Aussie Lingo

I haven't written much about the difference in language here, partly because I have limited exposure to it- mostly through salesclerks and waitresses- but also because it's much more subtle than going to a non-English speaking country. Yet it is different, so here ya go...some of the main words I've learned since living in Melbourne:

brekkie (breakfast), chips (fries), bloke (guy), sheila (woman), to book (to make reservations), boot (trunk of car), tucker (food), bush tucker (Aboriginal food), bushwalking (hiking), busker (street performer/musician), daggy (unfashionable or goofy), dodgy (sketchy), donna (comforter or bedspread), "how're you going?" or "owyergoin" (how are you), "give it a go" (try it), "good onya" (good for you), "ta" (thank you), lollies (candies), hire (to rent), jumper (sweater), mobile (cell phone), nappy (diaper), beanie (hat), wanker (jerk), uni (university), drink driving (drunk driving), petrol (gasoline), winge (whine or complain).

We occasionally have trouble understanding people here, and surprisingly, people sometimes have trouble understanding us. I saw a film recently called "Paris, j'taime", a compilation of 18 shorter stories linked together by the themes 'love' and 'Paris'. It was lovely, and full of various unexpected situations. The stories represent all different kinds of love (love for child, love for substances, love for partner, love for drama, love of conflict, love at first sight, etc). Some of them are about cultural misunderstandings. One of the stories has a young man having an entire conversation in French with an English speaking peer who hardly understands a word. Another story, starring Margo Martindale, is of a middle-aged American woman (fanny pack and all) who speaks awkward, basic French and takes a solo trip to Paris. Her narration detailing the trip to her French class back home has a comical effect, as we experience the city from her lonely but endearing perspective. The film was directed by at least seven well-known filmmakers, and has a host of star actors and actresses. I recommend it, especially if you've never seen Paris yourself or just want to live life through some interesting characters for a couple hours.

Delicieux!

Last night I went out for dinner with Miriam, a coworker of Mark's who's here for just four weeks from Southern CA. She has been an interesting, fun person to hang out with and sadly her time in Melbourne is almost up. We had a smashing dinner at Belgian Beer Cafe Eureka, just a few minutes walk from our apartment building in Southbank. Ah, mussels! Ah, frites with mayonnaise! I enjoyed a big bucket of Roquefort black mussels steamed with blue cheese, baby spinach and cream. The frites were tasty, and other than being a bit on the salty side, very similar to what I had in Brussels and Amsterdam last summer. Accompanying our meal with glasses of Chimay Blue, and bites of fresh bread, we had a wonderful conversation and it was especially nice to be inside a warm, comfortable pub with the wind howling so forcefully outside. We split a creme brulee for dessert, and had a fruity apple beer to wash it all down. (Photo: www.seafarmers.com.au/images/Webmuss.jpg)

What I've Been Up To

I've been staying in the past couple days...yesterday I read, napped and worked out. Today-again- there is no sun. The wind and rain began last night and it is mid-afternoon now. There is a gloomy-gray and wet, windy look to the cityscape out my living room window. You can hear the wind howling around the apartment tower we live in. Instead of going out exploring, I am enjoying the library materials I checked out last Friday. Just finished watching a music documentary, Ben Harper's "Pleasure and Pain". It took me awhile to become a Ben Harper fan. I'd heard about him from friends, but it's not unusual for me to catch onto a really good musician/music group late in the game. Growing up, we were somewhat restricted in music taste; Christian rock like Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant or this, or harmless pop rock like the Beach Boys, Debbie Gibson (now, embarrassingly, Deborah Gibson) and Tears for Fears. Though I can hardly blame things on childhood upbringing anymore...Just the other day I was listening to the Radiohead Album, "The Bends", thinking how great they are and how I wasn't completely clueless about cool modern bands- then realized it was made in 1995- twelve years ago, when I was about 20. (How time flies, mate!) Anyway, the documentary with Ben Harper is great. Beyond the numerous cliche clips of him getting in and out of tour buses and getting hyper over his afro or buying a cool pair of shoes, it illustrates his close ties with family and the musical heritage he grew up with. It has an interesting segment of him discussing the types of guitar he plays and why. It shows his great versatility, musicianship, and refusal to answer silly media questions like "Are you easy to work with?" I only own two of his albums, "Diamonds on the Inside" (2003)and the 2006 "Both Sides of the Gun" (which is really two albums in itself) but I listen to both constantly and have probably played his song "Amen Omen" daily for the past year... And I'm still not sick of it. (My old college roomie, Mary, is probably having flashbacks if she's reading this...when the Counting Crows recorded "Mr. Jones" I played it over and over in our dorm room until she had to stage an intervention which included excessive teasing). So if you're a Ben Harper fan, go get it, but make sure you have about three hours to truly appreciate all of it, including live performances and bootleg tracks. I've also been watching Mythbusters and listening to Jack Johnson's "In Between Dreams" and Lizz Wright's "Dreaming Wide Awake". I'm reading The Rough Guide to Sydney in preparation for a weekend trip to Sydney a few weeks from now. Also, a dark, strange book called The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall. The author is only a year older than I am and this is her second book--the writing style is sophisticated and unusual, in a way I don't know how to describe.

Finding Fitzroy

Our quest to experience local Aussie talent continued last night as we wandered over to the Rob Roy Hotel in the Fitzroy neighborhood to hear comedian-musicians Josh Earl, The Bedroom Philosopher, and Indie band, The Raylenes. Wandered is the right word, too. After a tummy-pleasing dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup at home, we caught the 96 tram and ended up riding it waaay past our stop...it's hard to see where you're at on a tram at night in an unfamiliar neighborhood....we got off, and started walking back the way we'd come and I finally asked a friendly guy locking up his bike where Brunswick street was. Yep, we were quite a few stops past it. I thanked him, and he smiled, offering a genuine Aussie "no worries!". We caught the tram back the other way and got off near Gertrude Street, walked a few blocks and then spotted the Rob Roy on the corner. Fortunately, we'd started out early since we'd no idea how popular this show would be. Well, we walked into a hole of a bar and were two of about ten people in the room, including some of the performers. The show hadn't started yet, giving me enough time to get a glass of wine and reminiese with Mark about our days going to the Bottleneck in Lawrence, which this bar reminded me of-I'm not sure why. Decor was random, and had a 'we don't care' kind-of vibe. The main room included a single couch upon which two very large people were snuggling; a stuffed red Elmo doll above the bar; a huge black and white poster of Johnny Cash giving the finger; a few small circular tables with bar stools; and two disco balls, the larger one directly above the stage and the other in front of it. Soon Josh Earl the comedian/librarian took the stage and I was immediately struck with how small he was- not just short, but small with a small guitar to match. It's interesting how you learn about someone via media and listen to their stuff, then see them in concert and they present a very different image from what you imagined. That happened to me at a Liz Phair concert a few years ago. I'd imagined her as this tall, intelligent, 'take no prisoners' feminist singer and up close, she seemed more like a ditzy sex-kitten type. But soon, Josh Earl's performing reinforced my original impressions of him; he sang songs mostly about relationships (the failure of them, especially with women who pronounce library "liberry"), music, and somehow managed to create a rock n' roll song about Melville Dewey, inventor of the Dewey Decimal classification system (lyrics which I cannot repeat here, but which included a hilarious chorus ending with dewey? we do). He was witty and real and a bit self-conscious on stage. Another comedian/singer, The Bedroom Philosopher, performed next and my first impression was he was on drugs he was so full of energy and well, just weird, really strange. He looks like Austin Powers. But once he played a few songs and made me laugh (he brought up the Austin Powers image after a few songs), I decided he was mostly very charming and funny and smart in a too-intelligent-for-his-own-good way. Both comedians are from Tassie (Tasmania) and in their mid-20's and were definately worth getting lost in an unknown neighborhood and backtracking for. The Raylenes, a local Indie band, were fairly good but never ended their songs together, which bugged me. I think they are quite popular here. Tonight, we're heading back the the Paris Cat jazz club for a Gian Slater performance. She's a young jazz vocalist here who has a breathy, smooth voice and I'm looking forward to hearing her again.

Whole New Gastronomic Experience

We walked quickly through Chinatown in the light rain on Sunday to find lunch, and spontaneously picked a restaurant called Pepper Chilli. We had just finished viewing the Australian Impressionism exhibit at the art museum and as we contemplated lunch options, it began to rain. I started dreaming of hot tea. The art show was interesting, but took a certain kind of energy. It was fairly crowded, so we were required to slowly inch along in a line of people to see many of the paintings. Those listening to the self-guided audio tours never seem to be aware of anything else around them, so we'd had to wait patiently for them to move aside to read the small print near the art work. (Why is that print so tiny, anyway? It does nothing to encourage someone to understand the art, since you have fight the crowd to get up so close to read it)...Pretty soon I was only looking at every other painting, then maybe half in a group of six, and- by the final room- just the largest ones with the biggest explanations. I love Impressionist painting, so I occasionally felt a pinch of guilt when doing this, as I do while reading an anthology of stories and I decide to skip over a few of them, but it enhances the ones I do spend the time and energy to absorb. Anyway- at the restaurant, which has Peking, Shanghai, and Szechuan cuisine, we got a table and ordered a pot of hot tea. To our surprise, there was no menu and no explanations; the waitresses just started coming by with trays and carts of steamy, tempting dishes. Although the sign outside had advertised "Yum cha" we had no clue what it meant. We soon suspected there were some rules associated with this we were equally clueless about. The website was "spot on" in suggesting "why not let us surprise you with a whole new gastronomic experience". We gave enthusiastic nods to several dishes before starting to wonder how much all this was going to cost. Each time we approved a dish, it was immediately placed on our table and the waitress stamped or scribbled something on a section of the bill. It's an interesting experience to dine and not have any real sense of the food or the prices. The five or six dishes we tried were absolutely delicious, which made it challenging to restrain ourselves when more carts came by. This is not a good restaurant for indecisive diners- in a couple instances, our failure to decide quickly resulted in the waiter moving on to the next table. My favorite was a dish with thick, white noodles and thin slices of meat- it tasted like peanut butter. Other favorites were the dumplings, and of course, the hot tea. It ended up being a wonderful meal, and good experience for those of us who like to think we're always in control and knowledgeable about other cultures (I don't know anyone like that...). Here is another take on it. I'd go back to Pepper Chilli in a heartbeat. And our bill? About $30 each, a reasonable price for a nice meal for two in Melbourne.

Winter Morning in Melbourne

I woke up Friday morning, earlier than usual, right after Mark left for work. Peeled off three blanket layers in our drafty bedroom and went out to the warmer living room. Peeking between two blinds, I noticed my normal balcony view had almost completely vanished. Fog had taken its place, enveloping the landmarks I'm accustomed to. I took a quick shower and excitedly pulled on my black corduroy peacoat (new to me, but used) and pale green beanie (stocking hat); circled my favorite handmade green scarf around my neck (crocheted by Amy), grabbed my library books (The Short History of a Prince by Jane Hamilton, among others...) and stepped out into the winter morning. I immediately noticed the chill in the air and my own warm breath visibly exhaling out to merge with the rest of the world. I walked consciously, affectionately thinking of this second winter season in a row; noticing all the other hats, scarves, and coats on schoolgirls, careerwomen, businessmen, wrinkled retirees, and others making their way across Princes Bridge at 8:53 a.m. Halfway to City library, I vowed to control my book intake- last time I filled my green-gray backpack full of books and movies, vaguely aware that they would tempt me to stay in the apartment forever (a reality when one is unemployed and left alone all day). The tall tops of modern buildings in the central business district were hiding somewhere behind the fog, making me feel part of some surreal movie set. Entering the library, I slipped a book and DVD into their return slot and then wandered across the hall to the cafe, Journal, to continue my weekly Friday ritual of a flat white and accompanying sweet treat. Journal has generous, communal tables so you can sit by yourself but still feel part of the scene. Last time I came here, one middle-aged woman was streaming tears while discussing relationship problems with her middle-aged, consoling female mate. Another woman, strikingly beautiful and smartly dressed, passionately voiced frustration regarding her current job to a sympathetic colleague. She just wasn't feeling a creative drive. I ate my fresh, fruity muesli and eavesdropped. I tried not to stare. This time, I was one of several people alone, scattered around the table, reading newspapers and sipping coffee. The butter melted into my fruit toast with burnt edges and I went over my reading list. If I'm lucky there will be one book I want checked in, and a Mythbusters DVD we haven't seen yet. The Mythbusters show has become a weekly favorite since we've moved here. I walked back to the library and upstairs to the fiction, wondering how long the winter fog would last. Of course I broke my vow and came home with four books and two DVD's in the end. What a perfect morning. (The fog finally cleared off in the afternoon but eerily returned that evening).

Shipwreck Museum & Maritime Village

We tried to see whales in Warrnambool but didn't spot any; it is early in the whale season and we didn't have our binoculars. The biggest tourist attraction in Warrnambool, besides whales, is Flagstaff Hill, a replica of an early Australian coastal port- complete with lighthouse, cannons, a bank, nautical supply shop, cute ducks, boats, and more. I am happy to report there were no mannequins, which the usual "replica towns of days past" seem to always have. Somehow in my adulthood I've developed a fear of being alone with them in intimate spaces. I think it began with the almost life-size dummy in the bathroom at Rimsky-Korsacoffee house in Portland. I don't go there anymore because I am honestly afraid to use the bathroom (and I hear I'm not the only one!) Anyway...the museum offers a detailed look at the many shipwrecks that have occured in this area of Australia, including an 1878 Loch Ard wreck which only two teenagers and a huge earthenware peacock statue heading to Melbourne for the Great International Exhibition survived. Although we weren't there at the right time to see the "spectacular sound and laser show" at night, I admit I had fun taking sheep photos and exploring the little village, despite being a bit grouchy about it (sorry, mate). And, as you can see, I even got into the spirit of things on a refurbished ship named the Rowitta.

1000 Degree Fire

Sometimes the best experiences traveling are the ones you don't plan. Signs or people or landscapes just beckon to you and somehow, you take a moment to listen. This was my experience visiting the Saltmarsh studio/cafe and gallery near the Merri River in Warrnambool. We had gone to Thunder Point lookout to view the waves and passed this little place coming back. Maybe it was the flash of colorful glass in the window, or the OPEN sign, or just a fleeting wish to warm up for a few moments. We shyly entered, and were the only ones there besides the smiling barista behind her counter stacked with baked goods. I ordered a flat white and we sank down into a fluffy cushioned sofa seat in the middle of the room.

We were surrounded by a wall of shiny, vivid glass artpieces made by the owner, Glenistair Hancock. After the coffee was served, he came over to chat, asking where we were from and noting that there is a special kind of glass in Portland, Oregon and that there was lots of great glass art there (who knew?). As we continued talking, he stopped sweeping the floor and came over and sat with us, discussing the best places to see in Melbourne. He was very friendly, very genuine and clearly loved meeting people. The building is made of mostly recycled materials and built by him and his wife, Tina. We didn't get a glass -blowing demonstration, but his pieces are created right there in a 1000 degree furnace in the studio part of the building. I got up and admired the handmade vases, bowls, figures, and jewelry and regreted I didn't have an extra $160 to spare on glass art. I always admired my grandma's collection of glass art paperweights, and the famous Tiffany glass windows, vases and lamps. Soon, the cafe was full of locals and we were ready to move on. It was a wonderful start to our final day on the coast.

Koala Sightings

I've liked koalas ever since my uncle brought me a stuffed animal koala bear with its arms wrapped around a baby koala in the hospital when I broke my leg in kindergarten. It got alot of love over the years. Our favorite part of the weekend away was our visit to the Tower Hill State Game Reserve, a restored wetlands with indigenous plants and wildlife such as koalas, emus, falcons, and grey kangaroos. Tower Hill was created after a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. Settlers ruined much of the natural habitat, but a very detailed 1855 painting of Tower Hill was used to identify original plant species, and even location of habitats. Driving along the Great Ocean Road, I had already spotted several koalas in eucalyptus trees but we were flying by with no stopping place. At the reserve, we enjoyed walking two different paths, and it was a short time before I noticed my first koala, sleeping high above us on a branch! It was quite a thrill. Later on, when we sat down on a log for a snack, we looked up and there was a koala only 25 ft. away, balancing on a branch fairly low to the ground, munching on leaves! We sat for a good half hour (all of us chewing our food) just mesmerized by this unique experience to watch a koala in action. Koalas are such an essential part of Australia, yet their habitats have often been destroyed by housing development. You can be a foster parent to your very own koala here, or just listen to them grunt. In the third photo from the bottom, you may be able to see the emus near the water. We didn't see any kangaroos (except while driving we saw a quick glimpse at the back of one), but the koalas made our day! Other koala related news- one of Mark's coworkers says that a koala lives in his parent's backyard outside the city. And there is a gorgeous photo of Bindi Irwin and family in today's paper holding a koala while at the Australia Zoo in Queensland with the Dalai Lama. She's often popping up in the news around here, usually in khaki with an animal in her arms.

Good Morning, Port Fairy

Can you spot the coffee junkie here? I couldn't resist getting my fix at Rebecca's Cafe in small town Port Fairy, population 2600, located just west of Warrnambool. Sadly, I'd already eaten brekkie so didn't get a taste of those tempting looking treats in the case. This coastal town was settled in 1835 and it's one of the earliest settlements in Victoria. What the guidebook claimed was true- we were "immediately at peace in hospitable Port Fairy", and found ourselves walking around Griffiths Island, on the beach towards a very inviting looking 1859 bluestone lighthouse, still in operation with an automated light. I really enjoy looking at traces of sea life washed up onto the beach- in the beach photo above, I'm holding one of the many seashells we saw scattered in the sand and along the shoreline. If you look closely in the first and third photos from the top, you'll see a heron we came across on our walk.

Twelve Apostles

After a delicious lunch of a fresh salmon sandwich and sparkling wine at Cafe One 5 Three in Apollo Bay, we continued driving west and just past Princetown, stopped to see the famous "Twelve Apostles", a group of stunning natural rock formations close to the shoreline. It is a very heavily promoted sight around here, and the name was even changed in the 1950's to attract more people (It was formerly known as 'Sow and Piglets'). Interestingly, there are only seven rock formations now, and no one knows if there were twelve originally, or (as my guidebook suggests) "the formation was named by a drunk with double vision". A few formations have collapsed over time as their bases eroded. The lookout spots were crawling with people- Mark commented that "it's like the United Nations out here" because there were so many different nationalities and languages surrounding us as we all tried to get our postcard perfect photo. Trying to just enjoy the scenery was almost impossible as everywhere we turned we were in the way of a camera lens. The cool thing to do is take a guided helicopter ride-only $80/person for 8 minutes (we passed). It was beautiful, but not a place to calmly reflect on the beauty of nature with photographers organizing informal family photos, cameras clicking, and helicopters and planes flying overhead. On the short walk back to our car, I was pleasantly surprised to see a vivid rainbow in the sky over a lush, open field. In fact, we continued to see rainbows each day of the trip. Along with the grazing livestock, windmills, wooden fences, open fields and trees, I couldn't help being reminded of Kansas.

Bell's Beach

In honor of Queen's Birthday, our 3-day weekend (affectionately referred to here by Aussies as "long weekend") was spent exploring the coastline west of Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road is essentially a war memorial connecting coastal towns in southwest Victoria; it was started by soldiers returning from WWI and was completed in 1932. Our plan was to drive from Melbourne to Warrnambool, where we'd booked a motel for two nights. We got our rental car early Saturday and hit the road, first stopping at Bell's Beach, a well-known surfing spot between Torquay and Anglesea. It hosts an international Ripcurl Pro surfing contest every Easter. There were a few surfers out in the waves, but it was probably colder than they'd like. I imagine it's a much busier place here in spring/summer season. The final scene in the film "Point Break" is supposed to happen here, but it was actually filmed at Cannon Beach in Oregon, one of my favorite spots to relax on the Oregon coast.