I have nicknamed this cat "Boris."
For the last 2 weeks, he has frequently situated himself outside of our apartment. He has also appeared upon our arrival home when he hears our keys jingle. He has gotten in a few times. Sometimes, you just open the door and he's there, ready to invade.
We never let him stay. We don't feed him either, at least I don't. He has a collar but no tags.
Even if he was a stray, I'm not sure our house is big enough for three. The attention is nice though.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Jobbie Job
In lieu of all that is going on economically, I am pleased to have some paying work to do. There are cafes, but where I have enquired, you need to know how to make espresso based coffee and unfortunately, I am not a barista. Also, with our scheduled holidays, finding a "real job" could be difficult. Luckily, a friend turned me on to a catering company that she had worked for in the past (thanks Melanie!). To date, I have worked four 8-hours shifts and seen some pretty amazing things.
My first shift was on a boat (but the captain prefers ship) serving finger food to drunk first and second year uni (college) student. That may sound appalling, but it was actually quite fun. We cruised around the bay. The sunset was gorgeous and the skyline of Melbourne was beautiful. I completely developed a new appreciation for city life and especially that of one on the ocean. I will work on the boat again soon and post some pics.
Recently, there was Tongan/Samoan wedding at The Dome. The Dome itself is a historic building in the heart of central Melbourne that was constructed during the land boom of the 1890's. A modern office building was erected around the site and The Dome now serves as a grand entrance and foyer. It reminds me of the interior of some state capital buildings I have visited. The floor is an impressive and elaborate tile mosaic. There are granite columns with arches that draw the eye up toward another level with balconies. Above that is an ornate criss-cross of arches embellished with gold. Ultimately your eye reaches the top, where the ceiling extends up into an octagon of windows.
There have been two sit down, plated, business dinners. Both were fabulous. The one last night featured an Aussie comedian, Julia Morris. How great is that? The wait staff got to watch her act. She is quite funny.
I LOVE my friendly coworkers, the work is fairly easy, the food is delicious, I am paid well and the venues are fabulous. All of that makes up for my sore feet.
My first shift was on a boat (but the captain prefers ship) serving finger food to drunk first and second year uni (college) student. That may sound appalling, but it was actually quite fun. We cruised around the bay. The sunset was gorgeous and the skyline of Melbourne was beautiful. I completely developed a new appreciation for city life and especially that of one on the ocean. I will work on the boat again soon and post some pics.
Recently, there was Tongan/Samoan wedding at The Dome. The Dome itself is a historic building in the heart of central Melbourne that was constructed during the land boom of the 1890's. A modern office building was erected around the site and The Dome now serves as a grand entrance and foyer. It reminds me of the interior of some state capital buildings I have visited. The floor is an impressive and elaborate tile mosaic. There are granite columns with arches that draw the eye up toward another level with balconies. Above that is an ornate criss-cross of arches embellished with gold. Ultimately your eye reaches the top, where the ceiling extends up into an octagon of windows.
There have been two sit down, plated, business dinners. Both were fabulous. The one last night featured an Aussie comedian, Julia Morris. How great is that? The wait staff got to watch her act. She is quite funny.
I LOVE my friendly coworkers, the work is fairly easy, the food is delicious, I am paid well and the venues are fabulous. All of that makes up for my sore feet.
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Great Ocean Road
Jim had vacation last week, so we took the opportunity to do the scenic drive along The Great Ocean Road. You could probably make this drive comfortably in 2 days, however we took our time and did it in 3.
The Great Ocean Road is 243 kilometers (150 miles) of curvy and climbing highway that runs mostly parallel with the Bass Straight, better known as "the ocean."
It was constructed between 1919 and 1932 as a means of work for servicemen returning from war and as a memorial to those that gave their lives in WWI. (I learned this while on The Road and on Wikipedia, but there is no history tab on the "Official" Great Ocean Road website. This saddens me.)
It begins just southwest of Melbourne, in Torquay, and finishes northwest in Portland. Along the way there are picturesque beaches with stunning rock formations and heaps of port towns with excellent food. There also many shipwreck locations (circa 1800-1900's) along this particular part of coastline, giving it the appropriate nickname of "Shipwreck Coast".
You are eased into the scenery with a Morse code of sandy beach separated by kilometers of trees. After a while, the road more frequently runs parallel with kilometers beaches varying between rock and sand. Surfers are sprinkled in the waves.
The first lighthouse we see resides at Split Point in Aireys Inlet.
The road winds in and out of Otway National Park. We stop for a peek at Sheoak Fall, one of the many waterfalls you can take time out to walk to.
Our destination for the evening is the Best Western in Apollo Bay. The hotel is almost as fun as the drive because we are able to watch TV, with remote! (We don't have either at home.)
We order a big pot of paella at La Bimba. This was Jim's first experience shelling some seafood. He wasn't expecting to work so hard for his meal.
Having ample time for the drive, the next day we headed off track a bit to see more of the waterfalls in the national park. The first was an easy 10min walk to Hopetoun Falls. All of the trails are well maintained and most of them are elevated so you are walking on a metal grid. Next was walking loop to Triplet Falls. Triplet Falls is exactly that; 3 waterfalls next to each other. This was the destination of many of the tourists. This walk only took about an hour, so we decided to do the other water fall at this location. The third walk was considered "difficult." I think that was due more to the time and length, like 3/4 of a mile 1 way and a return time of 1.5-2hrs, than the actual difficulty of the terrain. Either way, we headed down the trail to Little Aire Falls. At one point, we heard the rant of what sounded like a monkey. Are there monkeys in Australia? We exchanged glances and kept going.
We didn't know exactly how long it would take. We kept seeing signs that just said "Little Aire Falls" and an arrow; no distance remaining. We finally came to the scenic overlook; a raised metal balcony adjacent to the narrow creek and falls. This place was beautiful and it was also the place that Jim proposed to me. I said yes. Yay! Engaged!
As much fun as this was, we had more driving to do so we began the trek back to the car. It didn't take long at all:)
So, newly engaged, we drove on to Lavers Hill where we stopped for petrol, lunch and cake. To our astonishment, out in this middle of nowhere town, the shop served cake by Mark! Mark makes our favorite TimTam cheesecake here in town. You can't go wrong with a Mark cake. We ate some curried chicken pies and anxiously awaited our dessert; Death by Chocolate and another slice simply called "Mark Cake". The death by chocolate had, at one stage, been a piece of an entire cake. The owner nuked it in the microwave and it became a chocolate moat. It was still delicious. Enough about that.
We stayed the night at a lovely B & B called The Butterfly Farm, in Nirranda. We had our own own apartment; bath en suite, 4 poster bed, and attached lounge room (with TV!). Grabbing some stuff from the car that night, we heard what sounded like a pig in a tree. Again, we just kind of exchanged glances and hurried about our business. John, one of the owners, made us a huge and delicious brekky in the morning. He also informed us the grunt noise was probably a koala mating call...hmm interesting.
Because of the waterfall viewing, we had skipped part of the Ocean Rd. This allowed us to see some new things on the return drive toward Melbourne.
Scenic viewing areas include:
Cape Otway Lighthouse Station...had to pay for this one. It was just okay. We did go up into the light house and see the light. The best part was spotting koalas in the trees on the road to the light house.
Gibson Steps
London Arch, which actually used to be 2 arches (previously London Bridge) but the one closest to the shore collapsed in 1990.
The Grotto
AND...the iconic Twelve Apostles
12 Apostles is the most photographed site along the road. Due to erosion, there are fewer than 12 stacks remaining. You can't see all all of them from any one location, except from air.
The Great Ocean Road is just that. It's a must do drive to make when you are in Victoria. It's an easy and affordable little adventure.
The Great Ocean Road is 243 kilometers (150 miles) of curvy and climbing highway that runs mostly parallel with the Bass Straight, better known as "the ocean."
It was constructed between 1919 and 1932 as a means of work for servicemen returning from war and as a memorial to those that gave their lives in WWI. (I learned this while on The Road and on Wikipedia, but there is no history tab on the "Official" Great Ocean Road website. This saddens me.)
It begins just southwest of Melbourne, in Torquay, and finishes northwest in Portland. Along the way there are picturesque beaches with stunning rock formations and heaps of port towns with excellent food. There also many shipwreck locations (circa 1800-1900's) along this particular part of coastline, giving it the appropriate nickname of "Shipwreck Coast".
You are eased into the scenery with a Morse code of sandy beach separated by kilometers of trees. After a while, the road more frequently runs parallel with kilometers beaches varying between rock and sand. Surfers are sprinkled in the waves.
The first lighthouse we see resides at Split Point in Aireys Inlet.
The road winds in and out of Otway National Park. We stop for a peek at Sheoak Fall, one of the many waterfalls you can take time out to walk to.
Our destination for the evening is the Best Western in Apollo Bay. The hotel is almost as fun as the drive because we are able to watch TV, with remote! (We don't have either at home.)
We order a big pot of paella at La Bimba. This was Jim's first experience shelling some seafood. He wasn't expecting to work so hard for his meal.
Having ample time for the drive, the next day we headed off track a bit to see more of the waterfalls in the national park. The first was an easy 10min walk to Hopetoun Falls. All of the trails are well maintained and most of them are elevated so you are walking on a metal grid. Next was walking loop to Triplet Falls. Triplet Falls is exactly that; 3 waterfalls next to each other. This was the destination of many of the tourists. This walk only took about an hour, so we decided to do the other water fall at this location. The third walk was considered "difficult." I think that was due more to the time and length, like 3/4 of a mile 1 way and a return time of 1.5-2hrs, than the actual difficulty of the terrain. Either way, we headed down the trail to Little Aire Falls. At one point, we heard the rant of what sounded like a monkey. Are there monkeys in Australia? We exchanged glances and kept going.
We didn't know exactly how long it would take. We kept seeing signs that just said "Little Aire Falls" and an arrow; no distance remaining. We finally came to the scenic overlook; a raised metal balcony adjacent to the narrow creek and falls. This place was beautiful and it was also the place that Jim proposed to me. I said yes. Yay! Engaged!
As much fun as this was, we had more driving to do so we began the trek back to the car. It didn't take long at all:)
So, newly engaged, we drove on to Lavers Hill where we stopped for petrol, lunch and cake. To our astonishment, out in this middle of nowhere town, the shop served cake by Mark! Mark makes our favorite TimTam cheesecake here in town. You can't go wrong with a Mark cake. We ate some curried chicken pies and anxiously awaited our dessert; Death by Chocolate and another slice simply called "Mark Cake". The death by chocolate had, at one stage, been a piece of an entire cake. The owner nuked it in the microwave and it became a chocolate moat. It was still delicious. Enough about that.
We stayed the night at a lovely B & B called The Butterfly Farm, in Nirranda. We had our own own apartment; bath en suite, 4 poster bed, and attached lounge room (with TV!). Grabbing some stuff from the car that night, we heard what sounded like a pig in a tree. Again, we just kind of exchanged glances and hurried about our business. John, one of the owners, made us a huge and delicious brekky in the morning. He also informed us the grunt noise was probably a koala mating call...hmm interesting.
Because of the waterfall viewing, we had skipped part of the Ocean Rd. This allowed us to see some new things on the return drive toward Melbourne.
Scenic viewing areas include:
Cape Otway Lighthouse Station...had to pay for this one. It was just okay. We did go up into the light house and see the light. The best part was spotting koalas in the trees on the road to the light house.
Gibson Steps
London Arch, which actually used to be 2 arches (previously London Bridge) but the one closest to the shore collapsed in 1990.
The Grotto
AND...the iconic Twelve Apostles
12 Apostles is the most photographed site along the road. Due to erosion, there are fewer than 12 stacks remaining. You can't see all all of them from any one location, except from air.
The Great Ocean Road is just that. It's a must do drive to make when you are in Victoria. It's an easy and affordable little adventure.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Tassie: Part II
Thursday: I had a big day planned for Thursday. Along the way, we met another couple who had visited the iconic Cradle Mountain National Park and not been terribly satisfied. You can hike the mountain in a day, but there is also a shorter trek around Dove Lake, which is what they had done. They told us it wasn't that big of a deal. Hearing that news, I felt relieved. It reinforced my idea. I had planned for us to hike the less popular Walls of Jerusalem Park. This park is less documented and to be honest, I was worried. "Well experienced bushwalkers only," was on everything I had read. Yikes. Other people had told me you need at least 12hrs or a few days to really enjoy the park. Nonetheless, I was wanting to check it out.
We drove and drove and drove until we found the hidden trailhead and parking lot. We slept in the parking lot so we could get an early 7am start. It was a little eerie being all alone in the woods, but this was also the first night that we were able to see a million stars. Wow.
The morning was cold. The trail had ice crystals on it. There were tiny pebbles and pieces of dirt suspended from the ground. It looked like the ice had made little bridges up to meet them. It even snowed on us a bit. Along the way there were ponds, lakes and trees. This part was known as King Solomon’s Jewels. Upon reaching the "Walls" you enter between 2 towering cliff's known as Herrod's Gate. The sun had started to pop out and it got a bit warmer...4 seasons in one day. Seeing all this, I could now appreciate spending a few days in the walls part of the park. There were lots of tall mesas and cliffs to climb and explore.
Two raised planks of wood side by side, created the trail through the valley of the park. The valley was grassy with huge mounds of thick hard moss, and heaps of little ponds created from bubbling fresh water springs. We walked through the valley and through a snow patch to an upper ridge where we could take in the view. It was so beautiful. I love mountains so much. We only encountered one other couple this whole time, so we felt like we had the entire place to ourselves.
On the way back, we chatted with a guy dressed strictly in a black long-underwear outfit and boots. He tried to convince us he had been hiking for days, and then said, "just kidding." Odd.
In the end, everything was fine. We had an impressive 9hr day of hiking and exploring. The hike was shorter than I imagined, so we drove on. We coasted into at a place called Sheffield. Sheffield is 'The Town of Murals' and it isn't hard to see how it gets that rep. Even though were only there for a minute, we fell in love with it and, at present, want to retire there. We got some petrol and of course some fish and chips and were on our way again.
We arrived at the Cradle Mountain Caravan Park at 6:30. To our amazement, it was closed. This was the most corporate of places we had seen in oh, forever. Closed was closed, no bell to ring; the drives were gated. We drove closer to the park entrance only to find that you aren't allowed to drive into the park. As an option, we hoped to set up camp in the huge parking lot for the shuttle bus stop, but found signs stating: No over night parking! Hmmm, where to sleep? Returning to the camper park, we used the payphone to call an 800 number to see if there was any room available for the night, even though they were closed. The only thing they had was a non-powered site for $26. The most we had paid this entire time was $18, which included an electric hook up. Frustrated and tired, we decided to bag this place and kept driving. So long Cradle Mountain.
The beauty of a campervan is you can stop anywhere and have a bed to sleep on, water to drink, and gas to cook food. We drove a bit further, but it was getting dark and it had been a long day, so we just stopped along the road at a pull off/turn around area. Not really pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but literally in the middle of nowhere. Again, the stars were amazing. I loved that simply, with the draw of all the curtains in the van, you can take some weird location and make it feel safe. It didn't matter what was on the outside because you are in your safe little cocoon.
Friday: We awoke to find we were no longer alone. There was road construction being done just a few meters from out spot. For brekky, I made us some eggs, oatmeal and coffee. Soon after, we were on the road again. Having been without a power source for 2 days, we were unable to charge our cameras. A vacation nightmare. Luckily, we were able to plug the cameras in at a cafe in Tullah, on the west side of the state.
We were on our way to the "Mother of all waterfalls," Montezuma Falls in Rosebury. It was a bit off the beaten path, but well worth it. Falling 104m (341 ft) it is most impressive. Again, we were the only ones there. You are able to get so close; you can stand under it if you wish. There is a crazy, but quite safe, suspension bridge crossing the river, which is about 50m below. Of course we had to walk on it. Before heading back, we snacked on some PB & J, which have been the staple item of nourishment during day outings.
Later, we passed through a mining town called Queenstown. It is surrounded by mine waste and looks desolate. To be fair, the main street of town is charming, similar to Georgetown, CO. We quickly changed landscapes and entered Franklin-Gordon National Park. Here we stopped for a quick view of Nelson Falls and continued on. We really wanted to stay at a caravan park this night. We wanted to charge the cameras and also be clean for our plane ride the next day. We ended up in Tarraleigh, a town that only seems to exist because of the caravan park and a hydro electric plant. (The Tasmanians love hydro power. It's everywhere.) After settling in and having a much needed (free!) hot shower, we took a stroll through Tarraleigh. This was short of course. You could see from one end to the other. The place seemed kind of creepy, like where The Others lived on Lost. The houses are fairly new, with trees and shrubs that are still infants. Even though was after 5pm, no one seemed to be home. Garages were shut and lights were off...weird. Before we ate at the pub, we enjoyed chatting with some camping neighbors who mention that this was their return visit to Tarraleigh Campground. It was good to know we would survive the night. Despite the odd surrounds, the campground has everything, including two deer in a pen. They pounced away from us as we drew closer to them.
Saturday: This day was a whirlwind, as we had a lot to see before catching our flight home. We awoke early and headed to Mt. Field National Park, outside of Hobart. We were a well oiled machine at this point. We parked and walked to Russell Falls and Horseshoe Falls. You could tell we were a bit closer to civilization, as every stop got a little more crowded. We spent a satisfying amount of time viewing the falls and head back to the van.
I wanted to see Salamanca Market, which is a street market in Hobart that is only open until 3pm on Saturdays. Jim got us there with about an hour until close. We browsed and ate sausages. After getting back in the car, we drove up to Mt. Wellington, which has a famous view of the city. This windy road is steep and busy. At this point, we have seen so much. We made a quick stop and snapped a pic. It was time to go.
I wasn't quite sure of our flight, but we got to the airport with an hour to spare. We were sad to leave the living quarters of our mobile command unit, but also glad to go back to our slightly bigger apartment. It's hard to believe that Jim and I spent every waking and sleeping moment together for 8 days. It was great.
When vacations are over they seem like dreams. This one was hard to wake up from.
We drove and drove and drove until we found the hidden trailhead and parking lot. We slept in the parking lot so we could get an early 7am start. It was a little eerie being all alone in the woods, but this was also the first night that we were able to see a million stars. Wow.
The morning was cold. The trail had ice crystals on it. There were tiny pebbles and pieces of dirt suspended from the ground. It looked like the ice had made little bridges up to meet them. It even snowed on us a bit. Along the way there were ponds, lakes and trees. This part was known as King Solomon’s Jewels. Upon reaching the "Walls" you enter between 2 towering cliff's known as Herrod's Gate. The sun had started to pop out and it got a bit warmer...4 seasons in one day. Seeing all this, I could now appreciate spending a few days in the walls part of the park. There were lots of tall mesas and cliffs to climb and explore.
Two raised planks of wood side by side, created the trail through the valley of the park. The valley was grassy with huge mounds of thick hard moss, and heaps of little ponds created from bubbling fresh water springs. We walked through the valley and through a snow patch to an upper ridge where we could take in the view. It was so beautiful. I love mountains so much. We only encountered one other couple this whole time, so we felt like we had the entire place to ourselves.
On the way back, we chatted with a guy dressed strictly in a black long-underwear outfit and boots. He tried to convince us he had been hiking for days, and then said, "just kidding." Odd.
In the end, everything was fine. We had an impressive 9hr day of hiking and exploring. The hike was shorter than I imagined, so we drove on. We coasted into at a place called Sheffield. Sheffield is 'The Town of Murals' and it isn't hard to see how it gets that rep. Even though were only there for a minute, we fell in love with it and, at present, want to retire there. We got some petrol and of course some fish and chips and were on our way again.
We arrived at the Cradle Mountain Caravan Park at 6:30. To our amazement, it was closed. This was the most corporate of places we had seen in oh, forever. Closed was closed, no bell to ring; the drives were gated. We drove closer to the park entrance only to find that you aren't allowed to drive into the park. As an option, we hoped to set up camp in the huge parking lot for the shuttle bus stop, but found signs stating: No over night parking! Hmmm, where to sleep? Returning to the camper park, we used the payphone to call an 800 number to see if there was any room available for the night, even though they were closed. The only thing they had was a non-powered site for $26. The most we had paid this entire time was $18, which included an electric hook up. Frustrated and tired, we decided to bag this place and kept driving. So long Cradle Mountain.
The beauty of a campervan is you can stop anywhere and have a bed to sleep on, water to drink, and gas to cook food. We drove a bit further, but it was getting dark and it had been a long day, so we just stopped along the road at a pull off/turn around area. Not really pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but literally in the middle of nowhere. Again, the stars were amazing. I loved that simply, with the draw of all the curtains in the van, you can take some weird location and make it feel safe. It didn't matter what was on the outside because you are in your safe little cocoon.
Friday: We awoke to find we were no longer alone. There was road construction being done just a few meters from out spot. For brekky, I made us some eggs, oatmeal and coffee. Soon after, we were on the road again. Having been without a power source for 2 days, we were unable to charge our cameras. A vacation nightmare. Luckily, we were able to plug the cameras in at a cafe in Tullah, on the west side of the state.
We were on our way to the "Mother of all waterfalls," Montezuma Falls in Rosebury. It was a bit off the beaten path, but well worth it. Falling 104m (341 ft) it is most impressive. Again, we were the only ones there. You are able to get so close; you can stand under it if you wish. There is a crazy, but quite safe, suspension bridge crossing the river, which is about 50m below. Of course we had to walk on it. Before heading back, we snacked on some PB & J, which have been the staple item of nourishment during day outings.
Later, we passed through a mining town called Queenstown. It is surrounded by mine waste and looks desolate. To be fair, the main street of town is charming, similar to Georgetown, CO. We quickly changed landscapes and entered Franklin-Gordon National Park. Here we stopped for a quick view of Nelson Falls and continued on. We really wanted to stay at a caravan park this night. We wanted to charge the cameras and also be clean for our plane ride the next day. We ended up in Tarraleigh, a town that only seems to exist because of the caravan park and a hydro electric plant. (The Tasmanians love hydro power. It's everywhere.) After settling in and having a much needed (free!) hot shower, we took a stroll through Tarraleigh. This was short of course. You could see from one end to the other. The place seemed kind of creepy, like where The Others lived on Lost. The houses are fairly new, with trees and shrubs that are still infants. Even though was after 5pm, no one seemed to be home. Garages were shut and lights were off...weird. Before we ate at the pub, we enjoyed chatting with some camping neighbors who mention that this was their return visit to Tarraleigh Campground. It was good to know we would survive the night. Despite the odd surrounds, the campground has everything, including two deer in a pen. They pounced away from us as we drew closer to them.
Saturday: This day was a whirlwind, as we had a lot to see before catching our flight home. We awoke early and headed to Mt. Field National Park, outside of Hobart. We were a well oiled machine at this point. We parked and walked to Russell Falls and Horseshoe Falls. You could tell we were a bit closer to civilization, as every stop got a little more crowded. We spent a satisfying amount of time viewing the falls and head back to the van.
I wanted to see Salamanca Market, which is a street market in Hobart that is only open until 3pm on Saturdays. Jim got us there with about an hour until close. We browsed and ate sausages. After getting back in the car, we drove up to Mt. Wellington, which has a famous view of the city. This windy road is steep and busy. At this point, we have seen so much. We made a quick stop and snapped a pic. It was time to go.
I wasn't quite sure of our flight, but we got to the airport with an hour to spare. We were sad to leave the living quarters of our mobile command unit, but also glad to go back to our slightly bigger apartment. It's hard to believe that Jim and I spent every waking and sleeping moment together for 8 days. It was great.
When vacations are over they seem like dreams. This one was hard to wake up from.
Posted by
Lisa DeCaire
at
11/01/2009 05:42:00 PM
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