The Great: Meeting with our friends from the Berlin days
Meeting with Marty and Tessa was the highlight of our Sydney to Melbourne trip. Unfortunately we could not stay longer In Melbourne, as our tight schedule meant that we only had a limited number of days in Melbourne. What a shame.
The Hidden: Free camping
Not only are free campgrounds well groomed, but most are situated close to or inside pristine national parks. We made some great encounters, both human (Gregg and Jade) and non-human (how about eucalyptus trees full of koalas? One tree next to our tent had a mother koala and a cub). Camping is very popular in Oz. We sure know why.
The overrated: After the Tears (polish restaurant) on Christmas Eve
We lamented the fact that Christmas Down Under is a very different event than the Christmas we are used to in the Northern Hemisphere (see other post). We wanted a Christmas Eve to feel special, so we booked for two at After the Tears, a very popular polish restaurant in a Melbourne suburb.
If there was one place in Melbourne that was going to celebrate Christmas, it surely was going to be After the Tears. We expected Christmas decorations, Christmas songs, and koledy.
We got none of it. There was not a single reference to Christmas in the restaurant. No songs or koledy either. The food was alright, but the menu had nothing to do with what is served on Christmas Eve in Poland.
We can’t blame those who recommended the restaurant to us. I guess After the Tears is a good choice in general (a bit pricey I think).
It was however a poor choice for Christmas Eve.
The Ugly: The weather
It felt like we had landed somewhere in North Carolina in winter: you know, not really cold but not warm either. We spent four days between Sydney and Melbourne and most of the time cold rain was pouring down. Some days the temperature never exceeded 15 degrees. Ugh.
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