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).