Impressions of Melbourne & Great Ocean Road

15.10.2014 - 04.11.2014

On the 14th of October I took a night bus from Sydney to Melbourne, thinking I had saved a lot of money (which I hadn't), and believing I would get enough space in order to actually sleep. Oh, how wrong I was. I didn't sleep for a second, due to the bus driver looking like he was about to doze off any moment, so that I felt like I needed to keep an eye on him constantly. In the morning, around 7am, we finally arrived at Melbourne's Southerncross station. After crashing at a nearby hostel for a couple of hours, Aurelia, a high school acquaintance, picked me up and let me stay with her and her boyfriend and flatmates for a couple of days. I was sick for the whole first week in Melbourne and felt really bad for being a burden, but Aurelia made me feel welcome and cooked amazing veggie soup and chicken and other great stuff for me, so that I would feel better. THANKS SOOOO MUCH!!!

It's always cool being able to stay with someone that you've only been acquainted with, but get to know better after a simple thing as a really random message on facebook.

Whenever anyone speaks about Melbourne, you will notice a sparkle in their eyes accompanied by the sentence "Melbourne is so much better than Sydney". Or you will hear the less popular version, "Sydney is so much better than Melbourne". I can't remember ever meeting a person that loved both cities, and I'll have to say that I belong to the latter unpopular group of people. When I hadn't been to Melbourne yet, I thought it would become my city, and when I got there, I somehow didn't feel that instant connection. However, it definitely has its charm. Especially Fitzroy, one of the very hipster parts of town, where you will find millions of different vegan/raw/organic/altogether cafés one every corner of Smith Street and Brunswick Street. My inner hipster loved it, though.

I really couldn't find that many pictures of Melbourne itself, but I hope this little impression will do. I'll try to find more pictures in the next couple of days.

 Queen Victoria Market

THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD

I took a day trip along the Great Ocean Road to the 12 Apostles and back (and everything inbetween), and loved it. The weather was just beautiful, and the water crystal clear. I spontaneously decided to get on my first helicopter ride above the 12 Apostles right before sunset, and it was breathtaking! I've seen many, many beautiful sunsets, but the one at this spot is probably my favorite.