'Stralya

Before I say anything about anything, I'm just going to say that I feel pretty fuggin lucky to be able to travel. I mean, consistent adventuring to the level that one can taste, see and go fast in half-a-dozen new countries per year. I consider myself even more lucky to have people to visit & travel with, because seeing new places and doing neat things wouldn't be worth much if there wasn't anyone to share it with. It also has the added bonus of keeping the ever-looming and crippling loneliness at bay. 

This trip was planned in a rather hastily manner since my two good pals Adam "Mangia" Petrini and Erin "NO YA GOTTA MANGIA" Schiffner. This charming pair had moved to Australia for the year to do a bit of supply teaching in a country somehow MORE pleasant and magical than the Canadian motherland. Yeah, tough luck eh?

EH?

Heh. They had told me to 'swing by' as their stay in Australia wasn't going to be a permanent one, so as hastily and impulsively as one possibly could, the flight was booked, the currency exchanged, and the dates set for a week in the land of poisonous everything and meat for every meal. Good hangs were compounded by another friend flying over from her studies abroad in Sydney, even if she was rude to the 'roos (learn your manners Avery).  

The single most memorable thing from the trip was the food, pour MANGIA. While Chinese food is pretty tasty, arriving in a Western country brought back the magic that I had forgotten about back home. Freshly baked bread, locally brewed beer, chocolate, deli meats, fresh oysters, doughnuts, cheese - Good god, the CHEESE. There were OCEANS of stomach-rumbling goodness to be found on every city block. If we ever enjoy a beverage of sorts this summer, I will have to tell you the full story of the charming cheese lady that sold me many servings of delicious feta cheese. 
 I sorely missed the satisfaction of enjoying a full deli sandwich, the thirst-quenching satisfaction of a Melbourne Bitter, or some Brazilian BBQ fresh from a food truck. And if you haven't enjoyed the wonders of a meat pie, you my friend, are depriving yourself of a complete experience. 

Good cafes are found on nearly every street corner, with a compliment of fresh baked goods & sandwiches out front. Iced coffee is quite the rage here too. It's too hot for the regular stuff, so they make it cold and serve it large containers, and it brings new life to a tired body that's already eaten 2 paninis, a litre of pesto, and a slice of peanut butter crunch cheesecake for lunch. However, the magical secrets of Australian cuisine lie in the cookie known as Tim Tams. Only the main type is available in Canada, but even that is enough to convert you into a believer of chocolate-coated wafer cookie sandwiches. If you want to make your life complete, you'll do yourself a favour and try a Tim Tam slam. It will open your mind to new perspectives and bring you to a new level of conciousness never thought possible. 

 While Melbourne is the first, and only (to date) Australian city I've visited, just a little wee taste of this place gives you a feel that it is an entirely unique and captivating country with a pretty decent bunch of people. My most common problem was walking on the wrong side of everything (considering they drive/walk/breathe on the opposite side), my constant Canadian mutterings of "Oup, sorry" were always met with "Nah, you're alrioght mate" or  "Ah, no wirries". Turns out that despite the constant hazards of being poisoned, eaten, or fried by the sun, the Aussies are a really chill, friendly and laid-back people. Almost like what I imagined if you took British tradition, Californian chill-levels, Canadian distances between everything, and the cattle grazing, sunny & dusty landscape of Texas and mixed them into one fantastic place. 
Like any big city, there's tons to see and do, especially if you've only got a week to see it all. I probably spent over $100 and a good chunk of my total daylight hours in museums. WARNING: BORING HISTORY AHEAD: The immigration museum goes over the surprisingly heavy dependence on newcomers that made Australia what it is today. The Museum of the Moving Picture had some fantastic exhibits on the history & technology of movies within Australia and internationally. 
Despite being a big city, the whole place was totally laid back and relaxed. A lot of stuff was on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for, and HO BOY do you get a decent time. 

On top of all this, the perfect weather and absence of winter preserves the metals that make up old cars to almost-museum level perfection. I was green with envy at some of the old motors that were still in use around town, this place is truly a gear-head promised land. 
 

Yep. The beach was pretty fantastic. What a fuggin city.

And then there's the 'roos. Avery and I found these medium-sized stinkers on the Moonlit Sanctuary about an hours drive outside of Melbourne. They're cute, they're quiet, they're gentle and furry and fantastic animals. The little guy in the top left corner is a wallaby, a little mini kangaroo. They're like rabbits and horses combined, and they're really nice.

That's it. There ya go. Go fuggin travel and see it for yourself because WHY NOT.