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Published: March 7th 2009
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Melbourne (26 February - 2 March)
Arriving in Melbourne, it was great to see Garb again who picked me up from the airport and took me to her house in Flemington, a lovely Victorian-style area only a couple of train stops from the centre. We ended up chatting for the rest of the day, and on Friday, while Garb was working, I went to the city to see her artwork as part of an exhibition in a gallery. Cool stuff! In the evening, I met up with her and her boyfriend Robert and some other friends at at a cool bar at Federation Square, and on Saturday we, after sleeping in, we spent the whole day shopping, sightseeing and preparing food for a party hosted partly to my honour by Justine, a friend who I met in Baden, Switzerland, where I used to work for ABB and where I met Justine, Garb, Marny etc. 14 years ago. While I had met Garb several times since and Marny one (in Geneva, in 2002), I hadn’t seen Justine since I had moved to Geneva, and it was so good to catch up with her! A lovely evening with my old friends and
Melbourne
Garb's house in Flemington lots of other people!
On Sunday we met up with Martina (again!) and went to a Street Festival where we had a look at all the stands selling crap and had a beer in a cool pub before heading into town to have dinner together at Cookie’s (excellent
Asian fusion!) and having a beer in a pub.
And on Monday I took the train to the airport from where I flew to Brisbane to meet up with my friends there.
I had a great time in Melbourne, and having been there already 8 years ago it was just great not to have to do any sightseeing but spend quality time with my friends and get an impression of the ‘real’ daily life. Thx a lot, Garb, for your hospitality, and Justine for the great party you hosted!!!
Brisbane, Australia (2 - 6 March 2009)
Once again I was in the lucky situation to know people, so shortly after I arrived, Irene (who I met during her au-pair time in Geneva back in 2002) picked me up and drove me out to her sister Cristina’s and her husband Mal’s place. What a gorgeous house - absolutely
fantastic! Like an ancient colonial mansion! Cristina was also au-pair in Geneva back in 1998, and ever since we’ve stayed in contact, and it was so good to see her again. Married for 8 years and having 3 children (Jack, Max, and Cruz), she and her husband Mal, who has 4 adult children also kind of living/squatting the house, have a sooooper-busy lifestyle, and it’s absolutely amazing to see how they cope with their business & family and are still very relaxed when they finally sit down after a long day and just enjoy the evening having a glass of wine.
So after my first night at their place, Irene, Cris, the boys, and I all went to the public pools at the South Bank, and in the evening Cris had organized a BBQ at the cliffs with more of her friends, from where we had a great view on the city’s skyline. And afterwards we went to a nearby pub to meet their cousin Lucy and some other friends. Just a relaxing evening before returning home and having some late night drinks with Cris and Mal - again…
Irene took me down to the Gold Coast on
Wednesday where we spent a fabulous day at Surfer’s Paradise’s beaches (unfortunately no pictures - I forgot my camera at home). In the evening we all had a BBQ at Cris & Mal’s place, including their dad Alberto and some more friends of the family.
The next day I woke up in absolute agony; my back had been hurting for a week, but that morning I could hardly move and get out of my bed. So Mal took me to town, and from there Alberto drove me to the Wesley Hospital where I got some serious pain killers and an appointment with a physio therapist at 3pm. In the meantime, I met for lunch with my friend Kylie who studies in Brissy (I have met her in Geneva where she worked as a nanny for a couple of years back around 2005). Good to see her, and after saying good-bye I went for the massage. The physio therapist did a good job, but I have never experienced such a painful 45 minutes in my life before. It was pure torture, and I had tears in my eyes! The ‘easiest’ and most ‘relaxing’ part of it was the 5 minutes
Melbourne
The only WiFi hotspot... with a very hot pack on my back and electrodes sending electro shocks through my muscles…. When leaving I told him that I hoped to never see him again…. My last night I stayed at Cris & Irene’s parents place in Wynnum North, and it was so great to spend a great meal with Anabella, Alberto, and Irene. And the next morning I, after having been sleeping with (or at least next to) Irene’s dog Honey, I even quickly met Arturo, the son of the family, who’s playing keyboards at a quite famous kiwi band ‘Spacifix’ who even had a gig last year at a huge Dutch festival.
Anyway, that’s it for the moment. I’ve just arrived in Airlie Beach (Whitsundays) where it’s raining as a cyclone is approaching from the north… As all outdoor activities are cancelled for the moment, I’m updating my travel blog and wait until I hopefully will be able to go on a 3 days / 3 nights diving & snorkeling sailing tour.
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