- Charles Schulz cartoonist (1922 - 2000)
This past springbreak Tina and I had the opportunity to attend our good friends Lucas and Tennielle's wedding. Seems like an easy call right? Except that the wedding was in Melbourne, Australia. Turns out it was an easy call. We packed our bags, boarded a plane and prepared ourselves to set our feet on the dry soil of the lucky land.
We initially met Lucas and Tennielle when we arrived in Muscat three years ago. We quickly became friends spending time exploring Oman, travelling through India and complaining about our daily lives while polishing off mediocre cans of beer. It had been almost a year since we'd last seen them.
We arrived Down Under late at night and were whisked back to chez Craig/Tripp on the wrong side of the road amidst strange perversions of the english language. Catching up with them took us well into the early morning and well into their stash of grog. It was ace seeing them again.
Melbourne is long reported to be among the most liveable cities in the world. We were looking forward to judging for ourselves. A day spent walkng around the city, along the Yarra, watching street comedy in Federation square and a pub lunch had us thinking the rumours might be right. Then an evening at the world famous Melbourne Cricket Ground watching Aussie Rules Football complete with a few pregame beers and a meat pie had us won over.
I had grown up watching the occassional game on TV at early morning hours and spent the entire time totally confused but loving every minute of the knuckle-chucking action. Nowadays, the mullets are gone, the labcoat clad officials are no longer present but the action is fast, the crowd is wildly entertaining and the experience is very unique. Such a completely Aussie event was a perfect to start our entirely too short stay in Oz.
There are certain stuffed animals that I spent my childhood believing were created by stuffed animal companies just for us young kids to enjoy. But my Aussie friends assured me that these things really existed and insisted they could prove it. Off they took us to prove it. Congratulations Australia your animals - kangaroos, platapuses (platapi?), koalas, etc - are incredible.
Tennielle and Lucas are incredibly generous people and they took a week before their wedding and swept us around the stunning coastline of Victoria. The trip took in the world famous Great Ocean road. The road is filled with brilliant coastal views, small colourful towns and monstorous rock formations plunging into the bright blue waters.
We stayed in Apollo Bay, waited for the 50 year storm at Bell's beach, and soaked up the beauty of this area of the world. As a side note we happened upon Bell's during the Rip Curl World Championships. In the few minutes we were there the woman's world champion was changing into her wetsuit right beside our car. As the cool guy that I am I filmed it. What a total loser.
We continued the roadtrip taking a ferry across the mouth of Port Phillip bay, enjoying a meal at what has to be the most stunning pub view around (Portsea pub) and staying at Tennielle's beach house. Finally, we headed to Phillip island to march with the Penguins - appearantely not as many as usual but a pretty impressive sight regardless.
Australia has always struck me as such a strange place on the map. What is this vaguely British influenced culture doing way down there? And what language are they all speaking anyways? In way too short a stay I know that we are glad we made these friends and sure that we will be back again and some point in our lives.
