Amber Guttersen
AUSTRALIA
Exploring the City
I have been here for only a week and I have already done a lot of exploring. I actually had to take a 'rest day' so that the blisters on my feet could heal. I have seem some interesting things in the short time I have been here and have been having lots of fun. The prices here are still shocking me. I spent $13 on a plate of food, that didn't even include a drink!
Transportation here is in the forms of walking, biking (they have bike stands all over the place to rent bikes), taxis, trains, and trams (like the ones in California). I mostly walk everywhere, but I did venture out and try using the tram. I ended up getting on the wrong one. Once I got onto the right one, I ended up going in the wrong direction that I wanted to go. I had to get off and wait for one to come to go the other direction. Haha!
The City and its Many Wonders
I found this little ice cream shop while walking around and it is absolutely amazing! I had one scoop of Tiramisu and one scoop of Nutella...Yum! There are tons of restaurants, I will never go hungry for sure.
The city has all kinds of things going on along the streets. I had a few videos but they don't want to upload at the moment. Here is a picture of a guy that paints on records...
There are also a bunch of side streets that are full of grafitti. Some of it is plain nonsense, but some of it is really good. See...
Their buildings are very different. Some look old and are made of stone and then right next to it may be a very modern building with lots of colors or glass. It is very strange to see. Mentioning color, many of the building are full of color.
And this one has 'goo' on top. This is actually the Info Building for RMIT. :)
I also took a bus tour around the city where you can hop on and off at 13 different locations (I haven't finished it completely, so more pictures to come). I got off at the docklands which has a shopping center, a bunch of boats in the harbor, and a lot of very strange statues...I made a new friend...
Markets, Markets Everywhere
There are markets all over the city. Some sell fresh and organic fruit, veggies, and meat. Some sell clothes, souveniers, and other merchandise. Some sell handmade art.
The Queen Victoria Market sells all of that! And for cheap...usually. I have been going there to get my groceries and I have even been cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. :)
Here are some pictures of what I have found at the Queen Victoria Market...
A little aroma therapy and palm reading anyone?
I found the cutest cake that reminded me Broadway back home :)
And aren't these the cutest little backpacks!?
There is also a small market called the Esplanade Market. This market is of handmade arts. They have some of the most amazing and intricate artworks from paintings, wood carvings, and jewelry. I was not allowed to take pictures of the arts though.
I had to take the tram to get there and this is of course my one attempt to ride the trams :) But it was all better when I realized that I was also on the beach!
I got a chance to take a lovely walk along the beach. It is still too cold to go swimming in the water, but guess what. Some crazy person was out there swimming...all alone...in the freezing cold water. Can't wait till the water warms up some!
Day at the Aquarium!
Look at that big guy! He could eat me four times over, and pretty soon I will be scuba diving with him out in the great ocean blue!
I got off of that bus tour at the aquarium as well. I think in a different life I was supposed to be a mermaid or something. I absolutely love the water and fish. What better place to be around all of that than at the aquarium...other than acutally being in the water of course. :)
I created an obsession with one of the inhabitants at the aquarium. I took a bazillion of photos of this fella and he actually came up to glass to check me out...I named him Albert.
I also got to see my best friends, the Sharks, and their relatives, the Rays. :)
I even learned a thing or two.
Did you know that when Sea Horses reproduce, the mommy gives the eggs to the dad and he holds them in a special brood pouch? For Sea Dragons, the dad holds the eggs under his tale. GO DAD!
And these fish, the Threadfin Trevally, are super mimics. Their fins are long and stringy just like a jellyfish's tentacles. They use their fins to trick other fish into thinking that they are poisonous jellyfish even though they don't have any venom.
