So w're eating our way round Melbourne before the next stage of our great adventure unfolds. We only have a few months here so need to catch up with ourselves in dining opportunities. Luckily, Heather's just got a job so we can pay for it all!!
Anyway, follow our adventures in dining at the link below - I promise some controversy...
Melbourne Food Blog
Diarmuid
Sunday 27 September 2009
Saturday 31 May 2008
Culture 202 squared
heather writes...
There is always something going on somewhere in the city. The city really throws itself into just about anything!! Non-stop festivals, sporting events, public holidays, animated sports discussions, you name it, it will draw a crowd.
Ok, here's a list of how we keep ourself occupied:
1) Tennis
I did already mention it, but gosh it was spectacular. Crowds there. Everywhere you go everyone discussing it. Honestly I was doing last minute sales shopping, picking up a fabulous last minute deal on THE MOST BEAUTIFUL linen coat and me and the sales clerk could NOT get over what was going on at tennis. We all spent the fortnight glued to the TV, staying up late, getting up early, forgetting to eat, marveling at the women's outfits. Sigh. I feel really lucky I could experience it. It was so ACCESSIBLE, which is more than anyone would say about Wimbledon who seem proud of queues and high ticket prices.
To get to tennis, I would catch the tram to Flinders St station and walk 15 minutes along the river to the stadium. Melbourne is fabulously well planned. Besides the trams everywhere, sporting arenas are easily accessible with a good road system. Traffic moves fast (not so good for jaywalkers such as myself) and there are decent parking lots that fit all the cars. So I would walk along the river which is scenic and gorgeous and there are rowers on it all day and trees bow over it and it is green and lush everywhere. There are several sporting arenas (including the tennis grounds and the Melbourne Cricket Ground) all in one clump that is across the river from botanical gardens.
2) Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, and other festivals
Melbourne considers itself a gourmet capital. The city is full of wonderful cuisines at all sorts of price levels. Naturally D hasn't been able to bring himself to go to an expensive restaurant, no occasion is ever good enough, however we have gone to some fabulous cheap and moderate price restaurants. There is a huge Vietnamese area in Richmond (not so posh) where we ate a great meal. China town, in the CBD, is grungy and cool and our favourite is a place where, when you order a steamed fish they dive into one of the several tanks in the dining area, bring over a poor fish slapping in the bottom of a large plastic pail and ask if it looks OK for us. Movida, honestly the best Spanish food I have had outside Spain, tasty tapas and NOT greasy. Claypots, the cheapest most wonderful fish restaurant serving each fish in a special way. Some Japanese local restaurant we have, I can't recall the name but it is luscious and divine and cheap. Really, it goes on and on.
So the food and wine fest went on about month and included special events at loads of restaurants as well as various activities in Federation Square, where in fact almost every weekend is some sort of event going on drawing huge crowds of people specifically going as well as casual passer-byers. We went to one special restaurant event. The chef (again, I forget his name) at a cool Montreal restaurant was there cooking one night. Me and D had actually been taken to his restaurant, La Pied de Cochon (foot of the pig) by Rene and loved it, so we had to go. This festival drew all sort of celebrity chefs, not Jamie and Gordon, but in fact Fergus Henderson of St Johns had cooked his own special meal already and was at this meal. For $185 per head you drink champagne, eat oysters with a fab creme fraiche marinade and then savour a most spectacular feast of 4 more courses that is complemented perfectly throughout with wines chosen specially. We all sat at long tables and had a great comeraderic experience with our table mates.
We also attending a BBQ event, chefs from top Melbourne restaurants BBQing gourmet style, 4 medium plates for $28, very filling and tasty. And then the wine festival. For $25, tasting wines from about 75 wineries, all set up in stalls along Southbank, just across the river from Fed Square, the other place with events always going on.
Other festivals in Fed Square or along Southbank were Chinese New Year, some kind of Indian festival, Budda's birthday, a Thai festival ETC
3) Film Festivals
Well, I know they are happening, but we haven't gone to any yet. Sorry wish I could say more. A girl I work with is Spanish and has been raving about the Spanish film fest but even that, OOPS
4) Theatre
Now THIS has been something to write home about. We've been to about 4 plays, but they are all worth it. Don Juan of Soho by Patrick Marber, Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, Hedda Gabler by Ibsen and Tartuffe by Moliere. We missed The Mercy Seat, I forget who wrote it, but about a guy after 9/11 who was wondering if he should pretend he died to escape his life, I had seen it at the Almeda in Islington.
The quality of the productions were all really great and again there are crowds to all of them! Also, I saw a movie/TV star at one! Remember the girl warrier in LOTR whose father dies on the battlefield? The actress who is now in Cashmere Mafia, with the glorious red hair? She was at Tartuffe as her father starred in it!!
5) Comedy Festival
This was unexpectedly amazing. In front of TownHall, a large large chalk board was updated daily for all the performances going on, which were about 100 per day, scattered among the various venues (about 25) hosting shows. Tickets ranged from $10 to $40 per show and were very easy to purchase from the box office right around the corner. One night was a "spectacular" show, featuring about 7 performers, it started at 1130pm. It was so cool, each did a short taster type of spiel, to entice you to go their regular acts, which we did. We did a specular another night that was being televised and naturally I fell asleep, oh well, but it did go til 230am!!! Anyway, we went to about 10 events in total. The festival went on about 3 weeks!
We also went to one show at the St Kilda Comedy Festival, smaller but actually very "local", about life in St Kilda.
6) Other sporting events
Well I have mentioned it but it deserves to be mentioned again. Soccer, Aussie rules footie, cricket. Almost always full stadiums and great crowds. The other big stadium is the Telstra Dome at the other end of the CBD and also very accessible. It and the MCG are both big and round for the cricket and Aussie rules footie, but a rectangular soccer field fits into both, so these fields are adaptable for all sports!
7) The week the Queen Mary was around
It is a big boat and who cares, really, but man it was HUGE! We live really close to the pier where the cruise ship that goes to Tasmania leaves from, and the Queen Mary was docked there. So many crowds there just looking at it. It was a Saturday night and we wanted to enjoy the balmy weather and walk around and everyone and their dog was there! And then there were fireworks.
8) Crown Casino
Along Southbank and also only a 20 min walk from home. An absurb place, filled with the usual casino amenities. not sure about a stage with silly productions, but loads restaurants, bars and cinemas, including a gold class one with easy chair recliners and table service.
In the evenings, there are several of these tall chimney-stacks which spurt flames on the hour, every hour. How to NOT reduce greeen house gas emissions?
Just a little peak at future posts, but, where I work, one of our stores are in the Crown Complex. People come in and pay cash, thousands at a time, OR they pay with chips. Our poor little shop girls have to hobble over to the counters in their high heels and cash them in. So one day in the office we had about $28,000. I have NEVER seen anything like that!
9) Loads other stuff to do
I guess I'll get into this more later, but we find lots fun things to do all the time. Mostly, we want YOU to come here and do some of these fun things WITH US!!!!!!!
H
xxoo
NEXT.. WHERE I WORK :)
There is always something going on somewhere in the city. The city really throws itself into just about anything!! Non-stop festivals, sporting events, public holidays, animated sports discussions, you name it, it will draw a crowd.
Ok, here's a list of how we keep ourself occupied:
1) Tennis
I did already mention it, but gosh it was spectacular. Crowds there. Everywhere you go everyone discussing it. Honestly I was doing last minute sales shopping, picking up a fabulous last minute deal on THE MOST BEAUTIFUL linen coat and me and the sales clerk could NOT get over what was going on at tennis. We all spent the fortnight glued to the TV, staying up late, getting up early, forgetting to eat, marveling at the women's outfits. Sigh. I feel really lucky I could experience it. It was so ACCESSIBLE, which is more than anyone would say about Wimbledon who seem proud of queues and high ticket prices.
To get to tennis, I would catch the tram to Flinders St station and walk 15 minutes along the river to the stadium. Melbourne is fabulously well planned. Besides the trams everywhere, sporting arenas are easily accessible with a good road system. Traffic moves fast (not so good for jaywalkers such as myself) and there are decent parking lots that fit all the cars. So I would walk along the river which is scenic and gorgeous and there are rowers on it all day and trees bow over it and it is green and lush everywhere. There are several sporting arenas (including the tennis grounds and the Melbourne Cricket Ground) all in one clump that is across the river from botanical gardens.
2) Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, and other festivals
Melbourne considers itself a gourmet capital. The city is full of wonderful cuisines at all sorts of price levels. Naturally D hasn't been able to bring himself to go to an expensive restaurant, no occasion is ever good enough, however we have gone to some fabulous cheap and moderate price restaurants. There is a huge Vietnamese area in Richmond (not so posh) where we ate a great meal. China town, in the CBD, is grungy and cool and our favourite is a place where, when you order a steamed fish they dive into one of the several tanks in the dining area, bring over a poor fish slapping in the bottom of a large plastic pail and ask if it looks OK for us. Movida, honestly the best Spanish food I have had outside Spain, tasty tapas and NOT greasy. Claypots, the cheapest most wonderful fish restaurant serving each fish in a special way. Some Japanese local restaurant we have, I can't recall the name but it is luscious and divine and cheap. Really, it goes on and on.
So the food and wine fest went on about month and included special events at loads of restaurants as well as various activities in Federation Square, where in fact almost every weekend is some sort of event going on drawing huge crowds of people specifically going as well as casual passer-byers. We went to one special restaurant event. The chef (again, I forget his name) at a cool Montreal restaurant was there cooking one night. Me and D had actually been taken to his restaurant, La Pied de Cochon (foot of the pig) by Rene and loved it, so we had to go. This festival drew all sort of celebrity chefs, not Jamie and Gordon, but in fact Fergus Henderson of St Johns had cooked his own special meal already and was at this meal. For $185 per head you drink champagne, eat oysters with a fab creme fraiche marinade and then savour a most spectacular feast of 4 more courses that is complemented perfectly throughout with wines chosen specially. We all sat at long tables and had a great comeraderic experience with our table mates.
We also attending a BBQ event, chefs from top Melbourne restaurants BBQing gourmet style, 4 medium plates for $28, very filling and tasty. And then the wine festival. For $25, tasting wines from about 75 wineries, all set up in stalls along Southbank, just across the river from Fed Square, the other place with events always going on.
Other festivals in Fed Square or along Southbank were Chinese New Year, some kind of Indian festival, Budda's birthday, a Thai festival ETC
3) Film Festivals
Well, I know they are happening, but we haven't gone to any yet. Sorry wish I could say more. A girl I work with is Spanish and has been raving about the Spanish film fest but even that, OOPS
4) Theatre
Now THIS has been something to write home about. We've been to about 4 plays, but they are all worth it. Don Juan of Soho by Patrick Marber, Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, Hedda Gabler by Ibsen and Tartuffe by Moliere. We missed The Mercy Seat, I forget who wrote it, but about a guy after 9/11 who was wondering if he should pretend he died to escape his life, I had seen it at the Almeda in Islington.
The quality of the productions were all really great and again there are crowds to all of them! Also, I saw a movie/TV star at one! Remember the girl warrier in LOTR whose father dies on the battlefield? The actress who is now in Cashmere Mafia, with the glorious red hair? She was at Tartuffe as her father starred in it!!
5) Comedy Festival
This was unexpectedly amazing. In front of TownHall, a large large chalk board was updated daily for all the performances going on, which were about 100 per day, scattered among the various venues (about 25) hosting shows. Tickets ranged from $10 to $40 per show and were very easy to purchase from the box office right around the corner. One night was a "spectacular" show, featuring about 7 performers, it started at 1130pm. It was so cool, each did a short taster type of spiel, to entice you to go their regular acts, which we did. We did a specular another night that was being televised and naturally I fell asleep, oh well, but it did go til 230am!!! Anyway, we went to about 10 events in total. The festival went on about 3 weeks!
We also went to one show at the St Kilda Comedy Festival, smaller but actually very "local", about life in St Kilda.
6) Other sporting events
Well I have mentioned it but it deserves to be mentioned again. Soccer, Aussie rules footie, cricket. Almost always full stadiums and great crowds. The other big stadium is the Telstra Dome at the other end of the CBD and also very accessible. It and the MCG are both big and round for the cricket and Aussie rules footie, but a rectangular soccer field fits into both, so these fields are adaptable for all sports!
7) The week the Queen Mary was around
It is a big boat and who cares, really, but man it was HUGE! We live really close to the pier where the cruise ship that goes to Tasmania leaves from, and the Queen Mary was docked there. So many crowds there just looking at it. It was a Saturday night and we wanted to enjoy the balmy weather and walk around and everyone and their dog was there! And then there were fireworks.
8) Crown Casino
Along Southbank and also only a 20 min walk from home. An absurb place, filled with the usual casino amenities. not sure about a stage with silly productions, but loads restaurants, bars and cinemas, including a gold class one with easy chair recliners and table service.
In the evenings, there are several of these tall chimney-stacks which spurt flames on the hour, every hour. How to NOT reduce greeen house gas emissions?
Just a little peak at future posts, but, where I work, one of our stores are in the Crown Complex. People come in and pay cash, thousands at a time, OR they pay with chips. Our poor little shop girls have to hobble over to the counters in their high heels and cash them in. So one day in the office we had about $28,000. I have NEVER seen anything like that!
9) Loads other stuff to do
I guess I'll get into this more later, but we find lots fun things to do all the time. Mostly, we want YOU to come here and do some of these fun things WITH US!!!!!!!
H
xxoo
NEXT.. WHERE I WORK :)
Clarification :)
D wants Heather to write...
When I said South Yarra, I meant Chapel St specifically. South Yarra is actually quite posh. anyway, ho hum
When I said South Yarra, I meant Chapel St specifically. South Yarra is actually quite posh. anyway, ho hum
Monday 26 May 2008
oops forgot this!
heather writes...
I took this photo of one of the trams we can catch from our area (there are a couple others). This tram makes me chuckle. There are new trams on new tracks, old trams on old tracks. This is one of the old ones. It is tram number 1 and the directions show on the front. In bound back to us, it is "South Melbourne Beach", except it can't all fit on the screen, the it bips back and forth between "1- South Melbourne" and "Beach". It is great to catch a tram to "Beach".
Melbourne, what is it anyway??
Heather writes...
It's a big really cool city. It dawned on me that Melbourne is alot like Montreal. Someone recently remarked they'd been told it is like Toronto, but I really think it is like Montreal. More European, more multi-cultural. In fact, I forgot to mention in the last post how the Oz open reminded me of Montreal after any World Cup Soccer Match, the way everyone erupts!!!
Anyway, the center of the city is called the Central Business District, or CBD for short. Hereon in, that is what I will call it. Maybe I will supply you with a glossary! But I hope that will be it for acronyms.
The CBD is a grid pattern from north-ish to south-ish with alternating big and little streets. And the cross streets are occasional big streets with LOADS really little streets called laneways. The laneways are the heart and soul of his city. The nooks and crannies all over are astounding. I am working in the CBD and still get lost; my work mate Susan and I (fellow manic shopper), we have simply GOT to figure where this or that cool shop is we found, cos it could be ANYWHERE! Also loads fab restaurants, bars etc.
The CBD includes lots tall office towers. Many old beautiful architectural splendours mixed with the new. Many old buildings with unmarked doors leading upstairs to cutting edge book shops, bars, clothes shops. A rooftop terrace showing open air cinema in the summer. A listed old clock tower enclosed in a very new shopping mall. I haven't actually gotten to see it yet but I hear it is OK-ish, just not into the idea of the mall! I am preferring the one-off boutiques. Oh well :)
The rest of the city is also grid pattern, but with a different orientation, just to keep me continuously confused. There are tall buildings on Southbank and on St Kilda Road. Lots big business here, job opps, but more of this later, but I would only consider jobs in the CBD. My holiday-mode, I need to be in the heart of the action while I am here!
There are a huge variety cool areas outside the CBD:
- Fitzroy the eclectic bohemian area
- Carleton the Italian area but there is also an amazing cinema!
- Toorak the preppy Kings Road type area
- South Yarra, slightly edgy but also working class, a nice balance
- Richmond, a haven of Vietnamese restaurants and factory outlets and IKEA (gasp)
- St Kilda, faded Brighton but with a couple of our fav restaurants, and the Espy an amazing place for bands, 4 stages cheap entry
- Footscray, "asian" area where the Lonely Planet offices also are
- Albert Park, includes our area, slightly middle class, but close to the beach and CBD!
Trams run all over the city, and the all go through the CBD. What with the weird orientation, all roads go through the CBD also. Anywhere we go, it runs through the CBD and d**n is gets rough! Yesterday, we had to go from watching footie in a neighborhood pub in Fitzroy to South Yarra to see an Ibsen adaptation in a cool fringe theatre and it took forever!
But like Montreal, because it is a small city with a cool edge.
Next up is all the about the non-stop culture!
It's a big really cool city. It dawned on me that Melbourne is alot like Montreal. Someone recently remarked they'd been told it is like Toronto, but I really think it is like Montreal. More European, more multi-cultural. In fact, I forgot to mention in the last post how the Oz open reminded me of Montreal after any World Cup Soccer Match, the way everyone erupts!!!
Anyway, the center of the city is called the Central Business District, or CBD for short. Hereon in, that is what I will call it. Maybe I will supply you with a glossary! But I hope that will be it for acronyms.
The CBD is a grid pattern from north-ish to south-ish with alternating big and little streets. And the cross streets are occasional big streets with LOADS really little streets called laneways. The laneways are the heart and soul of his city. The nooks and crannies all over are astounding. I am working in the CBD and still get lost; my work mate Susan and I (fellow manic shopper), we have simply GOT to figure where this or that cool shop is we found, cos it could be ANYWHERE! Also loads fab restaurants, bars etc.
The CBD includes lots tall office towers. Many old beautiful architectural splendours mixed with the new. Many old buildings with unmarked doors leading upstairs to cutting edge book shops, bars, clothes shops. A rooftop terrace showing open air cinema in the summer. A listed old clock tower enclosed in a very new shopping mall. I haven't actually gotten to see it yet but I hear it is OK-ish, just not into the idea of the mall! I am preferring the one-off boutiques. Oh well :)
The rest of the city is also grid pattern, but with a different orientation, just to keep me continuously confused. There are tall buildings on Southbank and on St Kilda Road. Lots big business here, job opps, but more of this later, but I would only consider jobs in the CBD. My holiday-mode, I need to be in the heart of the action while I am here!
There are a huge variety cool areas outside the CBD:
- Fitzroy the eclectic bohemian area
- Carleton the Italian area but there is also an amazing cinema!
- Toorak the preppy Kings Road type area
- South Yarra, slightly edgy but also working class, a nice balance
- Richmond, a haven of Vietnamese restaurants and factory outlets and IKEA (gasp)
- St Kilda, faded Brighton but with a couple of our fav restaurants, and the Espy an amazing place for bands, 4 stages cheap entry
- Footscray, "asian" area where the Lonely Planet offices also are
- Albert Park, includes our area, slightly middle class, but close to the beach and CBD!
Trams run all over the city, and the all go through the CBD. What with the weird orientation, all roads go through the CBD also. Anywhere we go, it runs through the CBD and d**n is gets rough! Yesterday, we had to go from watching footie in a neighborhood pub in Fitzroy to South Yarra to see an Ibsen adaptation in a cool fringe theatre and it took forever!
But like Montreal, because it is a small city with a cool edge.
Next up is all the about the non-stop culture!
Friday 16 May 2008
Languages 101
Heather writes...
What kinda title is that? I am chuckling just thinking about it! It started at the Australian Open. Which is what I originally wanted to write about but realized there is a whole lots more wrapped up in it.
The Oz Open was so much better than I expected. Fabulous venue, loads of amazing tennis, but the best part was THE CROWDS, the fans, they were all exceptional.
It started when I went to my first day, the first day of the tournament. I had rather last minute-ish bought myself some exceptional seats. 5th row in the shade, close to the friends and family box, who ever knew how good it could be? I was lucky, all of us sitting in the area speculated that they had been held and released last minute and we all got lucky. I already had tickets for 3 days in that section and managed to trade in my bad tickets on other days for good ones like that. Rod Laver seats include general admission access to the side courts and I wandered alot as well as enjoying the posh seats.
Oz seems to be more multicultural than the Americas or even London. Every player from every far off nation had multitudes of supporters. The cheering in all those languages! Croatians, unbelievable when I crowded onto a side court to watch some young Croat and the crowds had to fight through. Israelies, Italians, Americans, Serbians, Russians, Chinese, Spanish, oh it is endless. But who knew there were so many French people in Melbourne? That first day when I watched on the Rod Laver Court with great interest as Andrew Murray lost to a very unknown French player, who would have thought what the end of the 2 weeks would culminate in, that Tsonga would in fact go all the way to the finals, and that poor me would be stuck hearing so many permutations of "allez-y" that I will be investing in good quality ear plugs. Almost every match I saw was like a Davis Cup match, and some matches the crowds were in a frenzy that they began escorting some particularily zealous supporters out of the arenas.
Now, this takes us to the Ozzies in particular. ozzie ozzie ozzie oi oi oi. You have heard of Lleyton Hewitt? The infamous match that ran til 3am? Well it is Ok if you haven't. But I am sure you can imagine how "enthusiastic" (to put it mildly) that the Ozzies are about their sporting heroes. It puts myself and all Canadians to shame, this fervour that they have. It is beyond.
Ok, I will make a few more observations about sporting matches, and then I will continue with language:
1) Self-catering in Oz is like a religion. The spreads people pulled out of their soft Eskies! Wine, tea, salads, spreads, desserts. It was the same at cricket, the Grand Prix. It is impressive. Soft Eskies are the way to go
2) Many teenagers and young adults attend cricket, and it becomes like a night club. Cricket? What cricket? Far more important is shouting out "you are a legend", "you are a wanker" and, my personal favourite, "tits out for the boys". Many of these teenagers and young adults are eventually ejected from the stadium for some kind of misdemeanor or another, and we enjoyed the warning messages plastered on the big screens about don't do this or that mere seconds after any of the infractions actually occur. Don't sit near these people, that is all I can say.
3) Cars going around in circles is not fun to watch and the Kiss performance afterwards was not enjoyable even though we heard it clearly from 2 miles away.
4) ozzie rules football is the other religion. We have now been to 2 matches. It is as popular as ice hockey in Canada and football in the UK, and it is a complicated sport played by hooligans. I LOVE IT!
5) at tennis I chatted with loads of interesting people including some young girls from Brisbane who come down for the whole tournament every year, a nice family from the Victorian countryside who were waiting in line for Garnier freebies because like me they arrived early that day in the hopes that the Garnier line would be short and it wasn't, and also a young Canadian Med student who it turned out was the son of a tax partner where I worked years ago and he WINCED when I said I thought his Dad was laid back.
Ok, back to language. G'day mate is not what they all say all the time. It is not so much what they say but HOW they say it, always with a playful lilt. How's it goin', no worries. There are more phrases and now sadly I am at the point where I forget what they are as I am so used to them. I must say, I chuckled to myself the first time I used "no worries" in every day conversation. Up to that point I wanted to kill anyone who said it, and then suddenly I was saying it too.
D and I, though, have found our favourite. "Good on you!" I used it once with D, and then was pondering it and then was surprised when the chef at the restaurant my boss owns, he is from Sheffield, which is in the Peak District in the UK, he used it on me! D and I laughed about it that evening and we realized how brilliant a phrase it is. It works on so many levels, as it can be genuine or tongue in cheek, or both or somewhere in between. It basically says, "Good for you, I really didn't think you were capable of doing that. And now you have in fact done that". Good on ya. Some people actually shorten it to "ONYA!"
So these Ozzies, they speak funny and even though they are very far away from the rest of the civilized world, they really don't mind and they in fact make the most of it.
More later, more to tell you about Melbourne The Cool City...
What kinda title is that? I am chuckling just thinking about it! It started at the Australian Open. Which is what I originally wanted to write about but realized there is a whole lots more wrapped up in it.
The Oz Open was so much better than I expected. Fabulous venue, loads of amazing tennis, but the best part was THE CROWDS, the fans, they were all exceptional.
It started when I went to my first day, the first day of the tournament. I had rather last minute-ish bought myself some exceptional seats. 5th row in the shade, close to the friends and family box, who ever knew how good it could be? I was lucky, all of us sitting in the area speculated that they had been held and released last minute and we all got lucky. I already had tickets for 3 days in that section and managed to trade in my bad tickets on other days for good ones like that. Rod Laver seats include general admission access to the side courts and I wandered alot as well as enjoying the posh seats.
Oz seems to be more multicultural than the Americas or even London. Every player from every far off nation had multitudes of supporters. The cheering in all those languages! Croatians, unbelievable when I crowded onto a side court to watch some young Croat and the crowds had to fight through. Israelies, Italians, Americans, Serbians, Russians, Chinese, Spanish, oh it is endless. But who knew there were so many French people in Melbourne? That first day when I watched on the Rod Laver Court with great interest as Andrew Murray lost to a very unknown French player, who would have thought what the end of the 2 weeks would culminate in, that Tsonga would in fact go all the way to the finals, and that poor me would be stuck hearing so many permutations of "allez-y" that I will be investing in good quality ear plugs. Almost every match I saw was like a Davis Cup match, and some matches the crowds were in a frenzy that they began escorting some particularily zealous supporters out of the arenas.
Now, this takes us to the Ozzies in particular. ozzie ozzie ozzie oi oi oi. You have heard of Lleyton Hewitt? The infamous match that ran til 3am? Well it is Ok if you haven't. But I am sure you can imagine how "enthusiastic" (to put it mildly) that the Ozzies are about their sporting heroes. It puts myself and all Canadians to shame, this fervour that they have. It is beyond.
Ok, I will make a few more observations about sporting matches, and then I will continue with language:
1) Self-catering in Oz is like a religion. The spreads people pulled out of their soft Eskies! Wine, tea, salads, spreads, desserts. It was the same at cricket, the Grand Prix. It is impressive. Soft Eskies are the way to go
2) Many teenagers and young adults attend cricket, and it becomes like a night club. Cricket? What cricket? Far more important is shouting out "you are a legend", "you are a wanker" and, my personal favourite, "tits out for the boys". Many of these teenagers and young adults are eventually ejected from the stadium for some kind of misdemeanor or another, and we enjoyed the warning messages plastered on the big screens about don't do this or that mere seconds after any of the infractions actually occur. Don't sit near these people, that is all I can say.
3) Cars going around in circles is not fun to watch and the Kiss performance afterwards was not enjoyable even though we heard it clearly from 2 miles away.
4) ozzie rules football is the other religion. We have now been to 2 matches. It is as popular as ice hockey in Canada and football in the UK, and it is a complicated sport played by hooligans. I LOVE IT!
5) at tennis I chatted with loads of interesting people including some young girls from Brisbane who come down for the whole tournament every year, a nice family from the Victorian countryside who were waiting in line for Garnier freebies because like me they arrived early that day in the hopes that the Garnier line would be short and it wasn't, and also a young Canadian Med student who it turned out was the son of a tax partner where I worked years ago and he WINCED when I said I thought his Dad was laid back.
Ok, back to language. G'day mate is not what they all say all the time. It is not so much what they say but HOW they say it, always with a playful lilt. How's it goin', no worries. There are more phrases and now sadly I am at the point where I forget what they are as I am so used to them. I must say, I chuckled to myself the first time I used "no worries" in every day conversation. Up to that point I wanted to kill anyone who said it, and then suddenly I was saying it too.
D and I, though, have found our favourite. "Good on you!" I used it once with D, and then was pondering it and then was surprised when the chef at the restaurant my boss owns, he is from Sheffield, which is in the Peak District in the UK, he used it on me! D and I laughed about it that evening and we realized how brilliant a phrase it is. It works on so many levels, as it can be genuine or tongue in cheek, or both or somewhere in between. It basically says, "Good for you, I really didn't think you were capable of doing that. And now you have in fact done that". Good on ya. Some people actually shorten it to "ONYA!"
So these Ozzies, they speak funny and even though they are very far away from the rest of the civilized world, they really don't mind and they in fact make the most of it.
More later, more to tell you about Melbourne The Cool City...
Sunday 11 May 2008
Heather Apologizes For Being So Late!!!
Heather writes...
Hi all, I have been tardy, my my. Sorry!!! :) I have been caught up in living and experiencing. It is time to be introspective now. There is lots to tell, so I will do my best.
Where Do Heather and Diarmuid Live?
Melbourne is at the top of a large bay off the southern ocean. To drive around the bay would take at least 2 hours, if not more, it is HUGE!! The picture is to the left.
We live only a 10 min walk from the bay and THE BEACH! The beach goes on forever, interspersed with some pesky marinas. OOPS, I know D doesn't feel that way. But really, it is glorious and unfortunately I took that photo on an overcast day.
When we first got here, after all the tennis and before Working, I went running along the bay. It was fabulous, the sun beating down, the waves crashing. The wind sometimes is so strong it carries you away, quite literally.
OK, so Melbourne. The centre is a bit inland, along the banks of a river that cuts in from the bay and meanders up to the mountains. Guess it was an ideal spot for a port and all. We live in between the centre and the Bay which is very ideal. It is a 40 minute walk to the centre.
We live in a modern open plan house with fab lighting. Full of big windows which we have very recently discovered are NOT good insulation from the COLD! Anyw
ay, here's a picture of the ground floor. That's all our rental furniture. It felt a bit hotellish for a bit.So we live on a cute little street just off a cute little park, and we are near an amazing food market, as well as a high street with the usual amenities.
D did in fact buy me a bicycle. He neglected to mention the far more important purchase that we did the day we arrived, the BARBEQUE!!!
We had just flown 24 hours to get here, separately I might add as it was a busy Friday night, it was a Sunday, we were tired, so what else is there to do but jump into a car, buy meat, buy BBQ, assemble BBQ, cook, eat and toast our arrival with the superb vintage VC that Janine and Yasmine gave me for my 40th birthday.
Back to the house. We have a big ground floor with a large open plan living/dining area, a separate biggish kitchen and a study at the back. There are garden areas in the front and the back and a tall fence all around for privacy. There is also a car port.
Upstairs are 3 bedrooms with 2 full bathrooms, one of which is en suite with the master.
Clothes:
Well, in usual fashion, I have turned the 3rd bedroom into my closet. What else is a girl to do? I did struggle with it, for like a MINUTE.
There is lots more to share, so I think I will save it while this poor computer recharges and while I eat dinner.
H
xx
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