Back in Noosa

I’m back in Noosa after my 2 weeks adventure travel towards the south and west from my base camp here in Sunshine Coast.  Back in Noosa and back in normal training routine, after some days of only running in Alice Springs due to a broken pool…

Noosa national park

First here was food shopping, and I have to say: I love Australian supermarkets. At least the products, not so much the prices, but what can I do? Lots of local (!!) fresh veggies and fruit, even the normal products wear the label “Australian made”, so it’s easy to behave environmentally correct in this country. In general I see more natural products here than in Spain and not so many precooked and refined stuff. That supposes better dates in weight statistics, but no, I had a look on some numbers: comparing Germany, Spain and Australia, Australia has the highest index of obesity in men (25,6%), but the lowest in overweight (men and women). Spanish women lead in obesity (21,5%)  and overweight (32,2%), German men in overweight (45,5%). In children’s statistics Spain leads before Australia and Germany.

 I definitely see less overweight children here than in Spain and I’ve seen something I’ve never seen before: Sunscreen distribution in the girls changing room! Some 7 year old girls applying sunscreen (factor 30) to each other. They  grow up with the conscience of the ozone hole and too many cases of skin cancer… and the sun is really strong here! I’ve never tanned so quickly, even with factor 30. I think you can imagine how stupid the tan line on your forehead can look after a swim with a swim cap on?

Well, what I’m basically doing here is training. Swim, bike, run; every day. And I’m starting to harvest the fruits of it. It’s good to see how the body adapts (slowly) to what you’re requiring. And at the moment it’s the one thing I’m focused on. I was hesitating about do more traveling before the Sydney race, but time goes by quickly and I’ll stay here on the Sunshine Coast, training and doing some tourism around here. After Sydney I’ll go towards north, for diving and adventure. Still not sure about the final plan, but I’ll figure it out.

The “work” I’m doing here is quite physical, but also mental. I came to Australia to disconnect and find myself and I’m really finding myself. It’s interesting; it’s hard and annoying sometimes. During the training I’m happy, that’s why I’m getting up at 5a.m. almost every day, because it’s what I “have to do”. But later in the day I start to struggle sometimes by being alone so much. It’s easy to say: go out, meet people.  My first experience about that was in Melbourne when I observed people there. I do go out. And Aussies are really communicative people you can get into a chat with. It’s all about self confidence. My lovely friend Matt told me: don’t care what people think of you. And I try, but that’s me. I cannot not care. I’m getting better, but it’s a continuous internal fight with me. At the end I think this makes me stronger.

There’s no one who pushes me, no one who tells me what to do. It doesn’t matter if I do or don’t do something. But I do it. I’m pushing me to do it.

I went out yesterday evening. First try: a bar I’ve read about in the Lonely Planet. I find myself sitting at the bar with a drink, no people around at all, but the bartenders to chat with. They are kind of funny. The rest of the clients are from another generation than I am… Next try: surf club. My idea: cool, young, funny surf people. So I walk in there and…  what’s that? That’s so not the clients I’ve expected here! My dad would be comfortable here, but that’s not the plan! I start to laugh about myself. But I don’t give up and drive to the other surf club down in Sunshine beach, walk in there, thinking: all good things come in threes. I take a deep breath and put together all my self confidence and my pretty me and… NOTHING. I’m sure even in the local golf club are younger people hanging around. That’s unfair. So I went to the wine shop, got a bottle of red and went home with a Pinot Noir.

I’m becoming aware of what it means to have an established social network where you’re living. I had one in Spain and I’ll have to build up a new one once I’m back in Germany. But honestly, I think it will be easier there than down under, because:

If you are settled in a place you are able to build a stable social network, I experienced that in Germany and later in Spain. It takes time, but once it started you don’t even notice how it is growing. Over here I am one in a million who come and go. I have a different focus on things here than “my” triathlon people. I’m training and enjoying it, but there’s more for me to discover and to do. Go out e.g.  And for me, Triathlon is not a job, for most people here it is. I think I can’t just expect them to change their routines and care about an average age grouper girl that stays here for vacation. And I don’t expect it at all.

There are a few lovely ones who dedicate some of their time and make me feel a little bit important, or less unimportant…  I had a beautiful BBQ with them last Saturday.

I think if I wouldn’t have a social network elsewhere, I’d definitely drive nuts. The longer I stay here, more I’m looking forward to be surrounded by my family and close friends. I miss them, but t to know that I have them is my emotional survival kit.

Summary:

-          Friends are priceless

-          Family is grounding you

-          Most people are married or in a relationship

-          I don’t know if I want to get married

-          Australia has the most amazing starry sky I’ve ever seen

-     I'm getting faster

And

-          A good girl’s chat  is soul healing!

Special thanks to Jutta, Lu and Jules ;) you made my day!

A journey to the center

Yesterday, 21^st March I got to the center of Australia and to my own center in certain way. Emu run tours started at 6 am the one day trip to Kata Tjuta and Uluru. I’d like to have done the 2 days trip which included Kings Canyon as well, but 500 bucks was a little bit too much to spend in 2 days. And that way I have a reason to come back …

Soon it was clear that we would have good fun with our tour guides Tic and Kevin, typical Aussie fellows with a pretty naughty sense of humor. After 4h and a bit on the bus with several stops for loading and unloading coffee and an educative movie about the explorers who discovered the way from south to north Australia and sated up the Alice Springs telegraph station, we had our first preview of THE ROCK. Actually during the 450km ride we stopped to take some pics of Mt. Connor a big rock too, but right now I don’t even know if it’s a monolith too… anyway, from far away and with a little bit of imagination it looks like a giant tooth brush

About 50k before actually hitting Uluru we had our first sight at it, majestic already. But we still had to wait to get there, first was Kata Tjuta, the Olgas. Sincerely I’ve never heard of them before and can’t tell if they are monoliths like Uluru. There are 36 big rocks in the middle of the outback, standing there, upright and proud like the big one, but with an interesting appearance…

We’ve been dropped off the bus for a 40min walk into one of the valleys, between Mount Olga and the one just next to it (I forgot the name), despite the nasty annoying flies sitting in your face every 2 seconds it was a quiet and peaceful experience. Again, so much green around I haven’t expected. Walking into the valley I was really impressed by the beauty of this place, a red rock on my left, Olga, 546m high, and another on one the right, a footpath in the middle you are required not to leave because of the sacred aboriginal land you’re walking on. And you can feel it. If there wouldn’t be these flies… I felt like a horse or a cow maybe, using a little scarf as a tail to keep them away. Or these religious thing where they walk  punishing themselves hitting their backs with a kind of a stick, must have looked really funny… if you get your picture taken it is really means exercising your patience and self control, they are everywhere!

this las pic: with a bit of imagination you see Homer and Marge Simpson ;)

Kata Tjuta was an amazing experience already and a preview to the big rock, Uluru in aboriginal language, Ayers Rock in Australian. They have built an interesting educative visitors center, where you are told the traditions and skills of the aboriginal tribes, about their food, their way to hunt, to live. There’s also placed the so called sorry book: The only things you can leave on these sacred places is your footprint. The only things you’re allowed to take are memories and photographs. There are people that have taken a stone or something of Uluru as a souvenir, but even after 10 years or more they send them back with a letter, apologizing for their fault. I’ve read some of them. Some have experienced cumulated bad luck, diseases, losses… you can’t tell if it’s because of the rock, but at the end they feel sorry about having violated the aboriginal will. And at the end they feel that they have to give their piece back to where it belongs.

We went on, on our journey to the rock, dropping one of the girls off for the climb, 1,6km up the rock. I’ve thought about it but I’ve read so much about it and it I’s again against the aboriginal will to climb it and I’m really interested in the tjukurpa, the aboriginal stories about the rock we are told about by our 2 guides.

So we’re starting our immersion in the old stories about the rock, how it was created and how it got all its scares, holes and injuries, being scenery of huge fights between Mala, a wallaby creature, Kuniya, a snake kind of creature, a dingo (of that I’ve forgotten the name), able to change its appearance….

A special for my andalusian followers:

Para los andaluces entre vosotros: sí, mala, cuñá, yo tambien me he reido, aqui una foto de un sitio de iniciación de mujeres:

More pictures:

a waterhole

the wave, sight of aboriginal "parties"

aboriginal paintings

 they tell that this is a scarf from a fight between Mala and Kunya

I have to admit that I’ve been distracted by our so called team Russia, 2 girls, one of them living in London the other one from Moskow, fulfilling all the stereotypes. The younger one, my personal favorite, posing for the photographs in her best way, old school style, like advertisements posters of the 50ies (she’s a professional photographer, she tells the Italian guy, that’s why she knows….). On one of the walks back to the bus, she struggles and screams, oh my god, a tragedy, her glitter flip flop is ruined, the strap between the toes just snapped … It was really funny, at least to me, to her obviously not.

After recollecting our climber we headed to the sunset spot, where I went up a dune for a quiet look to the rock and some tourist photos. We were we were served with a nice dinner, despite the flies, protein supply for the salads and bbq sausages and sparkling wine.

After dinner I decided to take some time for myself with this amazing view, I’ve been surrounded by people the whole day and haven’t had a moment to experience some quiet moment in this magical place.

So I sat down and looked at it. Asking myself or perhaps asking the rock if he really is as magical and energetic as they say. He lays there, in front of me, a deep orange color with dark lines on it, mostly shadows and some of them water signs. It’s a giant stone, 4/5^th of it under the surface. I kept looking at it, waiting for an answer or something to happen. And then, after a while I got it. I felt relieved, sad, happy and overwhelmed. Facing my past and my future; my very own center. A bunch of heavy emotions hitting me at the same time. I was looking for a meaning of it, if I was afraid of the future? Sad about the past? Frightened because I don’t know where I’ll live, where I’ll work, the possibility to start over at a place I don’t know at all …

But I just felt okay. With all my defects, craziness, debilities and strengths. Sitting there, looking at the massive rock, I knew that my decision was the right one. That I’ve done well in facing the reality and that my place wasn’t in Spain. I remembered that it was heavy 2 ½ month before I started to travel.

And somehow I felt that I’m doing just right. I felt confident thinking about my future.

When we drove away on the bus I was looking at him for some more time, and I wanted to look back for longer, but I remembered, turned my head and looked ahead.

PS: it is true what I’ve read about it: even if you have seen a million pictures of it, they can not represent the real one.

Jumpers and runners @ the outback

Sometimes things turn out differently then you have thought before. They say life is what happens when you’re making plans for it, kind of this is happening to me here in Alice Springs. I got here after a long day of training and travel, left my bike in Melbourne to change the bike training camp for the run and swim training camp in the heart of Australia.

I came here to visit famous Ayers Rock and to meet someone I kind of know for a while. We never met, but we met in the cyber space on a game called Farmville. I remember when we chatted for the first time; it was because of her profile picture she had changes in a picture of a kangaroo. I asked her about it and that’s how we started chatting and mailing; that was about 1,5 years ago… and now I’m here.

On Friday morning I got up a bit late for running, up here it’s humid and hot again. I had sorted out a nice track to do a lap out of the house here, was planned about 8k one lap and I thought I could finish just running across the neighborhood. This was the plan. When I came to the start of my super track there was no track. Actually: the red centre is not red at all, its green. Really green! So my planned track was no track, it was a creek. First smile of this run and changing plans.

So I searched a bit around where to run and found a nice lap just in the neighborhood, no one around but a lady walking with her dog and kid, a small talk to know where the street goes and I went my way. It is easy to find good running tracks around here. But its not so easy to get there. Alice Springs is really different to the other places I’ve visited. It is not as safe as the other places. And that’s where the running problem pops in. You could run everywhere, but as a girl in a short top you think twice if you want to hit insecure places. And if you don’t even know where the secure and insecure places are, it’s even more difficult.

Anyway, I kept running on my safe track when I spot a familiar sign on the ground, right in front of me:

That was the second smile of this run, well I was laughing and thinking: what the heck does that mean????? Is it a sign?

Later in the day I went to the pool for a smooth swim session and to meet people from the local triathlon club I contacted before by email. The squad was set at 6pm, I got there at 5.55pm. No squad and the less frequented pool of my whole trip. I did my training, in the lane next to me a woman with a triathlon suit doing water jogging. I started to talk to her, asking her about the squad and triathlon in town… there is a promotion race on Sunday she tells me, come over, participate,… okay, nice people, could be fun, 100m swim, 5k bike, 1k run. Next smile of the day.

Saturday, long swim. I’m heading over to the pool, and: the pool is closed, due to mechanical problems (reminds me of Marbella actually ;). Again: changed plans. I’m feeling really tired that day, on one hand I’m thinking: okay, that’s a mandatory rest day. On the other hand the devil in my head starts to scream: if you’re not training you lose everything, you can’t NOT train!!

But I made it to ignore him.

In the afternoon I go for a walk, to investigate other tracks behind the house for the Sunday run. Don’t stay for more than 3 seconds on the same place; you convert into a playground for ants! I’m not sure if I’m tough enough to try to get to the telegraph station on the tracks… Due to the closed pool I decide not to go to the promo triathlon, would have been funny, but I definitely don’t need a super sprint duathlon on a lent bike.

Next morning, Sunday, I prepare myself with google maps and a piece of paper for my 90min run, armed with a water bottle in one hand and my plastic bag wrapped Iphone (with a compass app on it!) I go on my way to the telegraph station. When I hit the street to cross the river I cannot help but laugh that I have to take another way, because there’s too much water to cross.

Once I get to the telegraph station I take the trails towards the north, beautiful landscapes, all green, with some lonely red rocks in between. And while I’m running I see something moving very quick on my left, at the first sight it seems to be a deer, but it’s a jumping one, finally: a kangaroo!!! It’s too fast to take a photo of him, but it made my day and converted my slightly heat stressed face into a smiling one again. I find more of them, not as big as the first one, but I’m happy. The roos made my run. I wished I had these legs to be as fast as they are. And push me forward, I’m feeling like my but is sticking on the ground...

(these guys are wallabies we visited them the other night, good legs too ;)

This afternoon I have another first date in the reptile centre. When we come in there is an older couple, she has a snake on her shoulders. The girl who’s working there welcomes us and takes the snake off the lady, looking at me and asking: do you want to hold it?

I’m skeptical at the first moment. My comfort I would have said no. But I don’t want to get back in this timid corner I left a few months ago. So I take a deep breath, face my fears and go ahead. At the first moment it feels weird.; uncomfortable.

But once this reptile found its position I relax and have a look and feel at the soft, smooth skin and love it!

Monday I hope there’ll be no changed plans; I’ll visit the famous rock and mystic place of Australia. But if there is a change, it’ll guide me to something new, different, surprising and hopefully to a smile on my face.

Just have a look at these creatures, I think they are cute, also seen @ the reptile centre:

Sydney vs. Melbourne

I’m sitting in the heart of Australia, this magic spot on earth where so many pictures are taken, Alice Springs.

I loved Melbourne. It is fascinating, contrasts of architecture, people, weather, lifestyles… It’s really a shame that I have to leave it, now that I started to get confident with it. There are cities you love at the first sight. You feel confident and secure, you don’t get lost, or at least you think so. Sydney is one of these cities. As I wrote before, Sydney has the best indications for public transport I’ve ever seen.

Melbourne has a pretty good working public transport system too. But not as well described to the user as Sydney’s. The tram network map has no stops on it, just the lines. In some of the trams you don’t know how the stop is called where you have to get off the train. At the beginning it can be annoying or frustrating (if you take the first tram, with a bike bag, it’s raining and you go in the wrong direction). But it becomes challenging. Like a Sudoku game you are not able to resolve at the first attempt. For those of you who travel to Melbourne some day: get the map of the city with the tram routes in it, otherwise you might not know where you go.

Sydney is pretty. And Sydney’s people are the most beautiful people I’ve seen. It’s hard to believe that there are so many pretty women and handsome men living at the same place. Everyone sports addicted of course. Sydney is the famous glamour woman; Opera House and Harbor Bridge are the photo models of the city.

Sydney is aggressive, fast and cool, a bit arrogant maybe. I haven’t had the opportunity to sort out the cool parts of Bondi, maybe I change my mind and impressions at my next visit.

Melbourne seems a bit shy when you meet her. But pretty fast you notice that she isn’t and that she has much to offer. Melbourne is moody. The weather can change from one moment to the other, fashions come and go, and you find the modern buildings next to old ones. Melbourne has a lot to offer. And some interesting people walking around, watching for fashion aspects ;)

Sydney has 4,35 Million residents, Melbourne’s population is 3,9 Million. Both seemed way smaller to me; familiar. Sydney was founded as an European settlement in 1788 the tribes were robbed and distributed by the Europeans and after a time of crime, political tumults and famines Sydney became big with the gold rush in the 1850’s.

Melbourne is a bit younger, it was in 1935 when John Batman bought 240 000 hectare from the aboriginals. Growing fast Melbourne became “Marvellous Melbourne” due to the fortunes of the goldfields.

Anyway… Both are modern, big, vibrant cities. I had very different kind of views to them, one, Sydney meeting people, training, sailing, visiting old friends. The other one thoughtful, alone, focusing training, talking little.

I already left both of them behind, heading to the read centre to know the other Australia. The bike stays in Melbourne for a little rest. I have had enough riding during these 4 days. Great riding, especially the beach road from St. Kilda to the south! On the way back have a coffee in Racer Café!

Good swims in Melbournes Sports and Aquatic centre (7AU$) and Prahran aquatic centre (5AU$), fantastic running on the Tan round the botanic gardens and in Albert park around the lake (aprox. 4km both tracks, Tan a bit hilly, Albert park flat).

I had a quick look at the Queen Victoria Market too, fantastic place to shop fresh food…

thats a loooot of dead animals!

A pretty, small and welcoming hotel: Albany Hotel in South Yarra, Millswyn Rd. Famous sportsmen staying here, 1500m olympic champ and company (also fast!!):

I’ll be back in Sydney for the ITU race in April and I am curious if I’ll change some thoughts. Looking forward to it! Looking ahead, towards the Northern Territory.

Just MElbourne

Just MElbourne

Today is day 2 in Melbourne. Just ME. No friends, no contacts, no dates, just me. Melbourne welcomed me with some rain, but the next morning blue sky and a dry, fresh day. Riding to St. Kilda and down the beach road, beautiful views and loads of cyclists around, due to Labor Day. Nice riding, different because a lonely ride in a long time; went for a coffee with 2 cyclists, short chat and back to the hotel.

I spent the afternoon walking around in Chapel Street, shopping street in South Yarra. Those of you who know me know that I haven’t bought anything. I love fashion. I love looking around, but especially at the moment there is no need to buy anything. First of all I have to carry it on my very own back. And I’m not here for shopping. What I’m looking for is different things; I guess I’m just looking for myself.

After the No Shopping I walked over to Albert Park, where I bumped in at the end of my morning ride already, finding myself in the middle of the F1 course, taking some pics and remembering my failed career as an inline skater, when I cracked my head on the Hockenheimring…

I walked all along the lake in the park, taking some more pictures and smiling because of the fabulous day.

7 Dollars later I completed my training day with a swim in the Melbourne sports and aquatic centre walked back to the hotel and finished the day with lasagna and soda water.

Today another friendly one, another ride, less bikes and more cars on the road, but they are really respectful in this city so no problem at all. Later running on the Tan, a 4km running track around the botanic gardens of Melbourne. I think I am the slowest runner in Australia. Man that’s hard, I’m afraid I get last in Sydney Triathlon in April, comparing myself with the level I see around here. Nice bike but no legs ;)

I decided this afternoon that it was time for some culture this afternoon, as I’m a bit afraid to stay in fabulous Melbourne without seeing anything of the city but cycling roads, running tracks and pools… and there’s a spark of hope to meet some nice people and have a leisure chat and some laughs.

I walked by the shrine of remembrance, memory of people from Victoria who lost their life in the 2^nd world war.

Next station: federation square. I’ve read that it was big but not as big! And it’s L’oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival and I joined an open air fashion show, a mixture between fashion and ballet, interesting and beautiful.

Just next door, the Australian Centre for the moving image, where I visited the screen rooms, a perfect journey through the history of television and computer world and some really funny gadgets, like a room to imitate the typical Matrix movements with the 36cameras around. I still have not received the one I made; they’re supposed to send a link by mail. And games like tetris and lemmings... long time ago!

During the whole afternoon I spent time observing people around me and I couldn’t stop thinking: what or who defines who you are? When I’m around during training I’m a triathlete. People look at you and see at least that you’re doing sports. On the bike especially it’s even easier. There is the obvious topic to talk about, the bike, the cycling, competitions etc. During the run and the swim it’s not that clear yet and a bit more complicated to start conversation, when you do a casual swim (not a squad, in a squad you are again in a group who does the same thing, so you do have something in common). The people who have crossed my way on the bike and who I was talking with start with the bike theme. After that and the where are you from, the common question is the work question. One thing that seems to define you, that tells your opposite if you are interesting. Here it is. I don’t have a job at the moment. I can talk about my former job, but is it something that defines me? A job I quit because it bored me? I have to say that 6 years in Spain are part of me. I realized that my answer to the question where I am from is Germany and a “but”: I lived in Spain for the last 6 years.

Going on with the self definition: I left the country where I was living and I’m still not part of the country where I’m about to live again. I don’t have a job and don’t identify myself with the one I had before. I am on my own in a big city. No friends you could hide behind. My friends are spread all over the world.  

And then it punched me in my face: I’m alone. No one around. But that’s something I was looking for. I came here to visit friends, to know new people and a fascinating country. But I also came here to live this kind of lonely happiness and sadness and feelings I haven’t had before, or these who were embed in a daily routine and covered by too many things to do. Observing all the people around me today I noticed that everybody was waiting for someone. Distracting their self’s message typing, newspaper reading, calling... I’ve seen nobody just sitting there. Like me. I was nobody, sitting on the federation square in Melbourne. Surrounded by other nobodies who became somebody just in the second their friend showed up. Faces change when people are alone to when they meet somebody. Mine was sad today. I was aware of it.

When I went home, I knew that my eyes were sad. No sparkles, no smile. I arrived at the hotel with my take away sushi and a blog to write in my mind, had dinner in my room and started typing.

And then I got a text message that lets me know that there is someone around who cares, even if I don’t expect it. And there it was again: the smile on my face J

4,5 days in Sydney

Before I start to write about Melbourne where I am right now, some impressions of Sydney where I spent the last 4 days. I departed on Wednesday 9^th March from Maroochydore Airport, Sunshine coast to Sydney, 1,5h flight, everything perfect. Actually, when I arrived to the baggage claim my bike was already waiting for me, first “+” for Sydney ;)

I took the city train (and have to say: best indications I’ve ever seen! You can’t get lost), went up the darling point road and found the hidden keys after about 10 phone calls with Alice… I spent the afternoon walking around Darling Point, having a sandwich and coffee in the park and catching the first views of Harbour bridge. Up the hill again to meet Alice to take me to a sailing trip on a F40 (I so have no idea of sailing). Sometimes the Australian accent is hard to get, but be sure: if these guys talk about something you don’t know it’s even harder. But I found out quite quickly when the command was “stand by”, change boat side, otherwise you get wet J There were some breaks on the trip to have some “bubbles” and later some red, well plenty of red… was good fun! Oh: and I got my motivation back by a nice day off, thinking about different things but triathlon.

Thursday I was supposed to ride, but a flat front tire and particularly a broken tire decided for me that there was no ride in the morning. So I went down to double bay, jumped on the ferry to the city; more views and good ones of the opera house:

I spent some time in just wondering around, get impressions of the city, there is heaps of people jogging around, having business conversations during their run! Went to buy a new tire, oh talking about that: there's a huge bike shop on Clarence St, with a girls bike shop just next door, heaven! I met Alice who showed me how to get to the pool, the Andrew Boy Charlton pool, cross the Royal Botanic gardens, I joined the swim squad in the salty pool, time on 100m after 3000 swim: 1’31’’18, not too bad I think for 50m pool.

I spent some more time in the city went home, dinner with Alice flat mates and a beer with Jimmy who came over from Adelaide for Huskisson Tri. So nice to meet him after long time, good chat and lovely evening.

Friday morning I got a lesson in sportiness. Innocent me, went down to the park at 6 am to do my run before it’s getting too hot. Just for the record: In Marbella everybody out ofTriathlon world thinks we are crazy getting up at 6 to swim at 6.30am. Well, you have no idea. I reached the park and was shocked! Jogger traffic jam!! Big groups with their drill instructor doing boot camp training with running, boxing, pushups and whatever; tons of people walking their dogs… this city is vigorexic! Maybe it annoys me because my training is nothing special anymore in these surroundings??

Anyway, after successful effort training and a shower I had my first bike experience in Sydney, riding to Bondi beach to meet Jimmy for a coffee. It is scary! The cars aren’t very respectful, which surprises me quite a lot, being in this super sporty city…

Another swim in the ABC pool this afternoon followed by another walk through the gardens and a photo session with some funny boys (or girls?)…

flying foxes

…and a lovely, so lovely dinner at Nina’s house in Bondi Beach. Thanks to Facebook I knew that she’s living here, otherwise I wouldn’t have had an idea. We haven’t met in at least 10 years I think and it was a gorgeous night, laughing a lot and having a great time! Thanks for dinner, Nina, we should definitely repeat that when I’m back in Sydney in April!

Saturday morning. The most scary bike experience ever. I’ve written about my thought towards bunch rides, but didn’t know that there was even an increase of it! But there is: you meet at 6am, it’s still dark outside. You don’t have a light.  You start to cycle, people catching up the bunch and then you find yourself in the middle of a highway at 40km/h cars on you left and right sometimes driving by at 80 or 100 and you have to keep up with the group, otherwise would be even worse. I don’t know if my heart rate was around 180 because of the speed or the panic, would have been fun to see my face J But I worked my a… off. At least I’m getting fast over here, well, I hope I do!

This afternoon we went on to a more relaxing activity: watching sailing race 18 footers, funny boats, I’ve never seen them. I actually cannot believe that I’m so ignorant about sailing, having a sailor daddy. I quickly sorted out my favorite team, the only guys who went with the same competition gear, and white visors, point for me: they won the race ;-)

Last night in Sydney, Alice and I joined some more girls on a really beautiful boat, having some red and pizza… Nice life though!

For everybody who loves awesome views (unfortunately I don’t have photos, because – what else – I was training): Go to the costal walk down in Bondi. I did a run down there on Sunday morning, 450 stairs one way, so 900 in totals, not what I was supposed to do but a pretty place to run or walk.

And that was it, bye bye Sydney, and heading to Melbourne who welcomes me with a chilly, rainy evening. But it doesn’t matter, I’m tired, enjoy my hotel with a wardrobe…

And this morning the blue sky gave me the proper welcome. That’s all for now, Melbourne’s waiting for me J