenos Aires), selling all kinds of used books. You could also step out into the buildings tiny courtyard, and into a side room with yet more books.

Having gotten a decent feel of West End, I set off on foot for another set of urban villages, Milton and Paddington. Both are on the other side of the river, farther down from the CBD. Milton is home to two of the city's larger landmarks, its rugby/football stadium and the XXXX Beer (the locally produced brew, I see signs for it all over the place) brewery. I wasn't all that interested in these, and just strolled by. Milton wasn't really quite up to expectations. There is one nice street, Park Road, that is lined with restaurants and cafes. The menu prices indicated a wealthier clientele, however, and so did some of the cars parked along the curb. Otherwise, the area did not offer much, and had the air of a very large business park.

If you walk north from Milton you will eventually (in 10-15 minutes maybe) reach Paddington. Paddington is a much nicer (its leafier, trees line the streets), quieter (a main arterial cut through Milton) village. Set in a hilly area, Paddington is mainly residential, and from the looks of things, probably for high rollers. I didn't get too close a look at many of the homes, but even from distance you could tell the homes were nice cottages. The stuck to the main street in the village, called Given Terrace. Given Terrace is primarily outfitted with fashion boutiques, but also boasts a handful of restaurants and cafes. Mid-afternoon on a weekday, things were pretty quiet, I imagine it being much busier on a weekend. With the nice weather though, it would make for a nice stroll anytime.

I caught the train back for a little R & R in the room, and around dinnertime I ended out once more. I caught off the train at Central Station, joining the Brisbane rush-hour, with crowds pouring in and out of the station at that time. I ended up hanging out for a while on Queen Street, enjoying the weather (I have to while I can...Whitesboro awaits) and indulging in a favorite past-time of The Four Corners, people-watching. Soon I left my position on one of the many benches along the street and headed again for the West End.

I had read that West End, like Fortitude Valley, is another good spot for live music. With all the possibilities for dinner as well, I figured I would make an evening of it. I first had some Vietnamese, which was delightful and cheap (miracles do occur I guess), though the name "Happy Morning" seemed an odd choice for the place. Anyway, I ended up hanging around Boundary Street for the rest of the evening, catching a handful of live musical acts. I first listened to a female jazz singer belting out tunes in a little cafe. She had a very nice voice, I didn't recognize the song, so not sure if it was of her own writing. A burger joint (not like Five Guys or anything, it was a more classy establishment), was hosting live acts as well. There I listened to this solo act (a guy) playing his acoustic. He had a decent enough voice, but his lyrics were beyond depressing. Lacking a gun to shoot myself with, I left him after a short while. After-wards I crossed the street to a bar where there was another solo act going on, also a guy on a guitar. He was VERY good, both in his lyrics (which I'm pretty sure were his own), as his musical accompaniment. Walking back, I did catch the tail-end of another solo guitarist in the burger place, doing a cover of a song I vaguely recognized. If you want to include the drunk old man playing a harmonica and stumbling along the street waving a cane amongst the live acts I saw, I guess you can, but I didn't hang around very long to get a good feel for his musical talents.

Tired and sore (walking all day will do that do you), I drew the evening to a close, and now here I am, about to get ready for what will probably be a very satisfying sleep. One more full day in Brissy, see you back here tomorrow.

Photos: The quirky Bent Books on West End's Boundary Street; eccentricities on display outside a Korean restaurant in West End; a replica of the Eiffel Tower along Park Road, in Milton; Paddington's boutique-laden Given Terrance; Boundary Street in West End livens up during the evening hours. 

Brisbane Day 2

Another day in Australia is officially in the books, and it was a busy one.

I stepped out of the hotel just after 9:30 this morning, and already it was hot. I had decided to spent the first half of the day exploring New Farm and Tenerife, adjacent districts that are just south of my location. You can walk Brunswick Street from Fortitude Valley all the way through New Farm (it only takes about 10-15 minutes of walking to hit the district limits), so I did just that.

New Farm and Tenerife are primarily residential, with a host of eateries spread throughout. As I cut through the heart of New Farm along Brunswick street, I passed long rows of quaint homes and an eclectic mix of food choices. I am pretty sure I saw Italian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, Indian, and Nepalese all in one block. The area is not very built up, most buildings didn't surpass a single story, but the style and architecture of New Farm are reminiscent of the Arts District along South Alamo Street in San Antonio. I walked all the way down to the edge of the Brisbane River (aptly named), but before reaching passed through New Farm park. Being a weekday morning, there weren't many people. My friend Ed (some of you may remember, an Aussie I met at the Dead Sea while in Israel), told me that New Farm Park can get busy on the weekends. Unfortunately I missed this, but it is a pretty green space, and pleasant to walk through.

Walking along the river I came to Brisbane Powerhouse. Now, I found this to be very cool. The Powerhouse used to serve as the power station for the trams that once ran in the city. For some reason, the city phased out the tram system years ago, leaving the Powerhouse redundant. However, it has since been converted into an art gallery/performance center, complete with a large stage for musical performances set up inside. From the outside, its looks like you might expect: like a condemned building waiting to be bulldozed, but the interior now boasts, along with the stage, ad-hoc gallery space, a bar, and sitting areas. Really well done. Unfortunately you couldn't take photos of the inside, but I was a bit lucky, since there was  free photography exhibition of local (as in Australian) professional photographers.

From there I walked along the river-side promenade. What could be better in gorgeous weather? Along the promenade there are modern looking apartment blocks, but leaving the promenade and into Tenerife (remember, New Farm and Tenerife are adjacent, and can probably be considered one district) you come into a residential area dotted with compact homes and tree-lined streets. Being so close to the river, Tenerife has a very beach-side-town feel to it, something like you might find in Hawaii. I eventually made my way back into New Farm for a bit to eat, where I decided upon Turkish kebab. I checked out one of the cafe's recommended by the guide book, but the menu didn't interest me much, but neither did the prices.

After a rest and a grocery-store stop, I ventured out again. I finally plunked down some cash for a transit card (which actually reduces the fares). Being that there are a number of districts to explore, walking to all of them just isn't feasible, so I figured it a good investment. I caught the train to central station, from where I again walked the CBD (much busier this time, no more quiet streets), and checked-out some areas I missed yesterday. Near the city's botanical gardens (which are just behind the state parliament building, and near the city's technical university), some hard-core skate-boarders were trying to perform some (I think) death-defying (maybe not death...but limb-break-defying) tricks off of a set of stairs. Some stood at the bottom of the flight of stairs, videotaping the antics. They were just finishing up as I got there, but  I did get to see one of the them land a really nice one, flying off the banister and landing upright on the board, maintaining his balance.

From there I crossed the Brisbane River via the Victoria Bridge to another district known as South Bank. Immediately as you come to the other side, you come to a cluster of art galleries and museums, along with the state library. Leaving those for later, I set off down the street and into South Bank. The area doesn't really offer much, its main attraction is a large artificial beach, apparently Australia's only inland beach. The beach abuts South Bank's riverside promenade, which I walked along (ok, ok, I am a sucker for walkways along the water, what can I say? I like them). By now the weather had cooled just a touch to about perfect, with a nice light breeze coming off the water. The beach seemed pretty busy, with the work-day having come to an end probably for most. Walking from the promenade and past the beach you come to a neat little pedestrian area known as Stanley Street, which hosts some bars and cafes. Across the street from that is Little Stanley Street, a long block of just restaurants and bars. I duly strolled through both areas. It wasn't busy just yet, probably too early, but I could imagine these places really livening up in the later hours.

Before crossing back over to catch a train back to Fortitude Valley I did a quick walk-through of the aforementioned galleries, which are clustered together, nearly forming one single building. By walk-through I don't mean I actually went in, but stayed on the walkways that pass the center of the area. I did check out the state library, which was really neat. Multiple stories high, the library has a nice, sleek, modern design to it. What I found really cool was its open-air (covered, but no doorways, allowing air to flow through) entrance hall, which basically serves as a common area. From there you can pass through sliding doors into the main parts of the building. Never seen something like this before, hats off to the architect.

After resting my dogs back at the room for a while, I figured it was sufficiently dark to see what was going on along Brunswick Street. The crowds were light (too early I guess), but I did catch some live music. I listened for a while to a duet (dude and a woman) playing outside a bar. Sadly for them, they didn't have many people to play for, but I thought they were good. They did a nice cover of Matchbox 20's "3 AM". After walking around for a while and grabbing a quick bit to eat at a tiny Mexican joint, I listened for a few moments to this heavy rock band jamming out in another establishment, next to where the duet had been playing. Their music wasn't really my style, so I left them to it and came back, calling it a wrap.

I got some things planned for the third day in Brissy tomorrow, come back for the low-down.

Photos: New Farm, with a glimpse of the CBD in the background; Brisbane Powerhouse, now an art gallery; sleepy Tenerife; Brisbane CBD, as viewed from the South Bank river promenade; South Bank's artificial beach; Stanley Street pedestrian area; exterior of the Queensland State Libary; the library's neat open-air foyer. 

Brisbane Day 1

The girls roused me at 3:30 this morning so they could be off to catch a 0600 flight to Cairns, where I hope they have a grand time exploring the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. The urban environment is where I do my exploring, the Human Element (remember, from Bangkok) the most interesting life form, to me at least. So I caught a little more shut eye before leaving the Melbourne hotel at 730 to catch a flight northwards into Queensland state and to Brisbane, Australia's third most populous city.

While the weather has been unusually cool at times during my stay in the land down under, this wasn't the case upon my arrival in Brisbane. I immediately began to sweat in my cream-colored sports coat under the intense sunlight. I am not complaining though, while it can be described as hot, it was nothing like the cauldrons of Bangkok or Cairo. This was upstate New York in the summer type hot (wow, am I complimenting my home state? Shocker). I love this kind of weather, and the word is that Brisbane's climate is considered "perfect", so it is probably like this nearly year round. Not bad.

After snatching an airport shuttle to my hotel, I took a few moments to get settled and then stepped out into the sunlight. My digs are located in a district of Brisbane called Fortitude Valley, it is home to the the city's (rather small) Chinatown, but more importantly is the epicenter of Brisbane's life music scene, which has earned the city the title of Australia's "live music capital".

I did a quick look around my immediate surroundings, taking Brunswick Street (about 50 meters from my hotel entrance), which is the location of a number of popular pubs and clubs. At the time, around noon, there was a small outdoor market going on along the section of the street cordoned off just for pedestrians. I grabbed lunch from a little Indian place located in a small food court, and then went to catch a train towards the Central Business District (CBD). I was told the walk to the CBD would take about 20 minutes, certainly manageable, but wanted to try the train. The Brisbane Central Station, right in the heart of the city, was only one stop away. Despite this, a one way ticket still ran me a whopping $4.50. Welcome to Australia, hope you brought your wallet.

After emerging from Central Station, I spent the next 3 or 4 hours exploring downtown, which seemed subdued on a Sunday afternoon. I made sure to take in Queen Street, the location of a long pedestrian mall that is popular for shopping/strolling/etc. This part of the city was buzzing, and some live music was already underway (an all female band-I'm pretty sure all gay too-were jamming out at one end of the street. There was no hat or guitar case open for donations either, Queen Street apparently often gets free performances. They were pretty damn good though). I found a tourist info stand on Queen, where I asked about the municipal buses, and if they would be cheaper than taking the train. The ladies response was basically to laugh in my face, and tell me that walking was free. So, at least I am not kicking myself finding out the bus would have saved me money.

I tried taking a walking tour shown on a map I picked up in the airport, but the map must be outdated, because some of the stuff (some sculptures by local artists) weren't even there anymore, or were moved to different spots. I got a pretty decent idea of the CBD, which isn't all that big. I think the best comparision would be San Diego: There is a laid back feel to the place, and the weather is similar as well. Queen Street is definitely the center of activity, at least on a Sunday. Other streets were literally deserted, making me feel a bit like Will Smith in "I am Legend". Around 3:30 i decided to test the distances, and made the walk back to Fortitude Valley, which took about a half hour, but this includes stopping to snap some pics and waiting for crossing lights.

After an hour or so rest I figured I should explore more of my immediate area. At 5:30ish one club along Brunswick was already bumping, but other than that things seemed pretty quiet. Fortitude Valley lacks some of the character and charm of parts of Melbourne. I would call it a cross between New Orleans' French Quarter and Long Street in Cape Town. It has a gritty, older feel to it, not chic and new like something one might find in Melbourne.

I mosied about for a while, asking a passing local if things would get busy later on. He said yes, maybe 7, 7:30. In the interim I figured I could eat/grocery shop. I found a Woolworth's nearby, but it had just closed. I mention this because I had a funny encounter there: As I stood looking at the sign telling me that it closed at 6 in the evening, a little old Asian man (Vietnamese from the looks) walking what looked like a Jack Russell Terrier came up next to me, saw the sign and said, in heavily accented English, "Closed"!? And then he muttered to himself, but clearly audible to me: "Fuck"! I have to admit, I didn't see that coming, and immediately starting laughing. He explained haltingly that he experienced this before, Woolworth's closing early on him. The then told me I could get something near Brunswich street but "over there, you lose arm and leg". Well, I don't want to lose arm and leg, that's for damn sure.

I grabbed a quick dinner at a Chinese place in Chinatown (basically one street, called Duncan Street). Food was OK, I went for it mainly because the prices didn't make me reconsider the merits of this trip, and it had outdoor seating, so I could enjoy the extremely comfortable evening weather.

I chilled out again for a bit in the room, and decided to give the entertainment scene one last try before calling it a night. I don't doubt what that local told me earlier, but tonight things definitely seemed under wraps; I'm chalking it up to a Sunday night. There weren't many people out, and only one bar had a live band playing inside, but it didn't sound like my thing. I searched around a bit for in the surrounding streets, but the crowds just weren't having it today, and no particular establishment seemed to be brimming with activity. Unfortunately, Brisbane really seems like a perfect place to have a partner, someone to accompany you into various joints, checking the scenes. It feels a bit more than odd walking around by yourself, doing that sort of thing. Bollocks.

Despite the relative disappointment of this evening, coming to this city looks like a fine idea. I grabbed a really nice guide (free!) in the info stand, that gives a nice breakdown of the city and its district, and a number of them look like my kind of thing. There is more beyond the CBD and Fortitude Valley, after all. Come back to see how the adventure continues tomorrow.

Photos: Queen Street bustling with activity on a sunny Sunday afternoon; sculptures in Brisbane City Square, located at the end of Queen Street; live musicians rocking out on Queen Street; Brisbane CBD, as seen from a side street in Fortitude Valley; a somewhat subdued Brunswick street

Melbourne Day 3

I should be paid for this. No, really, I should. I became something of an ad-hoc tour guide today for the girls, and I think I did a pretty decent job (Hayley paid for lunch and ice cream so....that was good enough compensation).

No shoddy weather to complain about today, the morning started out just right. The girls wanted to see what they missed yesterday and, since I am pretty awesome, had me show them the coolest spots. We pretty much took the same route as I did yesterday, starting with Degraves Street and center place, from there on to Hosier and Union Lanes for a look at the graffiti art. It wasn't bad for me though, as I saw some neat graffiti that I had not noticed yesterday, and I could finally get in some pictures as well.

From there we made the hike (not really that bad....15-20 walk) to the Victoria Market, located north of the city, not far from Carleton Gardens. Victoria Market is a massive marketplace broken down into sections, three as far as I could tell: the cheese and meats section, fresh fruits and veggies, and clothes, crafts, whatever else. Being a Saturday afternoon, it was pretty packed, particularly in the more compact meats/cheeses part, where movement was made a bit difficult. We explored all parts, the largest was the everything else bit, which looked liked it was situated in a gutted hangar. While that part seemed a bit more geared towards visitors, the marketplace still seemed like a favorite for the locals. The girls made a few purchases, and eventually we got a lunch of bratwurst from the meats/cheese section, which we ate outside in the sun.

Having felt satisfied with the Victoria Market, I led the girls to Brunswick Street, another fashion/shopping conscience street that branches off of Gertrude. It was very similar to Gertrude and Smith streets in that many of the buildings are of the same style: older, square, usually only one or two stories. We walked around there for a bit, but then the girls decided to head back in the direction of the hotel, but first we stopped for frozen yogurt purchased on Center Place.

After resting up from all of our walking, we set out one last time, this time to a restaurant recommended by the concierge, a place called the Blue Train. Located about a 10 minute walk down the promenade, the Blue Train is a pretty hip, laid-back place (as compared the more fancier looking places that populate the promenade, with a (mainly Italian menu). Prices weren't shocking, but then again, we have come to not be shocked anymore, having been numbed to the ridiculously pricey Aussie life. Anyway, the food was good, and the conversation never got sour, as the four of us enjoyed our last evening as a group together.

And now here we are. The girls have a 6 am flight (miserable) to Cairns in the northeast, while I catch a 9:15 to Brisbane (Brissy, as its known here). I will end off this post by saying I really enjoyed the company of the three fine ladies, and I am sad that we have to part ways. Justine and Bianca were total blasts, and of course nothing beats being together with my darling sister, Hayley (Joe, if you are reading this, no worries my man, you are still my designated travel-partner). Hats-off to you girls, see you on the next trip.

Photos: Your Correspondent in front of Center Place; some street art doesn't make a bar of sense...I love it; Hayley in Union Lane; the girls check out whats on offer in Victoria Market; Brunswick Street

Melbourne Day 2

I'm pretty sure I did everything today....or so it felt. The girls went on a wine tour today and, since I had my fair share of wine related activities in Cape Town with Joe, I decided to pass and explore the city on my own.

 I got an early start, just after 8 this morning, but not so bright. The morning's weather was pretty dire, with a light rain accompanied by a chilling wind. Not one to be deterred, I walked in the direction of the city center, having to forgo the free tram service, which doesn't start until 10:00. My main goal was to explore some of the city's "laneways", the narrow alleys that branch off the main streets that have become hubs of activity. Neat little bars, cafe's, restaurants, and clubs can all be found in various laneways. I was able to find a handful of the main laneways just off of Flinders Street (the main drag that the free tram runs along), including Center Place, a tight, compact laneway with some bars, coffee shops, and even a barber shop squeezed into it. A giant wall covered by graffiti (more on this in a bit makes it stand out). All I can really say is that Melbourne feels much different from Sydney, and has a distinct European air to it. Oddly enough, as I was strolling through one laneway, I was thinking how much it reminded me of Milan, Italy. Just then, I couldn't make this up, I passed a cafe called the Cafe Duomo, which sported a poster of Milan's massive Duomo cathedral outside. Magic.

Anyway, I bopped about in the city center for a while and the weather began to clear. I eventually made it to the east of the city center, where I passed by Victoria's (the state Melbourne is located in) parliament, and a large Catholic cathedral, St. Patrick's which had a nice gardens outside. From there I moved north a ways, to Melbourne's Exhibition building, supposedly the Victorian architectural icon of the city. It is located in a large green space known as the Carlton gardens. Collectively the area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I didn't hang around there to long, but grabbed a sit on a bench outside the Melbourne Museum (just behind the Exhibition building) for a quick rest and some crackers for lunch.

From there I moved back in the direction that I just came from, but using a different route. I walked along Gertrude Street. I hadn't really planned it out that way, but I am glad it happened. As I would later read in the guide book, Gertrude is the bohemian/fashion center of Melbourne. The street, which is pretty long, is lined with all kinds of eccentric boutiques, cafes and restaurants. All the buildings are low-lying, I don't think any were above three or four floors, which gives it a much different vibe from the city center, which is clustered with skyscrapers. All I can say for Gertrude (as well as the intersecting Smith Street, which I checked out as well) is that they bleed character, and were exactly the types of things I look for when in a new city.

I headed back to the hotel from there for a brief breather. The weather was starting to get really nice, so I didn't want to spend long in the room. As I caught my breath, I peeked some more in the guide and read about Melbourne's distinction as the "graffiti-art capital of the world", and some of the best laneways to check out for it. I had probably passed by them early without knowing it, but I was fine with going back to the city center. First I walked along the promenade that runs along the Yarra River (geography lesson: the Yarra River splits the city in two, with the city center in the north, and other districts in the south. Our hotel is in the south, and the promenade runs just outside the building). I took the promenade all the way down to the Melbourne Arts Center, where the hotel concierge told me I could find a great example of some street art nearby. Unfortunately I couldn't find it, but I at least got a look at a different part of the city.

I crossed the river once again and walked through Hosier and Union Lanes, both completely covered in graffiti. Unfortunately, one of my other points to check out, Caledonian Lane, has recently been demolished as part of the construction of a major shopping complex. Bollocks. The concierge told me there was a really sweet bar on the end of that lane as well, one worth checking out. Double bollocks. To compensate, I found a unique bar in a laneway in Chinatown called Section 8. Section 8 is basically an outdoor bar where crates act as the seating and the bar is fashioned out of an old shipping container.

For dinner the concierge recommended a place in Chinatown called the Supper Inn, apparently very popular with the locals. It didn't open for business until 5:30 though, so I strolled around a bit more to kill time, and sat down on a bench in the pedestrian mall along Bourke Street, another one of the city's more popular streets. There I also listened to a Japanese street musician play the didgeridoo. The guy dropped some really dope beats....I could have listened all evening. I eventually got to the Supper Inn just as it was opening. While the the food was really good, it was pricey, contrary to what the concierge had said (I asked for a Chinese joint that wouldn't put me into debtor's prison). It must be as popular as the guides say, because it did began to fill up pretty quick while I ate my meal. Price aside, I figure it was worth the experience of trying a local favorite, and it was one I never would have found on my own (its basically tucked in at the end of a very non-descript alley in Chinatown).

I took the tram back to the room but decided I had a bit left in me. It was turning into a pleasant evening, so I decided to give the promenade another stroll and see what Melbourner's do in the evening hours. Couples, groups of friends, tourists, dog walkers, you name it, everyone was out on the promenade, either heading to one of the many restaurants in the area or just enjoying the fine evening, like I was. Some street performers and musicians took up places on the promenade as well. I listened to my iPod, watched the crowds, and watched the setting sun reflect of the city skyline on the other side of the water. After deciding enough was enough, I turned back, and as I neared the hotel, the sun was just about to disappear behind the horizon, and it became night-time in the city of Melbourne.

That was quite a bit I know, take a look at some photos though, and come back to see what happens tomorrow.

Photos: Center Place "laneway"; part of Gertrude Street; graffiti in Hosier Lane; Supper Inn, where I ate this evening; Japanese street musician rocking out on Bourke Street; dusk falls on Melbourne. 

Melbourne Day 1

And now we come to southern Australia, to the country's second largest city. Our flight out of Sydney was supposed to leave at 9:35 this morning, but a delay (some air traffic control problem) didn't see us leave until after 11. Though a bit late, we touched down in sunny Melbourne just before 1 o'clock.

Afters settling down in the hotel, we set out for our first taste of the city. Our hotel is located in the south of the city, in an area known as South Wharf. It isn't too far a walk from the city center, but, interestingly enough, there is a free tram service that runs a ring around the city center, and a stop is about a five minute walk away. Service is a bit slow but, as we have found, when something is free in this country, you take it.

The girls were hungry, so we set out for food. I had noticed in earlier reading that Melbourne had a Greek district, and when I mentioned that they immediately had their hearts set on Greek salad and souvlaki. We took the free tram to Swanston street, one of the main drags in the city, and walked up a few blocks until we found ourselves in the Greek district, and were sitting down with massive lamb gyros in a our hands.

Unfortunately, as we were sitting enjoying our meal, sunny Melbourne went away, and the deluge came, and I mean the deluge. Starting pouring buckets. We waited a bit to see if it would let up, and it did some, but was still enough to put paid to any plans we had walking around. Luckily most shops along Swanston have awnings, which kept us from getting absolutely soaked (it was so nice out when we left, no one bothered with rain gear. Won't make that mistake again).

So our evening basically ended with a quick stop in a Woolworth's for some provisions and a quick walk back to the tram stop. Things appear to be clearing up, so maybe we will venture out again, we'll see. Either way, the hotel concierge was filling us in on some things to do/see in the city, and it looks promising. Even from the little bit we saw today, I am liking Melbourne. It has a very European feel to it, and its very multi-ethnic/cultural. Word is that its Australia's most cosmopolitan city, so I am looking forward to more exploration tomorrow.

So that will be it for today, if anything else happens, look for it in tomorrow's post. Here's a couple images from today's festivities:

Photos: Your Correspondent in front of the pedestrian bridge over the Yarra River, linking South Wharf to the rest of the city; view of city skyline from pedestrian bridge; Flinders Street railway station, main station of the Melbourne suburban rail-line. 

 

Photos from yesterday

Waiting here in the Sydney airport for the flight to Melbourne, here are the photos from yesterday.

We have: waterfall outside of Katoomba; one of the previously mentioned vistas; Your Correspondent and sister; another vista; the Three Sisters in the background