Mel el Graduand

So I finally graduated! Better late than never. And I wasn't the only one who missed last year's cut off date.

I have to say I wasn't looking forward to the ceremony that much but it was definitely worth doing.

Funnily enough this year's honourary graduand was journalist Sam Lipski who is the chief executive of The Pratt Foundation (and yes, Richard Pratt was in the audience).

The chancellor read Lispki's resume at the end of the ceremony. It went for about 15 minutes I kid you not. I was totally in awe of his achievements. If my resume was a fifth as long in 50 years time I would be very happy. I would be even more overjoyed if it included some of Lipski's appointments... a Washington correspondent for the Australian, a columnist for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. Oh how I dream.

My parents spent about $150 on professional photos so I hope some turn out better than the cheesy pic above.

I'm back!

So I am back in good old Pakenham.
Almost settled into my daily rituals having been here a few days now.
The flight back from Europe was gruelling and I probably should've had more down time before returning to work.
It's a bit sad to be back, especially after just chatting to Jem on MSN who is in Morroco with Kelly. Guys, it truly sounds amazing.
As much as it was depressing to return from my trip of a lifetime, it was great to sleep in my comfy bed and eat good food again.
It's funny how your perspective on things change after you've seen some of what the world has to offer.
I think I have a better picture of where I am headed.
And I discovered that my car really does smell new (still) after a month of separation.

EUROTRIP REVIEW: Food

Kebab pizza before I tucked in...

And after

Europe Cuisine: The highlights and the lowlights

PARIS: Jem and I lived on Baguettes. You could get all different fillings from chicken, ham, salad and salami. However, I found it a little strange that there was egg in the chicken baguettes. Croissants were so good here you could eat them plain. And 10/10 for the Nutella crepes.

OSLO: Enjoyed classic Norwegian breakfasts here. The family who we were staying with spoiled us with a cooked brekky every morning consisting of freshly baked rolls, scrambled egg, salami. I also tasted the best home-made jam ever! The herb cream cheese was also good. The brown cheese was one of the strangest things I tasted on the trip... tasted like caramel - the last thing you expect when you put a piece of cheese into your mouth!

SWEDEN: Enjoyed a Swedish lunch out at Ikea and also at a restaurant. Enjoyed the Swedish meatballs and potatoes (Swedes live on potatoes). Not sure about the lindenberry sauce.

In Jonkoping I can honestly say I tried the most disgusting of dishes. Kebab pizza... wait for it... with fries on the top. The sauce was good, but the meal was way too fatty for my liking. See above for the before and after pics.

OKTOBERFEST, MUNICH: Fries with ketchup and mayonnaise, sausage, schnitzel pretzel and cobs of corn slathered in butter and salt. That's all we could eat here seriously. Together with the beer my tummy wasn't a happy one at the end of the four days.

PORTO: Didn't each much here because we were ill. However I can tell you that Portugese juice has to be the most disgusting on earth. Oh and Nandos doesn't exist here.

BARCELONA: Tapas! Loved em. Entre sized dishes and there were so many to try. My favourite was the potatas bravas- small baked squares of potato with a spicy sauce on the top. Paella was okay, a bit bland for my liking but apparently they are better in Valencia. Sangria's were good but not for Jem who is allergic to red wine.

EUROTRIP REVIEW: Places and People

The stunning river in Porto

Jem, Kel and I partying it up in my favourite city Stockholm

The Louvre. Another Paris attraction.

PARIS: Lovely city. Plenty of sightseeing. It was simply surreal to stand next to the famous Eiffel tower.
Nightlife was okay, but I'm sure it would've been better if we knew where to go. As for people, they tried to be helpful but most spoke little English. Then there was the prick at the hostel who made us miss our flight (by sending us 20-25 metro stops in the wrong direction). Something tells me he knew that the right stop was just one away from the hostel. Also did I mention the guy in our room who slept with a knife next to his bed?

BEAUVAIS: Quaint little French town which we got to experience because we missed our flight! Nice little place with an impressive cathedral. We only stayed here one night. Slept at a nice hotel which had a shower in the bedroom?

OSLO: One word. Expensive! It's said to be the second most expensive city in the world (the first being Tokyo). I'm pretty sure we paid about $15 for a bottle of coke and a muffin.
However, we were extremely lucky to be staying with a Norwegian family who lived about 15 mins drive out of town.
As for the nightlife, not the best and bars close at 3am (even on a Saturday night), despite people not heading out till 12am.
People-wise, we stayed with a lovely family and met some great people (most of whom Kelly and Jemma already knew from their trip to Asia).

STOCKHOLM: My favourite city. At times I pictured myself living there... weird I know. Picturesque city with great nightlife. Did I mention we had a great tour guide? Also lucky enough to stay in the SoFo district (similar to New York's SoHo area). Good restaurants too.

GOTHENBURG: Only stayed here for one night but liked it. Not much to see scenary-wise, but still easy on the eye.

JONKOPING: What can I say about Jonkoping? Great people, great vibe. Stayed at Alex's house in Kaxholmen and Marci's pad in the city for the duration of our stay. Good to see the Swedish boys again and meet all of Alex's other friends. Bongo bar was a little disappointing... I think our expectations were far too great!

MUNICH: Saw little of the city to be quite honest. Spent the whole four days making the most of the Oktoberfest! Let me just say it is the best festival ever, and there is nothing like it in Australia. Liked the fact how much drinking was encouraged here... beer vending machines on site, tour guides selling longnecks on the 15 minute bus ride to the showgrounds. Needless to say drank way too much beer here... five steins (five litres or 20 pots) in one day was my record. Disgusting, but it tasted sooo good.
People were great. Met mostly Aussies and Poms. Few Canadians, Germans and Americans. Everyone was up for a good time so no complaints there.

PORTO: Gorgeous city. Possibly the prettiest... oh wait, Paris. Very hilly, set on a beautiful river and not far from the beach. Some nice people at our hostel, just wish we were in more of a party mood. We had food poisoning from some Chinese we ate in Germany so were feeling a little worse for wear. Not sure how the nightlife was... we only headed out on the Monday night and were the only people in the first bar we visited.

BARCELONA: The party city. I know because we backed up three nights in a row! Seriously though, good bars although the pub crawl we went on left a little to be desired. Great shopping and loved the history of the place. People were generally nice and helpful. Cheap beer during happy hour too!!

FRANKFURT: The transit city. Spent three nights here, although didn't really see much of the place. Just used the airports here. Oh and this is where we got food poisoning. And on my last night (alone) the bus driver told me I couldn't get on his bus even though it stopped at Frankfurt city airport. Apparently they lose their permit if they let people off, but that's not what I was told when I asked about 12 hours earlier. Standing in the rain at 2am, I had checked out of my hostel and had no where to go. Needless to say, I was pissed and freaking out. Lucky for me I ran into a German guy and his girlfriend and we shared a cab to the airport. Turns out the fare was cheaper than the 12 euro bus ride!

Buses, Planes and Automobiles

So I am in Frankfurt. Again.
I waved farewell to the girls this morning at 4.30am, before I caught a taxi to the bus terminal to take me to the airport. Then two hour flight before a two hour bus ride.
And I will rise at 2am tomorrow morning to catch a bus (15 mins) to Frankfurt city airport where I take off for home. Then there's a four hour stop over in London and a two hour one in Sydney.
Needless to say, this could possibly be the worst 48 hours of my life.
Was going to pull an all nighter yesterday, but opted to hit the sack about 12.30am for some shut eye.
Last night we went to possibly the smokiest bar on the earth- seriously, I couldn't even finish my beer. Thank god for anti-smoking laws in Australia.
Feeling very tired and in need of a shower. Right now, I want to be snug at home in my big bed!
It was sad to leave the girls in Barcelona but I am looking forward to getting home.
I guess I'll see you all in three days time.

Bar hopping in Barcelona

So we missed breakfast here for the third day in a row! I wonder what they serve and whether we'll find out before we leave.
Last night we went on a pub crawl. The choice of bars and clubs was interesting to say the least, but we did meet quite a few people, mostly Australians.
The beers were expensive at a lot of the bars, as much as 4€ for a bottle but we managed to stumble home (once again)
It's 2pm here- I just got out of bed and had a shower and Kel and Jem are still having some shut eye! We did have grand plans to walk down to the beach today (about 20 mins away) but we'll see I guess.
I've only got two more nights here before I get a flight from Girona airport to Hahn Frankfurt. Then one more night till the lonely flight home. Although, I must admit I am looking forward to the in flight movies as there was a few I didn't get to view last time.
Hope all is well back home, will see you all in about five days (tear).

Beer and shots in Barcelona

Good weather, great nightlife and awesome shopping.
That's how I would describe Barcelona in one sentence.
Today we hit the shopping circuit in the Ramblas. There are lots of cool little stores here on the main drag and in the alleyways.
Last night we went to a few bars in Ramblas, not too far from our hostel. We started out at a fairy bar, then headed to an Irish Bar, shot bar and a dodgy bar down the road from where we're staying.
The shot bar was sweet- 2€ shots, 300 of them! We tried a cartoon, a B52 and another shot that the barman lit on fire.
There was one called a Gemma (yes with a G) but the bartender said they were shite so we didn't try one!
The last bar was pretty scummy, but we got to flip a coin for each beer. If you got it right you got it for free, wrong and it cost you 4€! Happy to say I had two free beers!
Tonight we are heading out to the Irish bar for happy hour (beers are 1€ until 8, and cocktails 3€ each from 8pm-10pm.
Tomorrow we are doing a free walking tour of the city, plan to head down to the docks and a pub crawl!
Having much fun here... only three days until I leave though :(
Hope you have been enjoying the posts, don't forget to comment!

Barcelona, the city of bag snatchers

We are arrived in Barcelona this afternoon and have already enjoyed some of the national cuisine.
After days of fried food (and no food) we were keen for a good meal and found a nice little Spanish restaurant not too far from our hostel.
We enjoyed some tapas and paella before indulging in some ice cream.
We plan to head to an Irish bar tonight, and whatever else afterwards. We are pretty keen to get out and party after laying low in Porto. And Barcelona is renowned for it's nightlife.
Barcelona is a nice city, the only thing that I'm a little worried about is the number of bag snatchers around. Last time Jem was here a girl she and Paul were staying with had her bag stolen and we already had a random lady come up to us telling us to be careful.
Anyway, I am getting a little sad as I only have a week before I go home.
I can´t help thinking than in about 10 days I will be sitting back behind my desk.
On the subject of work what is going on at the Star? Will there be any journos left when I return?

Sunny Porto and dodgy Chinese in Frankfurt

So Jemma's 21st celebrations didn't exactly go to plan.
In the last post I said we were feeling a bit worse for wear. To begin with, I thought our bodies were just paying the price for consuming too much beer and sausage, but turns out we were poisoned!
Chinese in Frankfurt sounded like a good idea at the time... but we paid for it dearly, Kel and Jem more so than me.
We spent most of the first two days in Porto at our hostel, although I did venture out on my own to do some shopping at the nearby plaza on the second day.
We were pretty peeved considering the Chinese restaurant was the fanciest we had all been to. And we paid about 15€ each for the pleasure! If it was a scummy restaurant at least we could've blamed our own stupidity.
Kel´s beau Alex was also worse for wear, but apparently Freddy and Richard ate again at the same restaurant the following night! Not sure how Ash, Jess and Jacinta pulled up.
Anyway, we finally ventured out into Porto last night, but there was nothing really happening being a Monday. The guy at our hostel recommended a rock n roll bar, but when we arrived (at midnight) we, and Elka a girl we met at the hostel, were the only ones there!
I guess the highlight of our stay in Porto was visiting Mirimar beach. And also heading down to the river (the times we weren't feeling ill anyway).

Oktoberfest Pics

Happenings in the HB tent at Oktoberfest


Richard, Alex and Kel try out some German sausage!


Ash and Jem do some catching up!


Certificate of drunkedness!


Richard and Jem. Richard won the BAC competition registering an impressive 2.14


Alex and Richard in the HB tent!


Freddy, Me and Kel drink up at the Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest, Frankfurt and Porto

Jem, Kel and I are now in sunny Porto, Portugal after spending four days at the Oktoberfest.
We just had an afternoon nap after pulling an all nighter and are about to go out and venture for some healthy food!
Our bodies are definitely paying for the Oktoberfest big time! All those steins and fried food!
Kel and I drank five steins (each) in one session, that´s five litres of beer or 20 pots and quite disgusting when you think about it! And I'm pretty sure Jem would have done more!
The Oktoberfest camping was a bit of a rip off. We each paid $200 for three nights and had to buy our own toilet paper!
It was also freezing in Munich, but other than that no complaints!
Last night we went to O'Reilley's in Frankfurt before boarding a 2.30am bus to the airport. Once again I made the mistake of drinking too much and needing to go potty the entire way!
It was great to see Ash, Jess and co at the Oktoberfest and we had a blast with the Swedish boys Alex, Freddy and Richard!
Despite being a little worse for wear, we plan to push ahead to celebrate Jem's 22nd birthday tonight!

Stockholm Part 2

We are going to the Oktoberfest!

We can't wait to get to the festival to drink more beer! I just read this blog and noticed that it sounds like that's all we've been doing, but I can ensure you there has been much more going on during this trip (although sinking lager has been a part of it)!

We've just had an awesome weekend in Stockholm.

Jem and I agree that it is our favourite city we've visited so far on this trip.

While Paris is a gorgeous city, the Scandanavian capital is definitely more liveable!

We arrived here on Saturday night about 9.30pm and had some drinks at Marti's apartment before hitting the town.

By the time we got out the lines at some places were pretty long! We ended up going to a hard rock bar called Medusa and didn't get back to the apartment till 5am.

We started Sunday with Burger King and spent most of the day recovering from two big nights!

We are about to board a bus bound for the airport. I still can't believe we'll be at the Oktoberfest in 48 hours time!

Will post again in about five days when we get to Porto.

Bye for now!

Leaving Jönköping

We are about to head back to Stockholm where we will be staying for two nights before flying to Germany for the Oktoberfest!
We have had a great stay here in Jönköping, and while it's a little sad to be leaving we are looking forward to the rest of our trip.
After the Oktoberfest we head to Porto, Portugal and then Barcelona, Spain. I then leave, but the girls are lucky enough to travel for a bit longer!
Last night we went to the Bongo Bar (which was a lot smaller than we expected) after quite a few beers at Marci's place!
Tonight we will go out for a few beers in Stockholm (our bus arrives about 9pm).
Not sure when our next post will be, but stay tuned for Oktoberfest reviews and photos!
Thanks again for the comments.
Mel, Jem and Kel.

Foreign exchange

Just a quick note about the currency over here.
Sweden and Norway aren't on the Euro and instead have Swedish and Norwegian Kronas.
This has been a source of confusion for me as there is about 5.5 kronas to each Aussie dollar.
This means that everything appears to cost the earth. For example, it cost us 50 Kronas (about $10 to get into an Oslo bar).
While most things are pretty expensive over here, the beer is pretty reasonable.
A bottle of Estrella (Spanish) beer costs 13Kronas (about $2.20 each, or $13 for six).
Needless to say, we are making the most of the imported beers while we are here.
But we can't wait to get back on the Euro which is not so much like play money with £1 equalling almost $2.

Candy Canes and the City

Yesterday we travelled to Gränna the home of the candy cane! Yes you read right, the small town, about 20 minutes drive from Jönköping, is the place where the red and white striped lolly was created.
As you could probably guess there were many lolly shops with countless varities on the candy and at some you could see them getting made!
We had lunch by the lake, although it was a freezing 8 degrees (bring on the Australian summer).
Last night we had some beers and stayed at Marci's apartment which is in the heart of Jönköping.
Today, we head into the city.

More pics

Me and Jem during Beer O'Clock in Gothenburg

Jem and Kel get smart!

Kel and Jem at Vista Kulle in Jönköping. Isn't the view great?

Jem and Kel with Marianne (centre) whose house we stayed at in Oslo

Hitting the town in Olso

Eurotrip photos

Me at the famous Eiffel tower!

Me, Kel and Jem at a famous park of statues in Oslo. This is the angry child but a lot of statues were much more sexual

Jonkoping

We are now in Kelly's new hometown of Jonkoping, about two hours south of Stockholm.
After spending three nights in Oslo, we headed back over the border and had a one-night stop over in Gothenburg before arriving here.
Jonkoping is a gorgeous place, right next to the second largest lake in Sweden.
Today, we climbed a mountain down the road from Kelly's new home. We have also done a few loads of washing (it's going to be awesome to wear some clothes that don't smell).
We plan to see a castle tomorrow and head to the hockey on Saturday. Also, we will hit the town on Friday night at the famous Bongo Bar.
The night life is interesting over here, with bar staff kicking you out at 3am. Buying alcohol is also strange. You can buy beer from the supermarket, but if you are after wine or spirits you have to head to a special bottlo which closes at 3pm on Saturday. And supermarkets close at 5pm on Saturday so if you want to drink you need to plan ahead.
Not sure what we're doing tonight. We plan to go fishing down at the lake but it has been spitting this afternoon so we'll see.
Hope you all miss me at home.
I've been thinking of you all chained behind you desks and whatever else!

Bye for now!
Mel.

Oslo

We have only one more night in Oslo before we head to Gothenberg, Sweden, and then Kelly's new hometown of Jonkoping.
Today we visited the famous ski jump and dined at a restaurant overlooking the city. We have been lucky enough to be staying with a Norwegian family here, so the second most expensive city in the world (behind Tokyo) hasn't cost the earth.
Tonight we hit the town.
It's been difficult to post regularly here but hope to do so again in a few days.
Thanks to everyone who has been commenting.
Bye!

Stockholm part 1

We came and we will soon be back.
Stockholm is an amazing place and we can't wait to return after a whirlwind eight hour tour on Thursday.
After missing our original flight to Sweden, we only had eight hours to spare in the scandanavian capital.
After meeting up with Kelly at the bus terminal, we headed into the city for a quick sight and beer tasting tour.
We then caught up with Kelly's friend Marti who took us to a couple of cool bars, including the Garlic bar where you can get garlic in your beer!
Needless to say, we boarded the overnight bus to Oslo in not the best of states.

The 'F' Word

You would think the French, particularly those working in the tourist industry, would know where the airports in their country are located.
Right? WRONG!
Jem and I learnt the hard way on Wednesday.
Leaving our hostel, we asked the man at reception to direct us to Beauvais airport. He circled a couple of train stations on our map and we headed on our way. Little did we know that we were headed 20 stops in the wrong direction.
When we got to the destination this man had told us, we asked for further directions from three people working at the train station only to get three different answers. Finally we found an information desk, but unfortunately we discovered we had only two hours to make it to the airport and three trains (about 20 stops) to catch!
Turns out the station we needed to get to was one, that's right, one stop from our hostel. Let's just say Friends Hostel in Barbes won't be getting a good review!
Anyway, we finally got to the station we needed to and had to catch a train through the countryside. It was an hour long journey, a race against time, and one that we unfortunately did not win.
When we arrived at Beauvais airport there were no taxis in the rank. We had to wait 20 minutes and MISSED our flight to Sweden.
That cost us 75 euro and an overnight stay in Beavauis.
Needless to say, the F word was said a few times that afternoon.

Barbes, Paris, Eurotrip

Barbes, Paris

After 24 hours in the air and four airports we're finally here.
Paris is truly a beautiful city. The weather is perfect here, sunshine and about 22 degrees.
Today we visited the eiffel tower and the Notre Dame. It occurred to me while at the Notre Dame that it was only the second church I had been to in my life (the other being the one in Camberwell for Bel's wedding.)
We're staying in a place called Barbes. The best way to describe this place is this: Dandenong meets Kings Cross!
The people here remind me of Dandenong (saw two men pissing in the streer last night) and it lights up like Sydney's red light district. Did I mention this is a red light district mum?
I'm struggling to find the keys - I've had enough!

Correct Weight!

I DID IT!
I'm fully packed and my whole backpack (including the day bag) weighs under 15kg.
According to my calculations it weighs about 13kg.
Just hours to go before I leave for the airport.
Bon voyage!

Mel, Jem and Kel’s Big Adventure

Less than three weeks to go.
So the itinerary has been decided and now the countdown is on.

3 nights in Paris, France (Jem and I only)
4 nights in Oslo, Norway
1 night in Gothenburg, Sweden
4 nights in Jonkoping, Sweden
3 nights in Stockholm, Sweden
1 night in Frankfurt, Germany
3 nights at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany
Another night at Frankfurt, Germany!
3 nights in Porto, Portugal
5 nights in Barcelona, Spain
1 night in Frankfurt before I fly home. Jem and Kel fly to Morocco. Jem then travels onward to Turkey and finishes in Egypt.

Eagerly anticipating:
Obviously I cannot wait to sink some steins at Oktoberfest, but I am particularly looking forward to visiting Scandinavia.
The Moulin Rouge should be a great 22nd birthday celebration, while Porto and Spain make for a warm finish.

Facebook: bridging the gap

Time is at a premium these days. Working full-time and various other commitments leaves very little time for friends, but could social networking site Facebook be bridging the communication gap?

After catching up with friends on the weekend the answer seems to be yes.

A 20 minute conversation with three friends revealed that a mutual mate had quit her job and that another friend had broken-up with his girl. Funny thing was that nobody had seen or talked to either of these people for weeks.

Oh, and everyone knew I had hit splitsville before I arrived.

We came to the conclusion that by monitoring a friend's progress on Facebook, you could go without seeing them for a couple of months and still know the ins and outs of their life.

Status updates, comments on other user's sites and uploaded photos provide a real insight to another's being.

And user beware. I am hearing that there are a few cyber-stalkers out there. I suggest you upgrade your privacy to "friends only" and delete anyone suspect.

Compulsive Curb

If you haven't already indulged in the shenanigans of Larry David, do yourself a favour and buy Curb Your Enthusiasm now!
After discovering this gem on late night television, I invested in the first couple of seasons of the comedy and can't get enough.
The award winning series revolves around the life of David, the co-creator and executive producer of Seinfield.
Larry seems to have everything going for him with a gorgeous wife, famous friends and plenty of coin. But in each episode Larry, one way or another, lands himself in hot water.
Without giving too much away, let's review some of the highlights of the first season of Curb:

>Larry having to explain his "pants tent" episode to wife Cheryl and her best friend.

>Larry doing his manager Jeff a favour by fetching his porno collection while Jeff's in hospital and his wife is out of the house.

>Larry in damage control after a "typo" appears in an obituary he put together for Cheryl's late aunt.

>Larry attending an incest survivors group with an ex-girlfriend.

Bring on season two!

Welcome

Welcome to the official bloggings of Melissa Grant. Just in case you're wondering, that was taken as a URL so I had to resort to using my middle name Jade.
I have created this blog for my travels across Europe in September, but in the meantime, and afterwards, I plan to use it to record events in my everyday life.
I hope to keep the posts fairly regular but no promises!
Hope you enjoy,

Melissa Jade Grant.