Australia part 1
Frank and I often notice different things while on vacation-I try to keep running notes on things I want to look up or remember later so my notes read a bit like someone on a caffeine high with nervous fingers
“TimTam! Basket! Taco!”
Anyway, we made it to Australia, the airport was a blur and Frank picked up our little silver car (a theme) and we went to a short-stay apartment on Kavanaugh Street in Melbourne at Endlessblush's recommendation (a good one)
I was pleasantly surprised at how modern it was (we've had some bad places for high prices) and that it had a decent view. We’d been worried a few days before as they claimed hotels.com had not paid them (WHAT!??) but Frank straightened that out.
Some things that I had to adjust to;
All the tables were glass, so we had to be fairly neat about eating and so forth. We pretty much sprawled across the place, but it was nice to have privacy. When we first arrived I was afraid that we were parking in the graffiti covered lot across the street but it had its own garage below the building that was tight quarters. We had to request help from one of the building employees since the infrared fob didn’t seem to work! Then we had to find our parking space 1=first floor right? Noooooo. It got to the point that I was hopping out of the car and checking non-consecutive spaces because there really wasn’t room for a 3-point turn-but we found it-on the third level up from the entrance. Then we had to find the door into the apartments. Luckily, one group had just come back with pizzas and I watched where they entered-it was well hidden. You had to use the fob to make the elevator move as well. Because of the size and twisty-turny nature of the hallways, it is not a place I’d want to be trapped.
We were tired and probably smelled bad so we took showers and then went off to bed. As always, it took a while for the cold and rain to catch up with the Hunts.
Some of the LJ friends asked a question that I had a list for-
What have you noticed about Australia?
Power buttons for the outlets-this is not a thing in the USA, our outlets are always on-in AUS you need to hit a switch and then they are live
Things are called cafes-we might call them diners or take-out-small, some seating breakfast and lunch. There are still cafes here but there was some confusion. Type in restaurant and you get a lot of high-end stuff, type in café and you might get more local places to eat.
No Diet Pepsi-ahhhhhhhhh, this was hard at first, we drank a lot of Diet Coke and Pepsi max
Aussies sneak heat into everything. You laugh but it’s true. I had Bruschetta and it was spicy. This is not supposed to be spicy. There seems to be a tomato concoction that is thicker and thinner than catsup and sneaks into meals. At one place we ate they just straight-up gave us a spicy tomato chutney-acknowledging their meat pies needed it-and we were glad to have it. These beef-steaky tomatoes are in everything.
(Young) Aussie Men wear too much cologne. Like “my eyes were watering in the elevator” and “could track by scent in the urban streets” level.
Unabashedly love everything and are enthusiastic. Americans I think, are always trying to “make culture” where we have a sprawling mix. Australians are not restrained by this. A millionaire Aussie would proudly wear his Doctor Who tee shirt, eating a hot dog and drinking champagne. There is very much an unabashed love of what you love and who cares where it comes from or how it mixes. They don’t seem to need the nerd/cool, high class/low class dividing line and I loved it.
Vegamite, ate it. I’m good now. TimTams are the devil and I wish I had never known they were out there, so delicious. I have yet to do the “TimTam Slam”
Your beef has a different texture. There was no shortage of burgers or beef pies anywhere.
Melbournites are very tolerant of graffiti. And follow speed limits.
Frank's entry: http://fbhjr.livejournal.com/1128715.html
Next up: our day at the Zoo and the weather ghods catch us
“TimTam! Basket! Taco!”
Anyway, we made it to Australia, the airport was a blur and Frank picked up our little silver car (a theme) and we went to a short-stay apartment on Kavanaugh Street in Melbourne at Endlessblush's recommendation (a good one)
I was pleasantly surprised at how modern it was (we've had some bad places for high prices) and that it had a decent view. We’d been worried a few days before as they claimed hotels.com had not paid them (WHAT!??) but Frank straightened that out.
Some things that I had to adjust to;
All the tables were glass, so we had to be fairly neat about eating and so forth. We pretty much sprawled across the place, but it was nice to have privacy. When we first arrived I was afraid that we were parking in the graffiti covered lot across the street but it had its own garage below the building that was tight quarters. We had to request help from one of the building employees since the infrared fob didn’t seem to work! Then we had to find our parking space 1=first floor right? Noooooo. It got to the point that I was hopping out of the car and checking non-consecutive spaces because there really wasn’t room for a 3-point turn-but we found it-on the third level up from the entrance. Then we had to find the door into the apartments. Luckily, one group had just come back with pizzas and I watched where they entered-it was well hidden. You had to use the fob to make the elevator move as well. Because of the size and twisty-turny nature of the hallways, it is not a place I’d want to be trapped.
We were tired and probably smelled bad so we took showers and then went off to bed. As always, it took a while for the cold and rain to catch up with the Hunts.
Some of the LJ friends asked a question that I had a list for-
What have you noticed about Australia?
Power buttons for the outlets-this is not a thing in the USA, our outlets are always on-in AUS you need to hit a switch and then they are live
Things are called cafes-we might call them diners or take-out-small, some seating breakfast and lunch. There are still cafes here but there was some confusion. Type in restaurant and you get a lot of high-end stuff, type in café and you might get more local places to eat.
No Diet Pepsi-ahhhhhhhhh, this was hard at first, we drank a lot of Diet Coke and Pepsi max
Aussies sneak heat into everything. You laugh but it’s true. I had Bruschetta and it was spicy. This is not supposed to be spicy. There seems to be a tomato concoction that is thicker and thinner than catsup and sneaks into meals. At one place we ate they just straight-up gave us a spicy tomato chutney-acknowledging their meat pies needed it-and we were glad to have it. These beef-steaky tomatoes are in everything.
(Young) Aussie Men wear too much cologne. Like “my eyes were watering in the elevator” and “could track by scent in the urban streets” level.
Unabashedly love everything and are enthusiastic. Americans I think, are always trying to “make culture” where we have a sprawling mix. Australians are not restrained by this. A millionaire Aussie would proudly wear his Doctor Who tee shirt, eating a hot dog and drinking champagne. There is very much an unabashed love of what you love and who cares where it comes from or how it mixes. They don’t seem to need the nerd/cool, high class/low class dividing line and I loved it.
Vegamite, ate it. I’m good now. TimTams are the devil and I wish I had never known they were out there, so delicious. I have yet to do the “TimTam Slam”
Your beef has a different texture. There was no shortage of burgers or beef pies anywhere.
Melbournites are very tolerant of graffiti. And follow speed limits.
Frank's entry: http://fbhjr.livejournal.com/1128715.html
Next up: our day at the Zoo and the weather ghods catch us