Packing part 1

Wish I was in Mackay already! Just started packing... what a biatch! Actually, I haven't really been packing as such, more like throwing stuff out.
Funny what you find when you go through all the old stuff you had just shoved at the back of the closet. Spice girls CDs, school photos, university assignments, etc.
I have been merciless in my sorting of stuff - i have been chucking more than half I reckon. Don't know if it will be the same story when I get to my clothes! It's a real shame, I have all these nice winter clothes I bought this season but I doubt I will be needing them in sunny Mackay. The winter is like 23 degrees there!
However, I will be leaving my coats in Melbourne for when I come back to visit in fear that I may just freeze my nuts off (although I don't have any).
Strange to think I will be up there in two weeks. Also strange to think my brother is moving into my bedroom and that my family and friends will be 2,300km further away.
But, at the same time, I am very excited!

Moving out part 1

So I'm about to do something a little crazy...
I'm going to discard half of everything I own, pack the rest in my car and move to a place I've never been to. And I won't know a soul.
What's even crazier is that I'm really looking forward to it.
For those who haven't heard I'm moving to Mackay, a large regional town in northern tropical Queensland.
The average temperature in summer is a humid 30 degrees celsius, while winter days usually reach a balmy 22.
Did I mention Mackay is the "gateway" to the Whitsundays? It's also about a two-hour drive from the stunning Airlie Beach.
It will be a massive change. Moving out of the parents' house, a new job and new people.

The funny thing is that I have always pictured myself living near the beach... and it won't be long before I will be :)
I'll let you know how it goes...

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.