Kitesurfing

For the last few years, Erik has talked about wanting to try kitesurfing. Kitesurfing/kiteboarding (not sure if there is actually a difference?!) is huge in Melbourne, and people can be seen kitesurfing in Port Phillip Bay on a daily basis, particularly in areas like St. Kilda in the east and Altona in the west. When a Scoopon (like Groupon) deal popped up for kitesurfing around Erik's birthday, I thought I would take advantage of a good deal and bought a voucher for him.

Lots of kites out on this windy day! Melbourne's CDB is in the background.

The voucher was for a 2 hour lesson at KSS Altona. Erik tried to book in a few weekends ago, but on the day he was meant to go out for his lesson there was no wind. Last weekend, however, there was plenty of wind, so we headed down to Altona for his lesson. Our first impression was not great, as we were told the instructor would be 30 minutes late. 30 minutes turned into an hour, so we ended up waiting quite a while for the instructor to arrive. I actually overheard the instructor saying it was the first time he had taught a lesson, and based on how he was organized, I could tell!

Some instruction going on in this picture. You can see how windy it was based on the waves in the bay!

Eventually Erik and the two other people taking the lesson headed down to the beach. It seemed to take a while for the instructor to decide where to operate on the beach. It was VERY windy and there were a lot of kites out, which made it fun for me to watch.

Erik is holding onto the kite in this picture.

The group went through a lot of set-up and safety stuff which seemed to take forever. After an hour or so, Erik got to steer the kite through the water. His first go was funny to watch as he nearly lost control of the kite. After a few minutes though, he got the hang of steering the kite. However, at that point he had to hand the kite over to someone else in the group. All up he probably held the kite for 4 minutes!

Erik steering the kite!

After the group each took turns steering the kite, the lesson was essentially over, as they went over how to pack up the kite but did not get another chance to steer the kite and they did not do body drags through the water, which was supposed to be part of the lesson. The instructor also ended the class about 20 minutes early. In the end, I think Erik enjoyed controlling the kite, but overall the lesson was poorly run and unorganized. Regardless, Erik was happy to have had a go at kitesurfing and perhaps for his next lesson I would try a different shop, given the slightly negative experience we had with KSS Altona.

Airplanes

Erik and I have spent a bit of time on airplanes during our travels over the last few years. I have developed a keen interest in airplanes with all of that travel, and not just when flying. Interestingly, all of the homes we have lived in have been located within a 15-20 minute drive of an airport. In Chapel Hill we could often see planes landing at RDU. When we lived in Elkridge, we were very close to BWI and therefore could see and hear planes landing. Here in Australia, we live near Melbourne International Airport (MEL), and over the past 3+ years we have spent many evening and weekend walks or bike commutes to and from work watching planes land and take off from MEL.

The Qantas A380 above Melbourne

The exciting thing about watching planes enter or exit MEL is the wide variety of airlines that visit the airport. In America, most airports are busy with LOTS of domestic flights and a handful of international flights. Here, it is always fun to try to see the plane's colors and/or logos to determine where it is coming from or where it is headed. With us both being first born children, we sometimes turn this into a competition! MEL has numerous domestic flights too, but remember there are only a handful of major airports located in Australia, so there are not as many flights coming in from other parts of the country as we used to see in the States.

Heading up the east coast of Australia on a domestic flight. While we are often taking pictures from the windows of planes while traveling, we occasionally take pictures of planes coming into MEL, especially if one of us is at home and the other one is on the plane!

I have an app on my phone that lists all departures and arrivals from MEL, and I can use it to look up which planes are arriving or departing at certain times and also to see if those flights are delayed. In the matter of a few hours, international flights will arrive from Air New Zealand, Emirates, Singapore, Etihad, Thai, Malaysia, Qatar, Cathay Pacific, Air Asia, Garuda Indonesia, and Air India! Also, there are three different airlines that fly from MEL to China that we frequently see; Air China, China Eastern, China Southern. There are only 4 major domestic airlines in Australia: Qantas, Virgin, JetStar, and Tiger. All of those airlines except Tiger also fly internationally to/from MEL, and usually we can tell if it's an international flight by the size of the plane. 

One hour's worth of international departures at MEL

We sometimes try to guess the type of planes that we see in the air. The easiest to identify is the Airbus A380, which is identifiable by the 4 very large engines. It is my plane of choice when visiting the States, as I find it quieter and more comfortable than other long range planes. United has started flying the "Dreamliner" 787 flight from MEL to LAX, and I'm tempted to give that one a go just to see what the plane is like. Nerd or airplane enthusiast? You be the judge!

The Qantas A380 at MEL

"S" is for...

Spring! It has officially been spring in Melbourne since September 1st and our temperatures have been on the rise. It is nice to know that the cold, windy, rainy days of winter are mostly behind us.

A calm spring day. It is often windy in spring, so we relish calm days!

Pretty spring bloom on our street.

A view of the CBD from Albert Park, where our Year 10 students were running the 5km loop.

Swooping season. This is no joke! Magpies in particular are very conscious of protecting their nests and if you walk/run/ride on a footpath near trees with nests in them, prepare to be attacked. Getting swooped is startling!

A warning about swooping in our local paper.

This is how cyclists attempt to protect themselves during swooping season.

Apparently the "protection" is not always all that helpful!

Sunsets. Our days are getting longer every day, and I have been taking advantage of the extra daylight with walks along the river near our house after work. Spring seems to bring some spectacular sunsets! All of these sunset pictures were taken from different spots on different evenings using my phone.

On this evening the sun was blazing an amazing orange color as it dropped from the sky. I had to run in order to get to a spot where I could see it fall to the horizon, and it was worth the extra effort!

Snakes. When the temperature warms up, snakes come out of hibernation. On my evening walks I have started to become a bit more vigilant about being on the lookout for snakes. I have only seen one snake near our house in the three years that we have lived here, and I am pretty sure it was a brown snake, not the kind of snake you want to be bitten by!

Our local paper warning us about snakes in the area

Sausage sizzles. These actually happen year-round, but once the weather warms up, everyone heads out to their local Bunnings (the equivalent of Home Depot/Lowes in America). Each weekend a different group serves up sausages outside the store, usually offering fried onions with the sausage and serving them on a piece of bread. These sausage sizzles serve as fundraisers for different organizations, and shoppers are always keen to have a sausage in the middle of the afternoon on a weekend.

People queuing up for sausages

What the finished product usually looks like. Mind you that is tomato sauce, not ketchup!

3 Years in Oz

On Friday, August 15th, we celebrated our 3 year anniversary of living in Australia. We reminisced about arriving at the airport and walking outside to colder and cloudier weather than we expected. We also thought back to our taxi ride to the house where we would live for our first month in Melbourne, where the driver actually got lost and could not find the house. Sometimes that day seems much longer than 3 years ago, given how settled we have become in this country. It also seems like ages ago that I wrote about our 2 year anniversary of living Down Under, where I revealed how we ended up in Melbourne in the first place.

I read a blog post last week from another American expat who listed some things that she thought of when she arrived in Australia, and it inspired me to come up with my own list. Here some things I thought to myself (or out loud!) during our first few months of living abroad:

1. That is NOT bacon, it's ham!

We have since discovered "streaky bacon", which is more like American bacon.

2. A hotel doesn't actually have rooms?

You will only find a bar/restaurant inside this "hotel"!

3. How can it possibly be so cold in the house?
4. An entree is just an appetizer...and it costs how much?!

"Mains" (or "entrees" in America) would be listed next on the menu

5. There is a Target! (Followed by disappointment that Target is NOT nearly the same as the US Target)
6. What is a milk bar?

A milk bar

7. What is the difference between a pot, a schooner, and a pint?

Note that a "pitcher" is called a jug!

8. Why is there barbeque sauce on my pizza?
9. An eraser is called a "rubber"?!
10. The mall closes at 5:30pm?

These are typical shopping centre hours. A lot of times they open at 9am or later and some are open till 9pm on Friday in addition to being open late on Thursday.

11. The grocery store closes at 8pm?
12. What is rocket and why it is on my sandwich?

Commonly known as arugula in America

13. I have to walk into the gas station (servo) to pay for my "petrol"?!
14. Tea = dinner. Tea = a mid morning break for snacks. Which one is it?
15. I can't just order a "coffee"?

It was so, so confusing in the beginning. Now I have learned to embrace the coffee choices!

16. What is beetroot and why is it on everything?
17. What is a serviette?
18. Why is there a lemon in that Corona?
19. Which button do I push on the toilet to make it flush?

A fabulous idea that more Americans should adopt!

20. Sultanas are raisins, rockmelon is cantaloupe, capsicum are peppers, coriander is cilantro, biscuits are cookies, scones are biscuits, lollies are candies, crisps are potato chips, and chips are french fries?!
21. Pies have meat in them, and they are not eaten for dessert?

It actually tastes better than it looks!

22. What is a sausage roll?
23. A baby (bub) sleeps in a cot, rides in a pram, and wears nappies while sucking on a dummy?!
24. I have to put money in the cart (trolley) at the grocery store in order to use it?

Better make sure you have a $1 or $2 coin for grocery shopping.

25. Why does my beer cost $10?

Note the diagram above that shows the size of the $10 beer, which is equal to about 12 oz. On a more positive note, there is no paying tax or tip on top of this price.

Birds in Buildings

My Australian friends seem surprised when I explain that it is unusual for birds to be found inside buildings in America. Unless my memory is a complete failure, I'm pretty sure it is not common to see birds inside places such as schools, shopping malls, and grocery stores in the US. We are not talking about "open air" buildings either...these are structures that are not exposed to the outdoors with the exception of doors and windows that generally remain closed.

Birds frequently visit the school building where I work. I suspect that birds get into the building when doors and/or windows are opened, and from there they decide to stay. I have thought perhaps that this has something to do with the fact that a lot of buildings in Australia do not have screens on the windows.

This bird made it into an office that is inside of another office!

A bird on the indoor running track, which is right next to the school cafe area, called the "canteen".

In our local mall ("shopping centre" in Australian English), there are heaps of birds. There is a tree inside the mall that I am sure is home to more than one bird.

Inside our local shopping centre. Lots of bird noises come from that tree.

These two birds were just walking in and out of the shopping centre using the automated doors!

I often seen birds in the grocery store (which is inside the shopping centre), flying above the aisles. I have been trying for weeks to take a picture as proof, but the birds fly away quickly! Today there was a bird on the ground in the nut, seed, and dried fruit aisle, but just as I got my phone out to take a picture, he walked under the shelves. The amazing thing is that no one seems fazed by the birds in the grocery store!

The bird was right in the middle of the aisle, I swear!

When we lived in America, Erik and I once had a bird make a nest in our clothes dryer vent, but that was as close as we came to having an encounter with birds inside buildings. American friends, surely I am not forgetting birds in buildings? Please correct me if I am wrong!

Grampians National Park

In Australia we celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s birthday, which essentially means that we get to enjoy a long weekend in June with Monday as a “public holiday”. Over that long weekend, Erik and I decided to head to the Grampians, a mountain range about 3 hours from Melbourne that offers hiking, rock climbing, and wilderness.

We based ourselves in Halls Gap, a town of about 300 people that swells during holiday times. Our accommodation was a small cottage surrounded by mountains and frequently visited by kangaroos. The town itself is really cute and has a great pedestrian/bike path that we used to walk from our cottage to town and also to the visitor’s center. There are some hiking trails that start right from the center of town, which is quite convenient!

Seeing kangaroos in the wild never gets old!

We left Friday after work and arrived at D’alton’s Resort around 8:30pm. David, one of the owners, was waiting for us with information about our cottage. It was a little chillier in Halls Gap compared to Melbourne, so we were happy to learn that David had turned the heat up in our cottage before our arrival, making it feel nice and toasty when we walked in the door. The cottage itself had a small kitchen, so we brought plenty of food from Melbourne, as I had heard that food prices were very high in Halls Gap.

Cottages with mountains in the backdrop

Cute and cozy cottages!

On our first day we planned to hike to the top of Mt Rosea, however, about an hour into our hike the clouds and rain came and we had to turn back. The visibility was poor and we decided that it was not worth the hike to the top if we were not going to be able to see anything once we arrived there. After making it down to the bottom, we tried another hike, this one to the Pinnacle, and ended up having to turn back on that hike as well! The weather just was not cooperating, so we spent a lazy day hanging out in our cottage, which actually turned out to be very enjoyable!

We hiked a little past this landmark before turning around on Day 1. 

Crazy-looking rock we noticed on the way down

Sunday’s weather was much more cooperative, and David gave us a tip about an alternative trail to the top of Mt Rosea, so we took that route, which allowed us to enjoy a different hike compared to the one we had just done the previous day.

It kind of looks like I'm about to jump in this picture, but I assure you I was not!

A "selfie" near the top of Mt Rosea

Erik got ahold of the camera, so there are a few pictures of me from our hike!

View of the Grampians from the top of Mt Rosea

Before our second attempt to hike to the top of Mt Rosea, we completed the hike to the Pinnacle, which is one of the more popular hikes in the Grampians. We saw a lot of people on that trek, including lots of young families and school groups. There were definitely more than 300 people in Halls Gap on Queen’s Birthday weekend!

Erik near the Pinnacle, with Mt Rosea in the background

Cool rock formations make for enjoyable climbing with this guy!

View of Halls Gap from the Pinnacle

We also did a short walk at Reed lookout to the Balconies, where Erik decided it was safe to walk out onto a ledge. Actually I sent him out there for the photo, and he was a good sport!

Before leaving town, Erik wanted to get in a quick workout, so he ran some sprints on the local footy oval. He had the company of MANY kangaroos during his workout, which certainly helped to keep me entertained!

These kangaroos often stopped to watch Erik running!

This guy was about to box! This was the first time I've ever seen a 'roo assume this position.

This one nearly hopped right into me when I was taking pictures!

The pouch must be handy on cold days!

Pucker up!

'Roos and mountains!

In addition to ‘roos, we saw a few emu and heard lots of kookaburras on our weekend in the Grampians. The Grampians have endured bushfire damage over the last few years, most recently this past January, and much of the northern park is still closed due to that damage. One of the more popular spots to visit, Mackenzie Falls, has been closed since January, and I would definitely like to make a trip to that area once it re-opens. The Grampians are supposed to be an amazing place to visit in the spring due to the large amount of wildflowers that bloom there, so perhaps a spring camping trip will be in order?!