Cane Juice

As I mentioned before, the big thing in Australia is to go "shopping" on Thursdays, as that is the one day of the week things don't close early. They even close early on Saturdays! It really teaches you to be motivated to get stuff done on that Thursday.

Some Thursdays and Fridays there are little open air markets that come around for those shoppers. We were walking through Chatswood area on Friday with Missy and we happened upon a cane juice stand.

We started talking to the gentleman here, he was actually from Chicago. He had this fancy machine that he used to squeeze the juice out of the sugar cane and then he put it in a pitcher and it was served up fresh immediately. So cool!

It was fun to watch him put the cane through the machine. He had all of these stats and percentages that explained how much of the actual juice he was extracting from the cane with the machine (I think it was in the upper 70%?) Well, that's beside the point. It was a cool thing to get to watch and experience, and I'm all about trying new things. And the cane juice was fresh, naturally sweet, and enjoyable!!

{Preston ordering his cane juice from the stand. You had three choices. Small, medium or large!}

{looks kinda green, eh?}

{Cheers to cane juice!!}

Funny Things Aussie's Say

While in Australia it was fun to pick up the lingo. It was also interesting to see the similarity in different stores to American stores, and to compare prices. Things there were insanely expensive.

In one store? A can of pop cost three bucks. Yes, THREE dollars. For a can!! That's nuts! A 12 pack of soda? 25 dollars in a corner convenience store. Ouch!

Big W was basically Oz's version of Walmart. It still seems a little expensive, no?

While I was there I also tried this...

It's a really brown. And reaallllly salty.


Here's a compilation of funny things Aussie's say and do that I noted while we were there...

*You don't get pregnant you would say she "fell pregnant".
*It wasn't called lay away, it was called lay by.
*They say "No worries" instead of "Thank You". Or just whenever. And they say it a lot.
*Everyone was called a "mate". They'd say "No worries, Mate".
*McDonalds was called "Maccas".
*Sometimes instead of saying Thanks, they'd say "TA".
*If you say ripper it means good.
*Heaps and Bits means a lot.
*Oatmeal is called porridge.
*They don't call it gas stations they call them "Petrol Stations".
*They say Addidas all weird. It sounds like ADDY-DAS.
*A vacation is a "Holiday".

As for things they do that are odd:

*They don't tip cabs or wait staff. They get paid regular salary, so they get what they get. This reflects directly on the type of service you get. Compared to USA, service in Oz is HORRIBLE. There is no rush, no hurry, and they could really care less if you get what you want or need when you need it, because it doesn't affect them in any way.
*This may be why they suck at this one - they don't put ice in drinks. Very rarely was that ever and option, and Chris HATED it. I think Missy said it's just not as common to have very cold drinks there. I LOVED that, cause I prefer my drinks lukewarm anyway.
*They put beet root on EVERYTHING. On burgers, with breakfast, on ev.ry.thing. it is verrrry popular.
*They also served their french fries, called chips in Oz, with sour cream and chili sauce. This was AMAZING. We should do that here, cause America? You are MISSING OUT.
*Chips sometimes were served with a seasoning called Chicken Salt. Again, AMAZING.
*There are no pennies there. So if your total comes out to be uneven? Tough, you don't get your pennies back. Usually you paid for things as they were listed. If it said 5 dollars on the shelf, when you go to the checkout you would pay 5 dollars.
*The stores there close at 5. All stores except grocery stores. Even on a Saturday. Thursdays, however, is the late shopping day. They are open until 8 on Thursdays so if you have any shopping to do, you plan to get off work early on a weekday or you go on Thursdays!

The fun thing about Oz was their accent. It was nice to be able to understand most everything they said, and to get a kick out of the differences in culture. It was definitely enjoyable, and funny to see how things some of the familiar things can be so different.

Oz: Part 8

The last day in Oz came rather quickly. It seemed like we had just started our vacation and it was time to wrap it up.

{Had to get another round of pictures...it is simply stunning.}

{Preston and Jennie}

On our last day the four of us spent it stopping in at little stores and places to pick up souvenirs we had said we wanted, but waited to get in case we found them elsewhere and for a better price. So we ran all around the town, shopping and spending money! We went back to the QVB to visit a professional photographer for a few (surprisingly cheap for Oz) affordable gorgeous prints of the Opera House and Bridge. Then we did some more shopping back down by Circular Quay and the Opera House. We also went back to Chatswood and Jennie and I picked up our opal rings. Then we ran home, dropped it all off and began the train commute to meet up with Missy and her work pals for a dinner.

We went to a place in Paramatta called the Bavarian Bier Cafe. Here is a picture.

{Looking at this I am sure you are thinking, now, she must be mistaken. That is a picture of a church called Saint Andrews! That's what I thought. It is a restaurant that used to be a church. And it was so quaint and just had a cool feeling walking in. Here are a few inside shots before it got crowded.

{it looks like Boone had too much to drink!!}

{Missy's work buddies - they loved Boone!}

We had good food here, although it didn't compare to our chicken schnitzel with pepper gravy from Gilroy's right around the corner from Missy's. We had a great time with her work people, and before we knew it - it was time to head home and pack up!

{Missy's living room turned hotel room. Her kitchen is also this area as well...}

{Missy's "Bedroom"}

And that's basically your tour of her apartment. It is literally that small. And somehow we crammed five people in and she kept her sanity (for the most part)!

Missy - we had an amazing time visiting and seeing what your life is like in another country. It was so sweet of you to let us all crash at your place and to guide us around the country. You are such a brave person for working so far from home and taking that leap to do so! xoxo

Australia: Part 7, Melbourne Part 2

We spent most of our time in Melbourne looking for street art. In Melbourne it is legal, you just have to get a permit. You could walk into an alley and just get lost in the amazing street art. Those alleyways were stunning and really added character to the city. It was almost like treasure hunting to decide which alley way we wanted to walk down to see if we would happen upon some art. Truly impressive the talent these people have with a can of spray paint!

The first alley we walked into and scored some art, we were lucky enough to notice this...

{This is a map to the street art! Success!!}

{Preston got his picture made with the naughty nurse}

{So of course Boone wanted his with her as well!}

{I love this picture because it looks like the street art is picking Chris' brain...}

{Ahhh a monster!!!}

{I took a close up of this one because, ironically, it was raining}

{Jennie and I were intrigued by this one. Look closely!}

{Did you look closely enough to see our mark on the street art??}

{an example of a street permit}

While in Melbourne we also ate a lot of Maccas (the only place with free wifi) and also had a vegan burger. It was so-so. We did have some amazing pizza.

{Chris and I sharing a Brekkie Box. While we were in Oz, we would see commercials for Maccas and they would say "Stop in to get a Brekkie Box to share with your mates". So, Chris and I shared multiple Brekkie Boxes! Here, Chris is reading an Australian Newspaper - I believe the Herald Sun}

We did lots of browsing through stores here, and even stopped in an opal store that would give a free opal if you showed your passport. They gave us a cute little kanagroo pin with an opal in it for free! It was also a museum so it was neat to walk through and see all the different kinds of opal.

Boone even got to walk a runway!!

After our first day there, we came back to the hotel to see this waiting on us...

Yes, this is an Australian Census!! Say what?? Apparently they do their census every five years and everyone does it on THE EXACT SAME NIGHT. Tuesday August 9th was the night. They have everyone who is in the country, at that time, fill one out. That includes all of the people staying in a hotel! Who knew?? So, we filled em out. It was interesting to do, it was about 50 questions long and had VERY detailed questions. What type of work you do, if someone lives in your home such as a parent, and how much assist they need from you. I was interested to see those questions as it made me wonder how the people there care for their elderly. Do they move them into big nursing homes, or is it more commonplace to have your parents move in with you, and you take care of them in the home? I was told it is much more common in some places to have your parents live with you and help with the daycare of your kids and you help take care of your parents. Interesting!

After eating lunch on one of the days we happened upon a cupcakery and stopped in for an indulgence.

{some of the kinds}

{um whoa. I can make that maxi cupcake for 15 bucks, and that includes the cost of buying the cake pan!!}

{Looks divine doesn't it?}

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Sydney for our last hoorah. We had one final day to snag any last souvenirs and hang with Missy before heading home.