Chapter 8 "Blurry Blustery Weekend"

14.-16.08.2010

Not being as disciplined at writing everyday has caused the last few days to blur together into streets and restaurants and walks and rain and sitting in the hostel common room…Friday night left me cravin for a good night’s sleep, which I was deprived of, because my Japanese roommates checked out at 5:30am, turned on the lights and finished their packing (by the sounds of it every single item was in a plastic bag). After tossing and turning, listening to a few chapters of my audiobook and then giving up on the deep sleep part, I spent Saturday morning/noonish at Federation Square with its free internet and pesky seagulls.

After pasta and tea in the hostel, the afternoon was spent walking through the city and along the Yarra river. Despite the gray weather, it stayed dry most of the time…

Looking forward to my empty room and a bit of rest before the Saturday night hostel noises, I got in just to find out that all three beds were taken by a group of Australian girls in town for a night of partying. The floor was already covered in clothes and make-up, bottles of lots of different colored liquids and an iPod station blasting something too girly for my taste. So instead, I rested watching Star Wars (Episode 5) and then heading back to the common room to join one of the post-dinner, pre-going out tables. Half a beer later I realized that 1.when I have a cold I can’t even hack a single beer and 2.alternating between beer and fizzy berocca (vitamin OD) tablets is actually quite enjoyable. The table consisted of a guy from Fiji who got up to shave his head after a while, a German and English guy who were latching on to two American girls, a Dutch guy who had travelled the Philippines and loved it (which already shone quite positive light on him), an Italian philosophy student becoming and Italian teacher here, a Kiwi starting his third set of studies and Sebastian, the German I’ve been tripping around Melbourne with the last week. Not really in the mood for drink, party or a long night out, Star Wars (Episode 6) became my Saturday night activity. Back in my room, it smelled like cigarettes and in the wee hours of the morning I was offered fried chicken from a bucket standing in the middle of the room.

On Sunday, after a warm and comfortable night, I had to get up relatively early (no time will be stated at this point as not to reveal my perception of early on a Sunday) to check out. With my luggage in the luggage room, I had breakfast and headed out with Sebastian to the Queen Victoria Markets. This time around was more thorough than the last and we didn’t leave out a single aisle. No purchases this time, but a delicious Turkish pastry called borek, filled with spinach, cheese and parsley, piping hot and just hitting the spot, was devoured shortly before leaving the market… It was strange leaving the hostel, because although it was old and falling apart, the showers had temperature issues at times, the snoring and waking up early of roommates does get on your nerves and the kitchen has just a few (dozen) little faults, I had grown to like its dingy charm and the people who walk amongst it.

I took a train to Balaclava, was picked up at the station and moved into a room with an own double bed that is so comfortable I probably wouldn’t have left it on Monday morning if I didn’t have a few errands waiting for me in the city. After a visit to my bank to let them know my Tax File Number (wow, makes me feel so Aussie), I bought the few things already missing in my toiletries bag and sat down in a Krispy Kremes to have some coffee and doughnuts, a craving which just had to be satisfied. I wrote some postcards, my first on this journey and just enjoyed sitting by the window watching busy businessmen and women walk by, checking their watches, dragging on their cigarettes or talking while walking.

Aside from the free city circle tram, there’s a free city tour bus, which drives around Melbourne in an hour and a half, telling you about places to go, sights to see and historical landmarks of importance. The last one left at 3:45pm and I just about made it. The tour itself took you around a lot of places which I had already seen or heard about, but did drive around the Docklands and other outside-the-city areas a bit more. The stop before the last was the Shrine of Remembrance, a war memorial which looks like a mixture of a Greek, Aztec, Roman and Egyptian Temple.

The gardens around it were quite nice and you had a great view down the street all the way to Federation Square, passed which I walked looking for a bite to eat. Seeing and suddenly craving Vietnamese, the Mekong served a mean bowl of Pho Bo and some pretty good fresh spring rolls. After getting home, I found out that Bill Clinton had had a bowl of soup here as well. I must have missed the sign by the door.

Notes: Must write more regularly. Star Wars is truly great. Krispy Kremes kravings must be satisfied.