So I'm sitting at the family beach house in Wye River, on the Great Ocean Road, Southwest of Melbourne, and Megan's brother and niece are sitting on the porch, surrounded by king parrots, kookaburas, and cockatoos. It's a freaking tropical zoo, they swarm to get birdseed (Raw meat for the Kookaburas), which is amply provided for them by Megan's stepmother. They crash into the glass to get our attention. They sit on the porch railing waiting for feeding time. It is wild. We in North America think of all of these birds as tropical, and here they are, just hanging out by the beach...
And what a beach it is. Obviously, the entire southern coast of Australia is beachfront (and cliffs above the ocean too), and there is this huge stretch of coastal road built after the Great Depression used to get people to the coast, and out surfing (among other things). This road is called the Great Ocean Road, and it is simply one of the most stunning drives in the world. Imagine winding curves through Eucalyptus tree forests, where sheer cliff dropoffs are all over the landscape, creating a winding coastline where you can see for miles. I can't do it justice, pictures can't do it justice, it's one of those things you really just need to see. While we were driving, it rained, so for part of the drive we had a rainbow in the ocean. I don't think I've ever seen an entire rainbow before... Beginning and ending in the sea.
Before we came out here, I spent some time in the Queen Victoria Market... one of the largest markets in the southern hemisphere. And what a market it is. 5 aisles of farm produce (an aisle being an entire city block, at least), an entire organic section, a food court, a meat/fish section the size of a mall, a deli section with meats/cheese/farmmade butter/bakeries/etc.. And that's just the food. There's a million silly trinket stalls taking up an area as big as the rest of the market...
I was walking through the deli, finding things for lunch, and decided I wanted some Smoked Tasmanian Salmon. I walk up to a stall, ask for some, and inquire as to the quality. "It's pretty good," the saleslady says.
"No No No. I don't want pretty good. What's better?"
"Um, we have some Awesome stuff..."
"Yes! I want Awesome stuff!"
So she goes into the back (of a tiny stall), gets an unmarked package, and gives me a taste. "Smoked ocean trout" It was awesome. Light, slightly briny, tasting like the ocean...
Some of that, some Aussie triple cream brie, and a baguette make lunch. Walked around the city, fell in love with it some more. Sat for a while at the Federation Bells, a bunch of differently toned bells that play for 3 hours a day (non-consecutive), and which you can submit musical creations online... very cool!
So, down to the pub now, and then I'm cooking dinner for 15 people tonight. You know me...
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
October showers...
Spring is definitely in full swing down here...
You know how people always say that they live in a place where you can never tell what the weather is going to be, and that it changes from minute to minute? Melbourne trumps all of those places, at least in the past few days that I've seen. It is a nice temperature in the morning, calm with clear skies, and then all of a sudden it's really windy. And then it clears up and gets hot. And then clouds appear out of nowhere and create a downpour. Maybe we should give up on the prediction of the weather, because it seems to be a fruitless endeavor.
Anyways, I'm definitely getting settled into Melbourne life, and the time zone. I went to an engagement party with Megan on the day I got in, after taking a quick nap for a few hours, and was immediately assaulted by English spoken as a foreign language. You can kind of tune out foreign language, especially if it is one that you don't understand at all. With Australia, everyone speaks English, so you're constantly listening, but not totally hearing everything that is said. This problem is compounded at a party, with loud music, and lots of people. Thankfully, everyone I met was very gracious with this, and one of Megan's friends even tried to help me translate, since just getting back from America herself, she was "fluent in Australian and American."
On Sunday, I went on a walk around the Yarra River (which runs right by the house), seeing the "falls" (glorified dam, not very big, but enough to create rapids which kids were kayaking down), and a converted convent which housed a bakery and a rotating modern art exhibit. It was a gorgeous day for a stroll (well, the morning, at least), and framed by a river that might have the Potomac beat in amount of sediment (Yarra is apparently an indigenous word which means upside-down, thus: the upside-down river), it was a nice way to stretch my legs after sitting in a flying tin can for 2 days.
We then joined Megan's sister and her sister-in-law for a jaunt into the city, to a craft show that was going on at the Royal Exhibition Center. The show was typical, and had some really nice quilts/crafts/artsy stuff, the building it was in is absolutely stunning. It's a UNESCO Heritage Site, built in the early 1900s, and it's Victorian to the hilt. Intricate painted walls/ceilings, huge arched headspaces.... Just an amazing building, and kept in amazing condition (I'm sure it has been retouched, but still...).
A chill evening followed, pastries at an Italian bistro, I made dinner for the family, and some relaxing to try and evade the jet lag.
Monday was a wandering day, where we took the tram into the city and meandered around Melbourne for a while. Melbourne is a great city, in layout and in feel. The Central Business District (CBD) is a grid, where there aren't many skyscrapers, so it has a very personal feel to it. Around the outskirts, there are tons of parks, art galleries, gardens, and other sights which create a constant vibrancy in the city's momentum. The architecture is a combination of old school Victorian and very modern creations, creating a really sleek but accessible feel throughout the city. For example, Federation Square is right to the South of the CBD, where the Melbourne Visitor Center is (Hardcore tourist center), and the Australian Center for the Moving Image (ACMI - Film museum), among other things. But the buildings are so modern (think NYC Apple store for the tourist center, and modern patchwork quilt for ACMI), and the open space in between so well planned out, it feels like a great place to sit and peoplewatch, which is exactly what goes on, it seems. Megan says there is tons of stuff going on there in the summer, so I anticipate that being a place I go to a lot.
ACMI was very cool, but the museum was too new, and things weren't exactly working 100%. We went to the Old Melbourne Gaol (Jail), where a lame "scary get locked in a cell" tour led to a kinda creepy, but pretty middle-ages style Jail, where apparently you can have a wedding ceremony/reception (Megan went to a wedding there.. As long as the sweetheart table isn't under the gallows, I guess it's ok...). We walked a lot through the alleys and arcades that go between the main streets, which struck me as really cool; the kind of place that you can get lost in and find all sorts of cool stuff off the beaten path. After getting tons of reading material for things to do in and around Melbourne (3 months is seeming shorter and shorter...), we headed back to the house just as it started to pour, and relaxed a bit before going to Megan's basketball game, where I got to push the buttons to put score on the board! Yay!
And yes, today is my Birthday (in Australia, at least), but it's really cold and windy outside, and I have a party with 12 people at a Greek Restaurant (and wherever else you drink around here) tonight, so Megan is out renting a whole lot of iconic Aussie movies, and getting some sort of green tea milkshake which supposedly is amazing... Also, I've learned from last time that you can't spend every day going balls to the wall, because you'll get worn out. 3 months is much longer than one month, and not enjoying the trip is terrible, even if it was jam-packed with things that have been seen/done...
You know how people always say that they live in a place where you can never tell what the weather is going to be, and that it changes from minute to minute? Melbourne trumps all of those places, at least in the past few days that I've seen. It is a nice temperature in the morning, calm with clear skies, and then all of a sudden it's really windy. And then it clears up and gets hot. And then clouds appear out of nowhere and create a downpour. Maybe we should give up on the prediction of the weather, because it seems to be a fruitless endeavor.
Anyways, I'm definitely getting settled into Melbourne life, and the time zone. I went to an engagement party with Megan on the day I got in, after taking a quick nap for a few hours, and was immediately assaulted by English spoken as a foreign language. You can kind of tune out foreign language, especially if it is one that you don't understand at all. With Australia, everyone speaks English, so you're constantly listening, but not totally hearing everything that is said. This problem is compounded at a party, with loud music, and lots of people. Thankfully, everyone I met was very gracious with this, and one of Megan's friends even tried to help me translate, since just getting back from America herself, she was "fluent in Australian and American."
On Sunday, I went on a walk around the Yarra River (which runs right by the house), seeing the "falls" (glorified dam, not very big, but enough to create rapids which kids were kayaking down), and a converted convent which housed a bakery and a rotating modern art exhibit. It was a gorgeous day for a stroll (well, the morning, at least), and framed by a river that might have the Potomac beat in amount of sediment (Yarra is apparently an indigenous word which means upside-down, thus: the upside-down river), it was a nice way to stretch my legs after sitting in a flying tin can for 2 days.
We then joined Megan's sister and her sister-in-law for a jaunt into the city, to a craft show that was going on at the Royal Exhibition Center. The show was typical, and had some really nice quilts/crafts/artsy stuff, the building it was in is absolutely stunning. It's a UNESCO Heritage Site, built in the early 1900s, and it's Victorian to the hilt. Intricate painted walls/ceilings, huge arched headspaces.... Just an amazing building, and kept in amazing condition (I'm sure it has been retouched, but still...).
A chill evening followed, pastries at an Italian bistro, I made dinner for the family, and some relaxing to try and evade the jet lag.
Monday was a wandering day, where we took the tram into the city and meandered around Melbourne for a while. Melbourne is a great city, in layout and in feel. The Central Business District (CBD) is a grid, where there aren't many skyscrapers, so it has a very personal feel to it. Around the outskirts, there are tons of parks, art galleries, gardens, and other sights which create a constant vibrancy in the city's momentum. The architecture is a combination of old school Victorian and very modern creations, creating a really sleek but accessible feel throughout the city. For example, Federation Square is right to the South of the CBD, where the Melbourne Visitor Center is (Hardcore tourist center), and the Australian Center for the Moving Image (ACMI - Film museum), among other things. But the buildings are so modern (think NYC Apple store for the tourist center, and modern patchwork quilt for ACMI), and the open space in between so well planned out, it feels like a great place to sit and peoplewatch, which is exactly what goes on, it seems. Megan says there is tons of stuff going on there in the summer, so I anticipate that being a place I go to a lot.
ACMI was very cool, but the museum was too new, and things weren't exactly working 100%. We went to the Old Melbourne Gaol (Jail), where a lame "scary get locked in a cell" tour led to a kinda creepy, but pretty middle-ages style Jail, where apparently you can have a wedding ceremony/reception (Megan went to a wedding there.. As long as the sweetheart table isn't under the gallows, I guess it's ok...). We walked a lot through the alleys and arcades that go between the main streets, which struck me as really cool; the kind of place that you can get lost in and find all sorts of cool stuff off the beaten path. After getting tons of reading material for things to do in and around Melbourne (3 months is seeming shorter and shorter...), we headed back to the house just as it started to pour, and relaxed a bit before going to Megan's basketball game, where I got to push the buttons to put score on the board! Yay!
And yes, today is my Birthday (in Australia, at least), but it's really cold and windy outside, and I have a party with 12 people at a Greek Restaurant (and wherever else you drink around here) tonight, so Megan is out renting a whole lot of iconic Aussie movies, and getting some sort of green tea milkshake which supposedly is amazing... Also, I've learned from last time that you can't spend every day going balls to the wall, because you'll get worn out. 3 months is much longer than one month, and not enjoying the trip is terrible, even if it was jam-packed with things that have been seen/done...
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Around the world in 60 hours, or why you should never fly Delta.
So, here it is, October 11th, and I got to Melbourne yesterday. But wait, you say, weren't you supposed to be there on Friday?
I got to Dulles Airport, and right after I went through security, the first leg of my flight to Detroit was on time. Right after I got off, not 10 minutes later, it was delayed an hour. So I tried to figure out my options. First, I asked for a flight on Virgin Atlantic, flying straight to LA, which I thought I had a chance of getting because I fixed their dot matrix printer (they still use those?). No dice, but had I already had a flight, I would have gotten free drinks. Oh well. After chatting with two Delta agents, I was left with the idea that I should stick with the flight, I'll still have 15 minutes to transfer in Detroit, and the airport wasn't that big...
So, biting my nails, I fly to detroit, and haul across the airport. I was running, and passing all the other people trying to transfer as well... Which felt great, because I can definitely run faster than most buisnessmen in suits. I get to the gate for my Detroit --> LAX flight, and there's a huge line. I was relieved, because now it was smooth sailiing. I would make all my flights, and I can sit back and focus on trying to sleep on the airplane. I strap in, try my best to ignore the RIDICULOUSLY chatty Korean woman talking the ear off the elderly man sitting next to me.. We taxi to the runway, and the captain comes over the loudspeaker: "We have an instrument gauge message here, 'insufficent fuel for trip,' and we're going to have to go back to the gate for this one..." Ugh.
Everyone worried about connections was let off the plane to chat with a gate agent (everyone else had to wait on the plane... security measures...) Out of the 10 of us sitting out there, 9 of us are going to Australia, and 6 of us were trying to get the same Delta flight in LA.
Now, I will make it clear here... Delta is in the process of merging with Northwest, and they are all running on the same name/uniforms/etc.. However, the airlines are still distinct. Northwest people can't use Delta machines (and vice versa), Delta service people can't help us with problems with a Northwest plane, yet in the spirit of corporate ideals, all trace of differences in signage for the benefit of the customer is gone, so you have no idea which line is the one that can help you...All for total immersion of Northwest into Delta. God Bless America.
So, my first two flights were Northwest, and going to Australia I was on Delta. The service desk in Detroit told us we would probably have to stay overnight in LA, but they would try and hold the plane in LA, because there were multiple people who would be stranded. An announcement would be made on the plane later. This is the shortened version. We were standing at the desk for about 1.5 hours, trying to figure out what was going on, and how to fix it. The plane, however, was all sorts of not fixed, and we left 3 hours (!) later than scheduled. So, we landed in LA at 12:30AM, when the Sydney flight left at 10:30 PM. Needless to say, the flight wasn't held.
But they didn't tell us that. No announcement was made on the plane. When we got off, nobody at the gate would help us, instead sending us outside of security to talk with the ticket counter people. When we passed outside of security, it was closed, so there was no way we were getting back in. We were never told that the flight wasn't held. A poor woman, who hated her job and her new bosses, stayed later than she was supposed to, with her mother in the hospital, so that she could help us get on new flights/situated with the hotel. She was a Northwest employee. The Delta employee stayed for 10 minutes, helped 2 of the 6 of us, and disappeared without saying a word. We were told that we were all booked on other flights the next day, but when two girls tried to confirm that by having the Northwest woman look up the info, it was found that they were not checked in on any flights. Those not flying Delta to Australia were up a creek, as "it was only Delta's responsibility to get the passenger to the terminal of the Delta ticket," they wouldn't help anyone with further flights get situated with the other airline. They made me call my Australian airline connection to figure out my Sydney --> Melbourne flight. Others taking different airlines into Australia were furious. No responsibility was taken on the part of Delta employees. No effort was made at all to help us with any of our problems. We stood at the desk for 2 hours, then were told that if we wanted to work with Delta on this, we had to come back when they opened, around 4:30AM.
So three of us did. I situated myself with two girls, one from Melbourne (convienent!), and one from Michigan, and we took the strength in numbers approach. We checked into the hotel and then headed back to the airport, where we spoke to 3 different representatives, getting three different results. My flight was rescheduled on Air New Zealand through Auckland, and that could not be changed, until we talked to the supervisor, who put me on the Delta flight that went to Sydney (same as my old one, just a day later). We were in the airport until 7AM, and we weren't the only ones having problems. It was almost as if there would be riots at the counter, with the way some people were yelling and causing a scene. The Delta/Northwest counters were understaffed, and the lack of acutal service when people were being "helped" caused such distress... I've never seen anything like it, and I will never fly Delta again.
Virgin Blue (my Australian transfer) was very accommodating, having no problem changing my flight as long as I had a document proving the delay in Delta's flight. What a difference when I got to Australia. People were nice, responsibility was taken, and people knew how to create customer rapport.
Anyways, back to LA. The eventual flight to Sydney was overbooked by Delta by 16 people! 16 people had tickets but no seats. It was the most amazing display of incompetence I have ever seen in an airport...
The day wasn't a waste though. After trying to sleep in the hotel, my body not knowing what time zone/sleep cycle to be on, myself and the two girls walked around Santa Monica and Venice, and met Chris/Katie for dinner. Much thanks to them for driving us back/picking up luggage/seeing us off at the airport, even while sick... I finally made it out to the west coast! (oh, and Scott, don't worry, I'm sure you were busy, and I just saw you that weekend...Loser)
There were points in the trip that I honestly had given up, and just wanted to fly back to MD and not even deal with ineptitude and planes anymore, but I'm glad I persevered. Australia is a land of wonderful people so far, even if I haven't gotten enough sleep to be able to appreciate it yet. It's been a day and a half, I'll update more in another post, but Megan is sleeping (more jet lag than me somehow!), and someone has to make dinner!
We'll see how often I update... I will try, but I'm not promising any sort of frequency. The days are really planned out, and my amazing tour guide has everything worked out... I'm meeting people, and the majority of them are like "Ah! So you're Sean..." And, I'm going out on my birthday with 12 people whom I don't know, but will quickly become my friends, I'm sure...
I got to Dulles Airport, and right after I went through security, the first leg of my flight to Detroit was on time. Right after I got off, not 10 minutes later, it was delayed an hour. So I tried to figure out my options. First, I asked for a flight on Virgin Atlantic, flying straight to LA, which I thought I had a chance of getting because I fixed their dot matrix printer (they still use those?). No dice, but had I already had a flight, I would have gotten free drinks. Oh well. After chatting with two Delta agents, I was left with the idea that I should stick with the flight, I'll still have 15 minutes to transfer in Detroit, and the airport wasn't that big...
So, biting my nails, I fly to detroit, and haul across the airport. I was running, and passing all the other people trying to transfer as well... Which felt great, because I can definitely run faster than most buisnessmen in suits. I get to the gate for my Detroit --> LAX flight, and there's a huge line. I was relieved, because now it was smooth sailiing. I would make all my flights, and I can sit back and focus on trying to sleep on the airplane. I strap in, try my best to ignore the RIDICULOUSLY chatty Korean woman talking the ear off the elderly man sitting next to me.. We taxi to the runway, and the captain comes over the loudspeaker: "We have an instrument gauge message here, 'insufficent fuel for trip,' and we're going to have to go back to the gate for this one..." Ugh.
Everyone worried about connections was let off the plane to chat with a gate agent (everyone else had to wait on the plane... security measures...) Out of the 10 of us sitting out there, 9 of us are going to Australia, and 6 of us were trying to get the same Delta flight in LA.
Now, I will make it clear here... Delta is in the process of merging with Northwest, and they are all running on the same name/uniforms/etc.. However, the airlines are still distinct. Northwest people can't use Delta machines (and vice versa), Delta service people can't help us with problems with a Northwest plane, yet in the spirit of corporate ideals, all trace of differences in signage for the benefit of the customer is gone, so you have no idea which line is the one that can help you...All for total immersion of Northwest into Delta. God Bless America.
So, my first two flights were Northwest, and going to Australia I was on Delta. The service desk in Detroit told us we would probably have to stay overnight in LA, but they would try and hold the plane in LA, because there were multiple people who would be stranded. An announcement would be made on the plane later. This is the shortened version. We were standing at the desk for about 1.5 hours, trying to figure out what was going on, and how to fix it. The plane, however, was all sorts of not fixed, and we left 3 hours (!) later than scheduled. So, we landed in LA at 12:30AM, when the Sydney flight left at 10:30 PM. Needless to say, the flight wasn't held.
But they didn't tell us that. No announcement was made on the plane. When we got off, nobody at the gate would help us, instead sending us outside of security to talk with the ticket counter people. When we passed outside of security, it was closed, so there was no way we were getting back in. We were never told that the flight wasn't held. A poor woman, who hated her job and her new bosses, stayed later than she was supposed to, with her mother in the hospital, so that she could help us get on new flights/situated with the hotel. She was a Northwest employee. The Delta employee stayed for 10 minutes, helped 2 of the 6 of us, and disappeared without saying a word. We were told that we were all booked on other flights the next day, but when two girls tried to confirm that by having the Northwest woman look up the info, it was found that they were not checked in on any flights. Those not flying Delta to Australia were up a creek, as "it was only Delta's responsibility to get the passenger to the terminal of the Delta ticket," they wouldn't help anyone with further flights get situated with the other airline. They made me call my Australian airline connection to figure out my Sydney --> Melbourne flight. Others taking different airlines into Australia were furious. No responsibility was taken on the part of Delta employees. No effort was made at all to help us with any of our problems. We stood at the desk for 2 hours, then were told that if we wanted to work with Delta on this, we had to come back when they opened, around 4:30AM.
So three of us did. I situated myself with two girls, one from Melbourne (convienent!), and one from Michigan, and we took the strength in numbers approach. We checked into the hotel and then headed back to the airport, where we spoke to 3 different representatives, getting three different results. My flight was rescheduled on Air New Zealand through Auckland, and that could not be changed, until we talked to the supervisor, who put me on the Delta flight that went to Sydney (same as my old one, just a day later). We were in the airport until 7AM, and we weren't the only ones having problems. It was almost as if there would be riots at the counter, with the way some people were yelling and causing a scene. The Delta/Northwest counters were understaffed, and the lack of acutal service when people were being "helped" caused such distress... I've never seen anything like it, and I will never fly Delta again.
Virgin Blue (my Australian transfer) was very accommodating, having no problem changing my flight as long as I had a document proving the delay in Delta's flight. What a difference when I got to Australia. People were nice, responsibility was taken, and people knew how to create customer rapport.
Anyways, back to LA. The eventual flight to Sydney was overbooked by Delta by 16 people! 16 people had tickets but no seats. It was the most amazing display of incompetence I have ever seen in an airport...
The day wasn't a waste though. After trying to sleep in the hotel, my body not knowing what time zone/sleep cycle to be on, myself and the two girls walked around Santa Monica and Venice, and met Chris/Katie for dinner. Much thanks to them for driving us back/picking up luggage/seeing us off at the airport, even while sick... I finally made it out to the west coast! (oh, and Scott, don't worry, I'm sure you were busy, and I just saw you that weekend...Loser)
There were points in the trip that I honestly had given up, and just wanted to fly back to MD and not even deal with ineptitude and planes anymore, but I'm glad I persevered. Australia is a land of wonderful people so far, even if I haven't gotten enough sleep to be able to appreciate it yet. It's been a day and a half, I'll update more in another post, but Megan is sleeping (more jet lag than me somehow!), and someone has to make dinner!
We'll see how often I update... I will try, but I'm not promising any sort of frequency. The days are really planned out, and my amazing tour guide has everything worked out... I'm meeting people, and the majority of them are like "Ah! So you're Sean..." And, I'm going out on my birthday with 12 people whom I don't know, but will quickly become my friends, I'm sure...
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