City of cafes

Firstly, I'm getting married!!! Woohoo! So so happy, it's hard to take the smile off my face. I keep looking down at my left hand and think 'wow'! For those of you who don't know my lovely Tim, I'll give you the background. I moved into a house in Chelmer two and a half years ago and Tim was my housemate, and about 4 months later we were dating. He was my best mate in the house and my favourite person in the whole world, so it was very easy to fall in love with him.

We've just moved down to Melbourne and Tim's started a post-doc job at a university near by. I've been on holidays for ages and today I finally felt that it had been too long! So, onto seek.com.au and bigger and better things.

Absolutely loving it down here. So different to every other city I've visited in Oz. Loving the little lanes filled with cafes you find as you amble around in the city. We went to the Queen Victoria Markets on Saturday and bought lots of veges and mince for a big spag bol, and afterwards found ourselves in Hardware Lane and sitting down at a little French cafe eating crepes in the warm sun. Perfect day!

I've read about 30 books since we've moved down here. Very easy to do when you're unemployed and not unpacking. I'm near the end of 'Crime & Punishment' and it's a very interesting book. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read it when it was first published in 1866 though. Some of the conversations and rants are hard to follow and a lot of the characters seem to be a little mad. Mum gave me a few books to read and I've devoured them this week. 'March' by Geraldine Brooks (very good), 'Mercy Among the Children' by David Adams Richards (excellent but extremely depressing) and 'The Good Parents' by Joan London (I liked it).

I promised my beloved that I would clean my half of the office today (as I have sincerely promised everyday this week), and instead have been reading C&P, playing on the computer and generally procrastinating. But no more! I must be off!

Green Things

Friday night, just as I was leaving work, the hot water pipe decided to spring a leak. A serious enough leak to involve the talents of a plumber. I was asked by a higher being to stay back and wait for the plumber. Lord knows what I role I was to play apart from showing him where the leak was, letting him fix it, and then saying goodbye. However, until I am also considered a higher being, I am merely a pawn. The problem fixed, I left work feeling a little concerned. That was the 3rd time in 6 months that it's happened, albeit in different areas of the pipe. I was told by the plumber that it was extremely necessary to get an overhaul - replace the whole pipe instead of patching it up. It's kinda tricky though. We're undergoing renovations at the moment, and in a few months the hot water cylinders will be in a different area, and new. What to do!

K was working last night and she calls me up in a panic. A guy who she'd just checked in and who had already gone down to his room was really angry because he thought when his wife phoned, she'd paid using her credit card. He said, 'The receptionist told her she was going to charge her card'. For all you backpackers out there, we NEVER do that! Only if they don't show up and haven't cancelled, or have called within the non-refundable cancellation period do we charge the card. So, after she asks him for $55, he yells that she's stealing his last $55, his only cash as he's just come out of prison after doing 18 years for murder.....

This weekend has been the best since I moved out. Last night we had a lovely dinner and only one of the housemates, M, was missing. We drank 3 bottles of wine. L and I (it's great having her back!) danced to anything and everything outside on the verandah. And when you thought it couldn't get any better, we all walked up the road and got ice-cream and coffee! It was just perfect! T, an absolute champion, woke up early this morning and bought bacon, eggs, tomatoes and stuff, and proceeded to cook this massive breakfast for us all! T, L and I then washed T's car which turned into a huge water fight! Just brilliant! I love it there!

An obsession of mine has come to light. Green. I've discovered that everytime I buy something new (apart from my sexy red coat), it's green. Do we all go through these stages of colour?

The silly season

Is winter the silly season in Brisbane? 'Cause at the dear old hostel, it certainly seems to be. There are absolute nutters everywhere! There's not been as many problems in the last 6 months as there have been in the last week. A guy caught perving on the girls in the women's showers after he locked himself in an 'out of order' cubicle....he didn't even leave after the girls started screaming! He was still in there when I went in and had a conversation with him that went a bit like....
Me: What the fuck are you doing in here?
Him: Nothing
Me: Do you know what fucking bathroom you're in?
Him: Uh...no?
Me: Stay there. (And subsequently running upstairs to call the police, asking the women that were still in the bathroom to keep him in the cubicle if possible...he escaped!)

Two older guests demaning to be reimbursed for a night they hadn't paid for because there was no reservation for them. When we were very firm with them about not giving them any money back, they tried to ask for petrol money that they wasted by driving up to us instead of to the hostel where they finally did find a bed. The hostel that they did stay at was less than 50 metres down the road.

The whole hostel was evacuated because of a fire alarm (we DID NOT tell guests it was a drill). All staff were practising the evacuation procedure (knocking on doors, asking people to leave as it was an emergency etc...). Two guests, after having walked past the front entrance where roughly 60 guests were standing, walked through the carpark and into the second building where the 'fire' was supposed to have been. Freaks! It was so loud too. I just don't understand some people!

For all you text lovers, I've a question. Ever sent a text that you were debating about, 'cause you knew the answer you got could either be really good or really bad, then as soon as you sent it, knew you shouldn't have? And then the feeling just gets worse and worse 'cause you were doing that instantaneous texting and then suddenly you're waiting like 20 minutes for the reply? And in that 20 minutes you keep hitting yourself? Or is that just me?

Home sweet home

It was lovely coming back to Tokyo. H picked me up from the airport in a hire car, and we didn't get to bed 'till 5am. Spent all night talking, showing him stuff I bought along the way, and watching 'Roman Holiday' saying 'I've been there, I've been there'. A lot of fun!! We went up to Hokkaido for three days, and it was so beautiful. Would love to live up there. Farms everywhere and the most stunning scenery - just amazing. Tonight, am meeting friends in Shimokitazawa to catch up and show photos...picking them up very soon, can't wait! Have booked my ticket home, leaving Tokyo on the 15th and arriving in Brisbane early on the 16th. Not sure how I feel about coming home. My best girlfriends are all somewhere other than Brisbane and I think it's going to be hard to go back. It's definitely going to be hard to leave here.

Packing

It's late and the only reason I'm writing this now is because I don't want to pack. I always do this, no matter where I am. Pack at the last minute, and always at night. I remember in Brisbane, family and friends would come over and help me and we'd spend all night drinking coffee and talking and I'd finish really late! I loved that! It's almost like a tradition now.

So, back in London and staying with S & A. My last day in Italy I went to Pisa 'cause I was flying out from there. Saw the Leaning Tower and it was just beautiful. It was about 9 or 10pm, and just looked gorgeous at night. So white! They are restoring it at the moment, so it's all lovely and clean.

Came back to London Tuesday afternoon and completely relaxed! Spent the day yesterday walking around all my old haunts: Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, Victoria. Went back to the Vic where I used to work and it was so different! They've completely redone it and it looks amazing. 200 people can stay there now, so it has a different atmosphere, but I think it works well. It's a bit more of a 'Big Hostel' now, but still nice. The Museum is always going to have my heart though. Tonight, I saw an old friend of mine P. He was working with me at the Museum 3 years ago, and after I left, he met the love of his life, and got married, so I finally got to meet her properly and she's just fantastic! It's so nice to see people who are so happy together. Really warms the heart. Sad saying goodbye to K and S &A, hopefully will be back next year with another working holiday visa for Italy so will be able to see everyone again then. Okay, quarter past 1 now, really must pack...

Ciao Bella

I think I have watched 'Roman Holiday' too many times, and Rome is just not the same as 50 years ago. I've always imagined it to be exactly like it was in the film, and for some reason it's gone all modern! It has been amazing - the history is just mind-boggling. Can't really believe I'm seeing things that were built before Christ. Have done a few tours, two fantastic ones and I'd urge everyone to find an Irish guy called Michael doing tours of St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. It was four and a half hours of history, quirky information and fun. Absolutely fantastic guide. The first tour of St. Peter's was free, as it was a publicity tour for the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel tour which you had to pay for (dearly, but worth every Euro). When I've been walking around, everything seems a little smaller than I imagined. I think seeing every member of my family has been to Rome and told me stories, I've built up a dream Rome in my mind. It's kinda strange. I like the people here a lot. Very friendly bunch really. Have been buying fresh fruit from the markets, and drinking devine cappucinos, eating mouthwatering lasagne, pizza and pasta....it's been really nice. S left last night to go back to London. We had a fantastic time together. The three days she was here were jam packed.

Later....have spent 3 days on the east coast near a town called Civitanova Marche and it was lovely getting out in the countryside/seaside. The beach was just beautiful. A took me out for dinner, and gellati, and to a great pub where the bartender first teased me about my Italian pronunciation of Limoncello, then proceeded to apologize by serenading me with English songs while playing the guitar. He made up for it! It was just lovely! The whole pub was singing the songs. Now I'm in Florence and today was beautiful. Sat on a bridge talking with two lovely English girls from the hostel for about 2 hours watching the sun set over the river. Couldn't have imagined Florence more beautiful. More stories when I have a little bit more time! Ciao!

I love Italian!

Don't want it to end

Ten wonderful days in Paris are over and now am in Rome. Ended up having numerous cups of free Turkish tea at that Kebab shop, visiting the Picasso and Dali museums, the Pompideu Centre, wandering the streets of Paris and visiting the Eiffel Tower one last time. Am in love with that beautiful structure - couldn't get enough of it while I was there, every time I saw it I got goose bumbs, seriously.

Went down to the southwest of France to a tiny village called St. Palais to visit my friend F. Had a brilliant time there. He was the best host! Took me to see his friends, cooked for me, gave me his bed, drove me around everywhere, he was a champion!

Took a train to Rome, was supposed to get there in 20 hours, but instead, I missed that train and travelled on 3 different trains for a total of 26 hours. The last train I had to pay an extra 8 euros for catching it a couple of hours earlier than my ticket said, and I didn't even get a seat for the favour. Sat in the section between the carriages on the floor. Was so fucking tired by the end. So happy to finally get to Rome and to the hostel.

Actually, the trip reminded me a little of my epic journey to Paris from Vilnius.....My plane left Vilnius at 06.45, and I woke up at 03.45 after having gone to bed at 02.30. Wasn't worried about lack of sleep as I was thinking I'd sleep on the plane and I was so excited about getting to Paris, I knew I wouldn't be tired when I arrived. Anyway, got to the airport well ahead of time, and checked in. All was going well. Get on the plane and everyone boards, then an announcement comes over the speaker from the captain saying that all planes had been grounded due to 'safety reasons'. No problem we all thought! An hour later, still sitting on the tarmac, other planes begin taking off but ours doesn't move. Another announcement comes over asking all passengers to get off our plane. So, we all got off and had to go through a security check, where they literally patted down our entire bodies and went through our hand luggage, unzipping and opening everything. Found out later that there had been a bomb threat made to our plane. Anyway, a couple of hours later, got back on and headed towards Copenhagen where most of us were catching connecting flights (but by this stage we had all missed them). Got to Copenhagen and waited in line for 3 hours to change flights - then got another flight which was once more delayed for an hour on the tarmac. Couldn't believe my bad luck. Finally got to Paris at about 18.30 and by that stage decided to wait for A who was coming on a flight at 20.00. Waited at the arrivals gate for hours for her to get off the plane, and when she didn't show, decided that I would have to find the hostel by myself and navigate my way through Paris. Went to the bus stop outside the airport, was feeling really sad 'cause my perfect day in Paris had been completely screwed over, and A didn't get off the plane, and luckily found a German couple who were going in the same direction as me. So, I asked them if I could follow them (they kindly listened to my story and said yes). Got to the hostel at 23.35, walked up to the receptionist and told him I had a booking, and he said that he didn't have my reservation...I nearly cried. He sent me to another hostel where the receptionist looked like Robert DeNiro from Taxi Driver, kinda freaky actually. Found A, as I'd left her a note at the previous hostel saying that I had headed over to this new one and she arrived just 45 minutes later, her plane had been delayed so she missed the connection too. Anyway, that was my first day in Paris.