Port Douglas - Getting There

The day for holiday has arrived!!!

To get to the airport Jen and Daniel had to hire a Maxi Taxi!! I was so very thrilled because I have never been in a taxi before and for my first experience to be in a Maxi Taxi was just too awesome. The seats were stained, the ride was bumpy, the taxi smelled weird, and I couldn't understand a thing the driver was saying... but hey, isn't that all just part of the experience?!

Jen, Daniel, and the kids flew business class and I flew economy because they bought their tickets before they knew I'd be coming and by the time they went to buy them that is all that was left. I really didn't mind though because it meant 3 hours with no kids and no work. Not to mention, economy on Qantas is about 20 steps above any US airline (even though I will always love my SouthWest). Daniel booked me a window seat, which I was so very thankful for, because I don't fly unless I'm in a window seat. The scenery was similar to most flights, you know... sky, clouds, more sky... that kind of stuff. There was also a lot of empty land filled with nothingness, which believe it or not was very cool to look at and try and comprehend that much flat land of nothingness. I was beginning to understand a bit why you wouldn't want to get lost in Australia.

During the flight they offered pillows and blankets. I watched the movie, "What to Expect When You're Expecting", which I cried at 3 times. I ate lunch - pork stir fry (I only ate the pork and rice) with rice and a roll and water. I also had banana caramel ice cream. Lunch was okay, dessert was fantastic!

During descent the scenery almost instantly changed to ocean with beautiful blue water. We arrived at the airport in Cairns to a view of mountains. Because there is no airport in Port Douglas, Jen and Daniel hired a driver to drive us the hour from Cairns to Port Douglas. This ride was smooth, clean, comfortable, smelled nice, and I could understand the driver - complete opposite of the Melbourne taxi ride. The scenery the whole way was gorgeous - mountains and beach.

Cairns Airport

Drive to Port Douglas

Free Hugs

I was talking with an au pair (who I hadn't met yet) and we were making plans for Saturday (9/22). We wanted to go into the city and do a tour of the Gardens or the Shrine or something like that. Then out of nowhere she asks if I've heard of this "free hugs" campaign. She ended up telling me that she was talking with another au pair who was going to do free hugs on Saturday with a group she found called Couch Surfing. Couch Surfing is like a social media network for travelers. I also ended up talking with the other au pair who knew about it to get a little more information on the event. By the end of the two conversations I had plans to give out free hugs on Saturday with some au pairs and people from Couch Surfing.

Saturday morning I spent quite a bit of time Skyping and by the time I was done I only had about 20 - 30 minutes before I had to leave for my train to make it on time, but I wasn't dressed or ready or anything. I tried to get ready quickly, but I wasn't all to motivated and I actually thought about just not going and having a day at home. I got ready, packed my city bag, packed some snacks, and made my free hugs sign, and left. I was a little worried because I was going to be 15 minutes late and I didn't want it to be awkward being the last (very late) person or showing up after they've already started, which could also have been a problem if they already changed location to start hugging. The night before and all morning I kept wondering how this would all go - would everyone think we were nuts and make all our effort pointless? would security try to make us stop? would no one show up?

Luckily, with all the signs, balloons, face paint, bright colors, etc. the group was extremely hard to miss and they were all still on the stairs at Flinders Street Station - our meeting location. I introduced myself and everyone was so welcoming and friendly. The original group included 5 au pairs from the facebook group (myself, 3 French, 1 English), 2 au pairs from Couch Surfing (English and Japanese), 2 locals from Couch Surfing, and 3 travelers from Couch Surfing (1 Italian, 1 American, and 1 I don't remember). Everyone immediately bonded and were instant friends.

We started off our day of free hugs by doing one big group hug with each other and then some individual hugs with whoever was around you from the group. From the start people were showing interest - not by hugging, but by stopping and looking, reading our signs, asking questions, etc. We started diagonally across the street since security at Flinders Street and Federation Square aren't to fond of free hugs. We decided that all in one group we are a bit intimidating and each person was ending up with 12 hugs, so we moved location and broke into groups a bit, while staying in the same general location so we didn't get completely split up.

The Route/Groups: The group I broke off into included Dave (the guy in front with the blue shirt and green free hugs sign) and Rich (who is behind the camera in the above picture). We walked on the opposite side of the street from everyone else because we felt that side was being neglected and needed hugs. We walked up Swanston Street and turned left on Collins Street. We walked the one side of Collins Street, until we hit Elizabeth Street, and then walked up the other side of Collins Street. Then we met up with the rest of the group. As a group we spread out on the corner of Collins and Swanston and hugged. Next about 5 of us walked through a couple arcades, then afterwards met back with the rest of the group and did the same route Dave, Rich, and I had done. As a group we hugged our way up Elizabeth Street to Melbourne Central Station, took a break for lunch, then went out and did some hugging at the State Victoria Library. Afterwards we hugged our way down to Bourke Street (corner of Bourke and Swanston) and stayed there for quite some time. This was the best hugging location because the two streets that made the corner were fairly busy streets and were near some major locations. Every time the light changed there was a new group of people crossing the street from either side of the corner and there was also a constant flow of new people coming in from the two streets that met at the corner. Then we hugged back to the library and finished our day of free hugs there. Our final group consisted of all 6 of us au pairs and then a new addition from Couch Surfing.

Overall people were generally very receptive. We did get some nasty facial expressions, people who practically ran away, people who ignored us, etc., but we just laughed it off and kept going. Honestly, the rejection was completely forgotten about every time someone said yes, because that was really all that mattered. We did discover however, you are more likely to get a hug if you hold your arms open ready and waiting for a hug with your sign in one hand off to the side, than holding it with two hands in front of your body. Okay, okay, okay, enough with the boring logistical stuff - Here are the stories!!

• After a hug with one lady she told me she had just had a tooth out 2 hours ago and really really needed that hug and I hugged her again. (corner of Swanston and Collins)
• I walked to a group of 3 guys (in their 20s) and they refused a hug, well I ended up circling back around several minutes later, reoffering my free hug and after a bit one of the 3 decided he could do with a hug (Collins St)
• I hugged a shop keeper in an arcade (Block or Royal) and one in a shoe store of Melbourne Central (his name was Sam)
• We hugged a guy and he asked us if we would wait because he was meeting his bald headed, big nosed friend Paul (his way of helping us recognize him) and Paul loved hugs. When Paul arrived we all acted very excited to see him (which surprised him since we all knew his name) and gave him a huge group hug. (Melbourne Central)
• I hugged a man who told me afterwards that he is from Auckland, New Zealand and was leaving for home today and then said, "What a beautiful memory to take with me". (Victoria State Library)
• I hugged a woman who was holding the hands of 2, around seven year old girls. While hugging she said, "I've had the worst day. You just don't know how much I needed that". The look on her face was heart wrenching.
• I knelt down to the eye level of an around 4 year old girl who was crying. I said, "My, you look very sad. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and you are holding daddy's hand, you are a very lucky girl. Can I give you a hug to help your tears go away?" She hugged me and by the time she walked off she wasn't crying anymore. 
• Two guys, not together, were walking past me. The first guy said no to the hug, the second guy hugged me. Next thing I know the first guy had turned and circled back around and said, "On second thought, I will actually take that hug". (Melbourne Central)
• A group of 3 very tall guys (in their 20s) were nearby so I asked if they wanted free hugs. When the first guy said yes, his friend decided he should get a hug too, and the 3rd friend decided if everyone else was getting a hug he wanted one too so they group hugged me. Afterwards I looked way up and asked, "Why are you guys all so tall? Do you only hang out with tall guys?" Their response was, "We're English. We're well bred. It doesn't help that you are just a half pint yourself". 
• Standing on the opposite corner I could see a group of 3 guys eyeing our free hugs group so I held up my sign and shouted, "Do you guys want free hugs?!" They shouted back a unanimous, "Yes!" So I ran across the street disregarding crossing lights and cars and into the arms of the big guy who picked me up and spun me around twice (random fact: He's from Spain). The guy with the sunnies and dreds picked me up and spun me around once and we chatted a bit. The other guy hugged so hard I thought I might break. 
• I wasn't part of this hug, but I watched it take place: I was on the escalator with 3 other huggers. 2 were directly behind me, then there was a business man in his suit behind them, and then another hugger behind him. He was kind of standing sideways and the one hugger (behind him) offered a free hug in her loud, bubbly way and he kind of mumbled a no and turned around to put his back to her. His face when he turned around and saw two more free huggers staring at him was absolutely priceless. The 2 asked if he was really going to turn down the free hugs now and he froze. The 3 huggers did what we do best and group hugged the business man. 
• We were on the Melbourne Central side of Swanston Street and all these people on the Library side of the street started yelling that they wanted hugs. Many of these people were dressed as different characters - anime, pirates, cowboys/girls, etc. We ran across the street and gave them all hugs and then chatted about what we were all doing. Turns out they were doing a K-Pop flash mob to Gangnam Style. (I'll try to post a video as an update to this blog, but for now, here's a picture)

Considering we hugged for 5 hours, if I were to share every story the post would go on for days, but these are most of my favorite stories. If I think of any others (I left the list at home) I will update the post. Free Hugging in the streets of Melbourne you run into all kinds of people - travelers, tourists, business people, homeless or close to it, skateboarders, hippies, statue people, circus people, performers, footy fans, etc. You run into people with all different stories - wealthy, lonely, single mother, just attended a funeral, extremely intelligent, etc. You also run into people of all different ethnicity. One of my favorite things about free hugging was watching the people you least expected say yes to a hug - the guy in his suit with his sunnies and briefcase, the big ol' guy in his footy gear, or the preppy guy in his skinny jeans and name brand tee. I also liked watching the joy spill on peoples' faces when you offer them a free hug because they were sure you were just going to skip over them because someone couldn't possibly want to hug them -  the lady with the dirty jacket, missing teeth, and one eye or the guy struggling to speak, with ripped up shoes, selling a newspaper/magazine on the side of the road. The guy I'm hugging in this picture was one of those people:

Even the people who thought we were nuts ended up smiling or laughing, which was what we wanted (to brighten people's days), so we didn't mind. It was surprising how many people asked us why we were doing this, what organization we were with, or if we were psychology students from a nearby university. When they asked why we responded, "Because you are smiling" or "You're smiling aren't you?" People were delightfully surprised to discover most of us were travelers with no other motivation than to simply make people smile. It was cool when at point we were walking in somewhat of a spread out line and if you were in the back of the line, by the smiles on people's faces you could tell who had already had a hug. If you were in the front of the line, rejection didn't matter so much because you knew someone towards the back of the line would get them.

Giving free hugs to hundreds of strangers in a foreign city with no judgement on anyone and for the pure motivation of making people smile on a day with blue skies and sunshine, was such a blessing and wonderful opportunity. It resulted in a day full of new friends, smiles, laughter, and hugs - and as you know... that is definitely my kind of day!! =D

Mali Madness and City Sights

Please bear with me as I am writing this blog over a week after I actually did the following excursion...

How the Mali madness began: I went to the Melbourne Zoo (blog title "Melbourne Zoo - 1st Visit") on a Sunday (9/9) and saw 2 Malis, which I really didn't think much of, other than the fact that the art was beautiful and the message was outstanding. Later that day, Jen and Daniel happened to nonseriously mention going around the city and getting all 50 elephants. I laughed at that because not only did I think that was ridiculously unattainable, I couldn't figure out what the point of doing that would be. Well, the following day (9/10) I mentioned to Jen and Daniel that on Tuesday I would be doing a walk around the city parks (blog title "A Walk In the City Parks"). They then mentioned possibly finding where the other Malis are so I could photograph a couple more. I thought, "Well, if it is on my way in the walk, why not". By the end of Monday night I found myself creating a detailed, step by step list of directions on how to find (and go out of my way to find) 16 more Malis. I did my walk and found all my planned for Malis... or so I thought. That night I discovered one of the Malis I photographed had 2 different sides and I only photographed the one!! I also discovered I entirely missed one of the Malis on my list. I was literally about 5 steps from it and didn't photograph it!! That... That is when the madness began. If you know me... When I set out to do something, I do it and I do it well and I hadn't done this well enough for my standards. To add to the madness I had only one week to find the remaining 31 (plus the missed side and the missed one) Malis before they were collected and taken back to the zoo to be exhibited all together. Probably wondering why I didn't just wait and photograph them all there... that would have been too easy of course. I scheduled my final Mali trip for Monday (9/17) because it was part of Rosh Hashanah so I didn't have to work. Sunday (9/16), AFTER trampolining at Bounce for an hour and turning myself into useless mush (blog title "Sunday Funday") I spent 4 hours (from 8pm-midnight) writing out step by step instructions on how to get to each Mali and where I would find each one (including which tram stops, routes, etc). Oh, there aren't enough parentheses in this post that has only just begun?! (Yeah, I didn't) think so (either). Anyways, as I was sitting there writing these instructions, I kept asking myself why I thought it would be a good idea to take a 9 hour walk around the city after trampolining because I knew I would be beyond sore in the morning. Morning?! Yay! Now I can get to the real meat of the story!

I woke up ridiculously sore, but I forced myself out of bed and down the stairs for breakfast. Part of me didn't want to go do this walk at all... the other part of me kept telling myself it was a brilliant way to get acquainted with the city and see some of its sights and that I would probably never get an opportunity to do something like this again. Plus, I was in Melbourne, Australia and needed to make the absolute most out of my time and experience here (wasn't planning on that including blisters, but oh well, it was worth it). To prepare I packed my typical city bag:
- License for ID
- Debit card and cash
- Zune and headphones
- Camera, both compact and DSLR
- Water and snacks (dried fruit, carrots and cucumber, bagel chips, string cheese)
- Myki (public transport card)
- Umbrella (per Nikki's advice)
- Phone
- And for this time I also packed my 4 pages (front and back on each page) of instructions, directions, and Mali location descriptions and pictures
- There is one other thing I usually pack, but forgot, so I'll let you try and guess until I get to that part in my story

Once my bag was packed I was on my way. I left my house at 9:45. On my walk to the train station I chatted with God a bit, thanking Him for this opportunity of being in Australia (and more particularly, Melbourne) and asking Him to have His hand on my day - providing good weather, ease of locating Malis, ease of public transportation, etc. I arrived at the train station just in time for my train, but instead of trusting my instinct and 4 pages of instructions, I listened to the guy next to me, who said this train wouldn't take me to my destination and so I didn't get on. That's when I met these guys:

I get that their job is ultimate serious life saving crime fighting duty... but a smile wouldn't hurt really. By the way, these guys are TSA (Transportation Security Administration). I worked up the nerve to ask the one who had the least of a scowl if they could help me with which train to get on... His response was a lengthy roundabout way of telling me to get on the next train and switch at Richmond instead of Caulfield. I had to wait another 10 minutes or so for the next train. And then I had the audacity to say (in my head), "Seriously God? This is not a great start..." I got off at Richmond, switched platforms like a pro (which involved walking down stairs to underground through a tunnel then back up some stairs to a different platform), and got on my train to Parliament. When I arrived at Parliament (which is an underground station) I walked in circles quite a bit trying to figure out how to exit onto the street my instructions said to, but never figured it out and just walked to the nearest exit. Here I encountered the tallest escalator I have ever seen in my life.

I got out to the fresh air, looked at my instructions which said to Turn Right down Spring Street away from Little Bourke Street and Princess Theatre... These instructions would have been so easy to follow HAD I REMEMBERED TO PACK MY MAP!!!! <----- This would be the last item on the list that I usually pack but forgot this time. Again, I threw up a "seriously God?" to Him and went on my way walking the wrong direction down Spring Street. It wasn't until I reached the end and saw no Mali that I realized I should have gone the other way - Really not off to a great start here. I walked back up Spring Street, for quite some distance, and saw the Parliament Building and Windsor Hotel. I then finally found my first Mali for the day. I had found it, but was frustrated because this was the Mali I missed on my first Mali outing and from where I was standing with this one I could SEE the other one!! I was seriously that close on that day and missed it. By this point I was frustrated because I felt like I had already expelled so much effort and energy, had only found one elephant, and was way behind schedule. I rethanked God for this opportunity, apologized for my nasty comments, and thanked Him again for the day and the opportunity and then brainstormed a way to fix my lack of map issue. I decided if I passed a hotel that looked friendly enough I would go in and ask if they had a map.

Parliament

On my way to the next Mali I came across a little hotel and they willingly gave me a map and showed me on the map where I was. Then I was off with a new determination to do this. On the way to my next Mali (Rusty Mali) I saw Princess Theatre and Her Majesty's Theatre. Rusty was located in China Town, so I saw a little bit of that too. Rusty is on my list of top 3 favorite Malis. Rusty Mali is made of all different pieces of scrap and rusted metal. There is a faucet at the tip of its trunk, a bike chain lining the underside of the trunk, keys lining the side of the trunk, and the tail is a huge chain. There are saw blades, broilers, locks, washers, bolts, and so much more!

After a bit of walking I decided to take a break and have a snack and realized the architecture of the building diagonally across from me was gorgeous, so I took some photos. I am not entirely sure what it was, but I think it was part of a University. I then found another Mali and then walked a bit more to the State Victorian Library. This library is an icon of Melbourne. It is on books, postcards, things-to-see websites, etc. I was definitely not let down with what I saw. The library's main room is massive and beautifully detailed. It looks like the library they use in movies when people bump into each other and then fall in love. The room is a large circle open from the floor to the ceiling which is easily 6 stories high. The ceiling is a large dome that lets in natural sun light. The desks/tables on the floor are long rows with chairs and lamps all along it. There are balconies around the circle to take in the library's beauty but they also house books and history about the library. Since I was there for just a short time, I plan to go back for a proper tour one day.

After the library I crossed the street and got another Mali then walked around the corner, went inside Melbourne Central and got 2 more Malis. Afterwards, it was time to get on my first ever tram, which just so happened to be one of the older trams, which I was pleased ended up being my first. I got on and off (at Docklands) with no problems. I got one Mali and then walked a bit along the river and got another. Then got on my 2nd tram towards Collins Street. On Collins Street I saw the Intercontinental Hotel which used to be two buildings with an alley between them, but since then the alley has been roofed and walled off and turned into one building. The architecture again is detailed and gorgeous. Inside this hotel I got another Mali. I was supposed to get on another tram, but couldn't quite figure it out so I just decided to walk the distance to the next Mali rather than waste time standing around figuring it out. The next Mali was in Batman Park which I found with no problem. The next was at Crown Casino, which I also found with no problem. On my way to Crown Casino I passed the Melbourne Convention Center and when my mom saw the picture of this buildilng, she said it looked like someone made a mistake in the plans or that there was a hurricane and the building was impaled by the side of a sky scraper and two huge sticks... she's right, it does.

My First Tram Ride

Intercontinental Hotel (Outside)

Intercontinental Hotel (Inside)

Melbourne Convention Center (See, my mom was right)

I walked along the river passed all the Crown Casino stuff to an area called Freshwater Place. There was my next Mali right there. Up until this point I had pretty much been on a roll with these Malis. However, my difficulty in finding this next Mali was not my fault, because as I came to find out it was inside a plaza surrounded by buildings, which from Google maps I couldn't tell was the case during all my planning. I finally found it and was thankful for the bench there to stop and rest and eat a bit more. I believe it was at this point that I ate the remainder of my food, which if you go back and read, there wasn't much to start with anyways. The next Mali wasn't far - right by the Eureka Skytower. Here you can go in and get a 360 degree view of Melbourne and walk off the edge into a glass cube on the side of the building and just have a sheet of glass between you and the many many many stories below (I will be seeing/doing this at some point). Just across the way were my next two Malis and a short walk from there were my next two, one of which was the self-portrait. Self-Portrait is also on my list of top 3 favorites because it was painted by the elephant that this whole exhibition and fundraiser is based off of. At this point I was slightly over half way through with my elephants.

Eureka SkyTower

With the Self-Portrait Mali

I walked over the river across this really neat bridge. What made it neat was that the bridge itself was actually an exhibit titled "The Travelers Exhibit". There are 126 glass panels from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe with figures and dates for when, why, and what type of people came to Australia. At the end of this bridge was another Mali. I walked along the river and Flinders Street Station towards Federation Square to rephotograph the Mali that I saw on my first trip out that had two different sides, which I was unaware of, and I wanted both. Next I got on a tram towards the Botanic Gardens and Shrine of Remembrance. The Shrine of Remembrance is impossible to miss. It is massive, in the middle of a lot of green, and is unlike the other architecture of Melbourne. The Shrine of Remembrance is filled with history and sad stories, but it is also filled with bravery and selflessness. I walked through and took in the gorgeous view, but I plan to go back one day for a proper tour. There were no Malis here, but it was on the way to the gardens where there were 3. I only got a small glimpse of the gardens since I was on a mission for the Malis, but from what I saw, the gardens are extraordinary!! At one point I was for sure I had left the city of Melbourne and stepped into a rain forest. The green of the trees was so rich and they bent over the walkway creating that typical rain forest canopy. On my way I out I happened across a Golden Wattle Tree, which is the floral emblem of Australia. The flowers are yellow and look a lot like a bottle brush. The yellow of the flower and the green of the leaves is where Australia gets its sports colors from.

Travelers Exhibit

Flinders Street Station (I only included this because it is better than the Flinders Street Station picture in my other blog post)

The Shrine of Remembrance

The View From the Top Balcony of the Shrine of Remembrance

Same as Above With Eureka SkyTower In Background

The Royal Botanic Gardens

The Golden Wattle

At this point in my journey I was getting seriously hungry, my feet hurt so bad, I was tired, the sun was on its way down, and I was just ready to call it quits and either come back out for the rest the next day or wait and get them at the zoo. Luckily, my stronger half wouldn't let myself stop now after coming this far and kept telling me that I could do this. I trammed to my next Mali and then trammed (for quite some time) again to the next 3 (which were some distance apart, but not too far to walk). By now the sun was really starting to set and it was getting darker outside, but I only had 2 more locations to get to, so I kept on. Next I had quite a walk ahead of me to the University of Melbourne for Mali #45. Then I trammed to the Queen Victoria Market. When I got off the tram, I saw a McDonalds and didn't even hesitate. I hadn't had McDonalds in 2 months (which is something considering I had it like once every week or 2 back home). I went in ordered the cheapest thing on the menu - a $2.10 hamburger - went outside and practically ate it in one bite. I knew I was hungry, but I guess I wasn't aware of just how hungry I was. After refueling I was ready to get my final Malis - 4 at the market, each at a different point around the perimeter of the market, and 1 at the hospital.

After the market Malis I trammed to the Children's hospital, but not without becoming THAT girl first. I was just walking away from photographing one of the Malis trying to figure out where the tram stop was when I saw a tram pull up and happened to just catch a blurry glimpse of the route number and destination. I was quite a ways away (hence the blurriness), but that was MY tram and it only came every 10 minutes or so and with the sun setting quickly, 10 minutes was precious time. I literally ran, crossing streets and tram tracks with no pedestrian crossing, to the tram and I'm pretty sure I flew up the stairs. This tram was packed, which was frustrating because it was a decent length ride and my feet were screaming at me. By the time I got the children's hopsital for my last Mali there wasn't much sun left. Luckily, the Children's Hospital was hard to miss and the lobby was of course right there when you walked in the doors. For the sake of not getting admitted to a different type of hospital myself, I resisted the urge to barge threw the revolving door at full speed towards my last and final Mali and wrap my arms around it and then collapse at its feet while screaming I REALLY FREAKING DID IT!!!! Instead I just calmly and quietly photographed it like it was any other Mali. I then walked around the hospital a bit - saw an aquarium, a meerkat exhibit, and the children's indoor outdoor playground. I then walked back to the lobby and photographed Mali #50 one last time before leaving.

With My 50th and FINAL Mali!!! =D

When I walked out it was officially dark. Luckily I only had one tram to catch to the train station and one train to catch home. Until... I remembered a Mali that I had photographed on my first trip that had construction tape tied to its nose and I really wanted a picture without that. I got off the tram before the train station, walked to this Mali's location, photographed it, and walked to the train station. On my walk there I was checking my public transport app and it said I had 8 minutes to catch the train home or I'd have to wait another 10 minutes for the next one. I picked up my pace quite a bit and then ran once I reached the station. I made it to the platform on time, but the train was a few minutes late. As I stood there (why I didn't sit, I don't know) looking over the platforms to the night sky and all the city lights, including Flinders Street Station and Victoria University, I thought to myself... Nikki, you really really are in Melbourne,Australia and you really really just navigated the entire city all on your own, public transportation and all - you really really are living out this dream of 12 years.

The train ride home was fairly quiet. I got a text from Jen and Daniel that was actually quite cute. I couldn't ask for better host parents. When the train arrived at my home station I literally ran home - 1) It was way too dark for my comfort and there were no street lights and 2) That is just how very bad I wanted to be home. I got home around 7:20, so that's... 9 - 10 hours of being out and about on trains and/or around the city. The first thing I did when I walked in the door was sit down on the couch and take my shoes off to assess the damage done to my feet. I had two large blisters (which I will spare you of seeing), but other than that all was good (until the following morning when I could barely move at all). I had some dinner and chatted about my day with Jen and Daniel then went to turn in for the night only to find my bed absolutely covered in stuff from rushing to get ready and out the door. When all I wanted to do was climb into my bed and pass out... I found myself cleaning my entire room before I was able to finally lay down for the night. So the moral of the story is - Plan so that you have enough time to put things away as you take them out so when you want to use your bed you can.

                                

The tram rides were probably the one area of this trip that worried me the most - which side of the road is my stop, which of the 8 stops I can see is mine, which tram is the right one, how do I know which stop to get off at, etc. My first tram ride was easier than expected, but I did run into some issues with others in not finding the right stop or the right tram so I ended up having to walk once or twice instead. In the end though, trams were no longer this big, foreign, scary thing. I can successfully get on and off at the right places about 98% of the time. Another cool thing about this specific trip is that I got to see so much of the city in one day, but I only got to see snippets of each sight. This lets me know what I want to go back and see for a proper tour or longer period of time, so now I have a nice list of things to see/do in Melbourne. Once I got passed the "This task is too daunting and this day isn't going as planned" period I found myself smiling with each spotting of a new Mali, which is part of what kept me going. Each Mali was one step closer to meeting my ultimate goal of finding all 50 elephants. With each Mali I got to see a new and exciting piece of this wonderful city. Also, with each Mali I got to see a new and original piece of art. I can't wait to see them all together at the zoo!! This blog hardly captures everything that took place on this day, all the sights I saw, all the things I heard, all the experiences I had, but it is a good glimpse into the day.

It may seem strange that I chose to go on this excursion alone, but I did so for a few reasons: 1) There was no one to slow me down but me, 2) No one else would probably be crazy enough to do this, 3) If someone else is around you tend to rely on them and I wanted to learn to do the tram systems and navigate the streets on my own because someone won't always be there, and 4) It was really a cool experience to just spend the day with myself. Living with the family, being part of a church, and having au pair friends, I am either always around a ton of people or I am alone in my room, so spending some quality time out and about with myself was a really cool way to take in the sights with a fresh mind and without other people's opinions and it was also cool to learn  that I am capable. You'd think after getting on a plane and flying 9,900 miles away from my home, family, Munkie, and friends that I would already know that I am capable, but sometimes it's nice to be reminded.

Sunday Funday

If someone asked me to describe my perfect day, it probably would have went a bit like this past Sunday:

     I woke up and had a little praise and worship jam session to Israel and FFH (these 2 seem to have become my go-to Christian music) in my room while getting ready for church. I then drove myself to church in the manual with no stalling, getting honked at, or getting lost and I made it on time! Church was wonderful, but then again, when it is not? 

     After church I met with an au pair friend of mine for lunch. I met her at a train station, which I drove myself to in the manual. From there we walked to a little clothing store so she could show me the clothes and introduce me to the owner, because they chat every time she goes to this suburb. He was funny and really nice and the clothes are actually pretty cute/cool as well. He told us about this little cafe around the corner and said we should try it out. So the two of us went and had lunch there together. I had the Giant Banana Pancake (topped with maple syrup and vanilla icecream), a side of scrambled egg, and a hot chocolate.  It was the first time I'd ever had a pancake that was something other than plain buttermilk. It was very very yummy and very very giant! The eggs weren't quite done enough for me, but I ate half of them anyway because I wanted the protein. And I downed the hot chocolate in seconds it was so good. I don't know what secret these Australians have when it comes to making hot chocolate, but everyone seems to make amazing hot chocolate. We stayed at the cafe well after we were finished eating and the only reason we left was because they were closing for the day (which was at 2pm). 

     We ended up walking down the strip until we ran out of shops, crossing the street, and walking back up the strip until we hit the train line. As we were standing there trying to say good-bye we just couldn't stop talking. Then, knowing she only lived one suburb over from me, I thought maybe I could drive her home (I shocked myself with this thought considering I hate driving and I had the manual). I asked her what street she lives on and it ended up being one I pass on the way home. When I told her I could probably drive her, she was very excited and thankful. Taking the train would require her to wait another 10 minutes for the train and once she arrived at her train station she would then have a 15-20 minute walk home. I made it to her house like a pro and made it home as well with no problems. Throughout the 2.5 hours we were together the two of us could not stop talking. Conversation was so easy and smooth. There was never that awkward, I didn't understand you moment, or that awkward silence where you rack your brain for questions to ask or something interesting to say. The conversation was even, with no one overpowering it, and just flowed. When I dropped her off we both mentioned that this was probably the nicest time we had had with another au pair and made plans to hang out again. It also turns out that she and her 2 year old boy go to the same park that Ben and I went to last week, so we're hoping for a play date soon. It's really nice to have found a friend who lives so close and has a lot in common with me - we are both au pairing and are away from our families (of course), her host parents and the relationship she has with them are a lot like mine, and she is fun and outgoing. It's also nice because we can understand where each other are coming from when we talk about temper tantrums, kids not eating, issues in the house, etc. 

     I got home around 2:45 or so and the house was really quiet, so I took the opportunity to turn my Sonos on to my Christian playlist and get started on some Bible notes. I did this for about an hour or so, but then it was time to get ready. Ready for what? TRAMPOLINING OF COURSE!!

     Around 4:20 I left to go to Bounce Inc. with my church's Young Adults group for an hour of trampolining. Pulling up we noticed there were a lot of kids (mostly around 8-11 years old). At first I was worried this might put a damper on our fun, but it seemed as though as soon as our feet hit the trampolines for the first time, it didn't matter who else was around or what they were doing, we all turned into 12 year olds. Everyone was laughing, jumping, all smiles, sweaty, short of breath, and clearly excited. There were 4 sections, but we mainly used 3 of them - Free Bounce, Dodge Ball, and Foam Pit. Free Bounce consists of over 50 interconnected trampolines that include angled ones on the wall. Dodge Ball also consists of several interconnected trampolines also angled on the walls in a sectioned off area. There are 2 dodge ball "courts". Foam Pit consists of 3 runway trampolines and 2 side/angled trampoline walls and a 5 foot deep foam pit at the end.

     During the first free bounce session I just jumped and did some straddles, pikes, leaps, etc. It's amazing how perfect my form and flexibility becomes on the trampoline. We then went to the foam pits where I managed to do a front flip off the trampoline into the foam. I thought that was going to be the hard part... the real hard part? Getting OUT of the foam!! Whoever designed that wasn't thinking very well. Then we went and all played dodgeball together. I hate dodgeball, but on trampolines (with people who aren't trying to knock your head off) it was a lot of fun! There were a few kids on the court with us though, so it would have been more fun with just our group. The first game I managed to stay in through to the end, when the little girl next to me got the last person on the other team out. The second game I stayed in until there were 2 or 3 left on each side. I only got out because this crazy 11 year old boy who threw like a seasoned baseball pitcher threw a ball at me and coming straight for my face, I decided to block my face instead of attempt to catch it. After this we went back to the foam pits where I managed to jump onto the side angled wall and into the foam, but not without a first failed attempt at this. We decided to top off the hour of trampolining with one last free bounce session. I got up the guts to do front flips and after that I just did them over and over again. I also ran up the wall, sat, and slid back down, which was fun and didn't require quite as much effort as all the jumping. Unfortunately, I didn't think about how much physical exertion trampolining for an hour (or 5 minutes for that matter) would require and didn't bring my inhaler. Luckily though, with a few breaks, between sessions, of my hands over my head and some deep breaths I was able to jump for the whole hour without needing my inhaler or needing to stop all together. 

Up Front - Foam Pit, To Left - Performance Trampolines and Foam Pit, On Either Side of Green Patch in Middle - Dodgeball Cours, In the Back Under the "Free Jumping Area" - Free Bounce

Successful Attempt at Jumping On the Side Wall

Free Bounce Area

The Amazingness That Is 2 Nikki's Doing the Same Awesome Thing At the Same Time Unplanned

Dodgeball Court

After Bounce Inc. I came home to a house full for the beginning of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). They all had so many questions about Bounce Inc, but while I got to tell them about it I got to dig into some yummy sweet sultana Challah (my favorite kind), orange and carrot salad, rice, and chicken and tomato sauce. Afterwards, I showered, said good night, and then spent the next 4 hours preparing for my trip around the city to get the last 32 Mali elephants (<--- Next post!!).

A Walk In the City Parks

Tuesday (9/11), I went to a different part of the city that I hadn't been to yet. My plans were to see some alleys/lanes, arcades, a couple cathedrals, and the gardens. While on this walk, I decided to heighten the level of difficulty and planned to find 17 more of the 50 elephants around the city. 2 other au pairs joined me on this excursion, but they aren't worth mentioning unless you want to hear about how I had to pull conversation out of them, listen to them complain about how warm/hot it was, and they didn't want to go inside anything or take pictures of anything...

The Walk: Melbourne has 7 self-guided walking tours mapped out and described in brochures. Each one has a different topic/theme. The one I chose to do was "A Walk In the Park". It is a 3.75 km (2.25 mile) walk that is supposed to take 2 hours.

The Elephants: They are part of an exhibition titled "Mali in the City" that features 50 life-sized painted baby elephant sculptures inspired by Mali, the Zoo's first Asian Elephant calf, to celebrate Melbourne Zoo's 150th Anniversary in 2012. On August 10th they were placed in different locations around the city and will be collected at the end of next week (yes, I am getting a severely late start to finding them), taken back to the zoo for an exhibition there (which I will go see), and then auctioned off in mid-October as a fundraiser to fight extinction of animals.

And with that... my first official excursion into the city of Melbourne begins!! 

     At 10:23 I got on the train for the 22 minute or so ride into the city. I arrived at Flinders Street Station at 10:45. I went to the visitor's center to get the map/brochure of the walk and while there, found 3 of the 17 elephants. At 11:00 I started a walk that I had mapped out for myself using Google maps. I walked up Swanston Street to get pictures of 5 more elephants. 1 of the 5 included an elephant painted by Graeme Base (one of my favorite children's authors and illustrators!!). His elephant was titled "Night and Day" and as visible in the picture below, one half is black while the other has leopard spots. This idea actually came from a 2004 book of his titled "Jungle Drums" where the animals shift and change color and body shapes. I also got pictures of two iconic Melburnian statues. The one titled "Three business men who brought their own lunch; Bathman, Swanston, and Hoodle" was sculpted by to Melburnian sculptors and unveiled in 1994 as a gift of the people and government of Nauru. It consists of the 3 tall, skinny, small headed guys in suits, carrying bags/lunches and looking in different directions with different expressions. The Weather Vanes are the second set of statues that I saw. There are 4 weather vanes on the corner of Bourke and Swanston Streets - a horse, pig, fish, and bird. Each animal symbolizes an aspect of melbourne - culture/sport, hope/future, waterways, and parks/gardens (respectively). They are quite tall and the animals are made of copper with gold detail. The artist was actually born in the US, but moved to Australia when he was 34 . I only got a picture of the horse and pig (why? I don't know), so I plan to go back for pictures of the other two.

     Next, I walked down Bourke Street to get another elephant and to see the Royal Arcade. Then I walked down Elizabeth and Collins Street to see the Block Arcade. Both Arcades (no, not games) used color and architecture that made them look clean and sophisticated. A shade of cream was used for the main color and large columns/pillars lined the sides with finely detailed archways over the center. Directly above the archways was a ceiling constructed with a material that appeared to allow sunlight in as a lighting source. The Royal Arcade had large semi-circle glass panes over each store front, while the floor tiling in the Block Arcade used several different colors and was patterned like a Persian rug. I plan to go back and actually go in and look around at the shops.

     This walk looped me back around to Flinders Street Station. By this time it was 11:30, I had been out for an hour, and hadn't even started the actual 2 hour walk yet. I sat on a large, granite block thing listening to some guy sing and play guitar while I looked out at St. Paul's Cathedral and Federation Square to eat "lunch” (dried apple, cashews, and bagel chips). As I was eating "lunch" here I tried really hard to wrap my head around the fact that I was really really in Australia... but I couldn't do it.

With Graeme Base's Elephant

The Royal Arcade

     After this short break I began the (what should have been) 2 hour walk through part of the city. I started with some pictures of Flinders Street Station, which has got to be the coolest train station ever. For a train station, it is unimaginably large. When inside it feels very modern and kind of looks like a mall, but when you walk outside, it's age becomes much more apparent. Along with its size, the yellow, green, and red coloring and the many fine details make it a frequently photographed building. Another cool feature of Flinders Street Station are the several world time clocks along the front. When looking at the picture below, right above the opening there are several small white circles - those are clocks showing the different times around the world. FUN FACTS: Flinders Street Station opened in 1854 and was the first city railway station in Australia. 

     Next on the list was St. Paul's Cathedral. The Cathedral is done in brick so the coloring was brown and dull. It was the details and towers however that made it so amazing to look at. There were several arched windows, 3 large towers, and change in color of bricks to add design. The outside was enough to try and take in, but then I walked to the front doors. I felt like a Keebler elf walking up to a home of the people that eat their cookies.. Or in other words, I felt small. The door was underneath and archway that was at least 2.5 times my height. And while the door wasn't that tall, the stained glass pattern on the door continues past the door to make it feel much bigger. As soon as I stepped inside I felt like a 2 year old in a candy store - eyes wide and taking it all in. Not to mention, I now felt more like a Borrower (Google it) in the home of a "big person" than a Keebler elf. I have never been in a Cathedral before, so I was blown away. Everything was large, detailed, dark, old, and historical. Down the center was a long aisle of colored, detailed, tile floor with two deep rows of pews on either side. Along the sides were large stone archways opening to aisles along the edges. Above these archways were many smaller archways, and above those were several arch shaped windows. Along the edges/side aisles there were different historical pieces such as a baptismal font (that had been there since the Cathedral was built) and the "Chapel of Unity" where a pope prayed with an archbishop. The front was filled with several detailed, wooden seats, benches, a pulpit, a table, and an alter. FUN FACTS: The foundation stones were laid in 1880. It was consecrated and opened in 1891, and the spires were completed in 1933. The tallest tower is 96.7 metres (317 feet) tall. I didn't get to spend as much time inside as I would have liked and didn't get to ask any questions, so I plan to go back when I have more time.

     I really can't believe that for some people these large, historical, detailed buildings are just a part of their everyday lives and they no longer even think twice about them. 

Flinders Street Station

St. Paul's Cathedral

Inside St. Paul's Cathedral

     Next on the walk was The Treasury Gardens. Here I found 1 more elephant along with a JFK memorial. The pond portion of the memorial was closed, so I plant to go back for that. I thought the pond would just be a little circle area of water with a fountain maybe, but it was much more. The pond area is more like a large stream that forms a free flowing shape weaving around a sitting area. It is lined on one side with a short rock wall and on the other side with bushes, plants, and flowers. There was also a huge stone portion to the memorial which had JFK's face on it and a plaque.

     The next stop was the Fitzroy Gardens (where I should have found another elephant, but over looked and had to come back for later on). Here I saw the conservatory which was small, but very beautiful and smelled wonderful. The conservatory had many of the same type of small (daisy like) flowers, but had them in different shades of pink, purple, and blue. There were a couple benches, a short rock wall for sitting, and a small, cute wood and black wrought iron bridge. Cook's Cottage is also found in the Fitzroy Gardens. It is a very small cottage made of brick with a garden around the back. Captain Cook made the first European contact with the east Australian coastline in 1770. I plan to go back and actually go inside. FUN FACTS: It was shipped from Great Ayton in Yorkshire and re-erected in Fitzroy Gardens in 1934 as a Victorian centenary gift. I also saw Sinclair's Cottage. This cottage was also made of brick, but seemed slightly more modern than Cook's. This cottage is not open to the public, so I just had a quick look at the outside. FUN FACT: It was built in 1864 and was home to James Sinclair and his family. James was a renowned horticulturalist and established the Fitzroy Gardens in the 1860s. 

     Further into the gardens I came to the Fairy Tree. The Fairy Tree is about 2 times my height, and has no branches or leaves. It does have, however, carvings of fairies, dwarfs, gnomes, and Australian animals around the bottom of the trunk. The tree is over 300 years old and is one of the original Red Gum trees in the Gardens. FUN FACT: The carvings were done in 1931-1934, years after the death of the tree, so in 1977 the tree was removed for chemical treatment and removal of rotted wood, then remounted on a concrete base. Next to the Fairy Tree was the Model Tudor Village. This was a small area with a fence around it, closed off to the public. Within the perimeters of the fence was a paved walkway, several tiny bushes and trees (as well as a couple larger ones), and several miniature houses and other buildings made out of a kind of dried clay like substance. FUN FACT: The Model Tudor Village was presented to Melbourne by the citizens of Lambeth, England in appreciation of gifts of food dispatched from Victoria to England during food shortages following World War 2. Before leaving Fitzroy Gardens the last sight was a fountain called River God, which was sculpted by Melbourne's foremost early sculptor. FUN FACT: The sculpture/fountain is not currently in it's original location as it was removed at some point, stored, and then relocated some years later to where it is now.

     Both the Treasury and Fitzroy Gardens were absolutely beautiful. It was crazy to look between the leaves of a tree and see all the skyscrapers, but then look elsewhere and just see grass, flowers, fountains, trees, etc. It really felt like an escape from the city. It was neat to see how many people where utilizing the gardens for reading, chatting, eating, exercise, sunbathing, etc. rather than just taking these beautiful things for granted.

JFK Memorial

Cook's Cottage

Fairy Tree

Model Tudor Village

Fitzroy Gardens

     Next on the walk was St. Patrick's Cathedral (which can be seen in the picture above - the tall red/brown tower). This Cathedral was just as big as, if not bigger than, St. Paul's. It was also just as detailed. The window on the front was much larger though. The brick color however, was much darker. I didn't get to go up close to really feel the massiveness of the building, but you can and you can go inside, so I plan to go back to do that. There was also some kind of construction going on, so that affected the pictures a bit. After the Cathedral I saw some of the government buildings. [Side Note: At this point it was 2:30 and I broke away from the other 2 au pairs and went on my own.] I needed to break away from the mapped walk and find three elephants that were slightly out of the way. I found one with no problem. I headed back to the Fitzroy Gardens to find the one I overlooked (which I found with a little difficulty).
     Now it was time to find the elephant in the Collin's Place valet driveway. I had the location, I had 2 different maps, and I had Google maps out on my phone and I found Collin's place, but no valet driveway. I went in stores nearby and asked people, no one really knew. I walked in a couple small circles and turned around several times. I finally decided I was going to just walk into Collin's place and ask someone there. It took me so long to make this decision because everyone that I saw walking in or out of there was dressed in their nicest clothing and I was in jeans and a tee. I didn't want to break some unwritten rule that I knew nothing about and be THAT tourist. Anyways, so I walked in and asked someone working the counter at a CD/movie shop and he didn't know what I was talking about, but luckily the guy in line knew what I was talking about. After trying to give me verbal directions and seeing me fail to understand, he gave up and said, "Ah, forget everything I just said. I'll walk you there, just come with me." Luckily, it was like a 20 second walk and it was right there. There was no way though that I would have found that on my own. To my delight, the elephant was beautiful and worth my trouble. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral

The Hidden Elephant

     By this point my feet were screaming, I was for sure there were blisters, I was sweating, and wishing the walk was over and the train was right next to me. The last sights were on my way (sort of) to the train station and I had come this far, so I had to finish it. The next stop was Birrarung Marr, which is Melbourne's newest park. I saw this massive mosaic sculpture that was 33 feet tall and kind of had two heads. I snapped pictures of 3 more elephants and some aboriginal art. I saw the Federation Bells which are 39 electronic bells ranging in size from a small handbell to a bell that stands 1.8 metres (6 feet tall) and weighs 3.5 tons. The next and last stop was a bridge over the Yarra River which gives a great view of the city. On the way to the train station , I am just exhausted and my feet are in a lot of pain, I walked by an ice cream place and did a double take. I decided I seriously deserved some ice cream after all the hard work I put in. I got a single scoop of cookies'n'cream ice cream and was admittedly pleased by the fact that the cup and spoon were my favorite color. 

Federation Bells

City View From Bridge

My Sweet Treat     

     I had no idea what time the train was coming, so I just went to my platform to wait for it. By the grace of God I arrived at my platform just 2 minutes before my train home arrived. 2 minutes later and I would have had to wait an additional 10 minutes. As soon as I got home (around 4:00) the shoes and socks came off and blisters showed up - no wonder my feet were in pain. I went upstairs to cross the elephants off my list and realized that I freaking missed one!!! After all that trouble, I was right across the street from one and didn't get it!! In addition to that, I discovered that one of the elephants had a different scene on both sides and I didn't know that and only photographed the one side!! While I was mad about the two elephants, I was pretty proud of myself for successfully getting out (and back) on my own and seeing so much in one day. Now I have a good list of what I need to go back and do more extensively - and hopefully I can do those things with someone (preferably someone fun)!!