Getting a foothold in Brisbane

The remainder of January 2025 was relatively uneventful, with daily temperatures climbing above 30 degrees and all of Brisbane soaked in sweat. We had an air conditioning unit in the bakery, but there was no automatic door, so hot air constantly streamed in. At the weekend market, the air inside the tent wrapped with sidewalls became so stifling that I felt like I was being baked. Not much changed in February; however, I stayed a few days at Lauren and Marco's chic West End apartment to keep their Staffie, 'Nugget', company. The new roommate was mostly away, so I enjoyed the air conditioning with Nugget after work and took him out during twilight to let him play. Rarely did the temperatures drop below 20 degrees at night. On the weekend, I met up with Matze and we took Nugget with us; fortunately, he behaved well around other dogs. On Valentine's Day, we hosted a house party with interesting activities, including a 'Shibari' demonstration, speed dating, and later in the evening, spin the bottle for all the brave ones. I was surprised that our rather reserved friend Pooven showed up; he seemed to hit it off very well with Aaran, our autistic Pakistani friend. On March 1st, we headed to a party in Nambour, where our German DJ and 'Doofmama' Katja was also coming. We saw many familiar faces from the festival scene. After a somewhat uncomfortable night in the car, we explored the 'Kureelpa Falls' the next day and enjoyed the welcome cooling off before Matze dropped me off at work. I only sometimes worked on weekends, usually when one of my colleagues wanted to hand off their shift or was sick. As a casual worker, I earned significantly more money on weekends, making the offer quite tempting. If we both had a weekend day off, we enjoyed spending it in nature, often with Pooven. In mid-May, we rounded the 'Berrinba Wetlands' when we smelled smoke. Just around the next corner, a rather large strip of vegetation was ablaze, but the fire was low because there was little grass. We explained to Pooven how in Australia underbrush is regularly burned to prevent bushfires, often happening after a wet period when it gradually becomes dry, and the fire risk increases... The burned strip lay between the lake and the concrete path, seeming well suited; we were just surprised there were no officials around observing the fire... Only a hundred meters further, we encountered a group in protective gear, and we learned that it wasn't a controlled or intentional fire... they suspected that someone had thrown down a cigarette butt... oh dear

In April, the 'Rabbits Eat Lettuce' festival approached. It was held in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. We arrived on Friday ahead of the rest of our group because Matze and I had volunteered again to save on ticket costs. We were assigned to different stations, Matze helped transport things from A to B, and I assisted in the glamping and artist tent. Since our shift started before the others arrived, we unfortunately couldn't meet up well. As is often the case at festivals, there was no reception. So, after our shift, we took another round around the festival grounds to enjoy the music and look for our group. Eventually, we decided to cook dinner and stay where we were for the time being. The next morning, after a nice yoga session, we found the camp of the others; unfortunately, by then, they were so parked-in that we couldn't join them anymore. However, our corner was actually nicer, less dusty, and a bit quieter. We wandered together for a while, enjoyed the cooling off in the nearby river, and chatted with some other friends who had come to the festival. No matter how hot it was during the day, temperatures dropped at night, and it was nice to stand by the fire to recover from dancing. We went to 'Acro Yoga' and learned different poses; we were randomly divided into groups of three. Some exercises required a lot of trust in the other people. I love meeting new people at festivals and sharing special moments, trying new things. Experiences and beautiful memories hold so much more value for me than material things. Next to us camped two German guys, Lian and Tim, with whom we got along well. We introduced them to our group shortly afterwards, and Franzi found Tim so nice that just a week after the festival, he moved in with her temporarily. On Sunday evening, Matze and I had to report for another shift. I met interesting DJs and luckily had a nice and talkative fellow volunteer; we didn't really have much to do. On the last morning, one of the headliners played, whose flight had been delayed. After a final swim in the river, we packed up all our stuff and started our journey home. What a lovely Easter!

Temperatures continued to drop; by mid-May, I really wouldn't have felt like camping anymore. Instead, we took some lovely hikes with friends. Among them was Mount Mitchell, where we saw a dingo on the path right at the beginning, which is not a common sight! In the house, it was slowly becoming uncomfortably chilly in the mornings and evenings, so when the sun was shining, I sat in my hanging chair on the terrace to warm up. It rained a lot, which was definitely good for nature and my garden.

One weekend in July, we went to the weekend market in Wynnum, a neighborhood located a bit outside the city by the sea. Additionally, we explored the 'Sandy Camp' reserve with Pooven for the first time; there were so many cute little birds to admire. The 'Blue Wren' is definitely one of my favorites; feel free to Google it ;)

Matze's sister Clarissa's wedding was coming up in August. I had given up on going because I really had no idea who would cover for me for over three weeks. The store often struggled with staffing shortages, especially as many people seemed to be constantly sick. On average, I would cover for someone once a week. And then there were the 1-2 markets per week where I was the only one who knew what to do. However, about three weeks before Matze's planned departure, I realized I was feeling really bad mentally. I contacted Jaime, a friend of ours who at that time had neither a job nor was studying. The reason was her epilepsy; it was difficult to manage stressful situations like upcoming exams as they could trigger seizures. Thus, a full-time job was out of the question for her. She immediately began training so she could cover for me 2 to 3 days a week and at markets; the rest my colleagues had to manage. This meant that I wouldn't lose my job as a casual worker. Jaime fit perfectly with her lively nature and wit at 'Veganyumm' (the fact that she was vegan naturally brought additional plus points). I was so glad I had overcome my fears to talk to my boss; she totally understood that I wanted to go to Germany.

Once all of that was settled, a weight was lifted off my shoulders, and I felt intense anticipation for the trip. It kicked off on August 7th, flying via Singapore, where we met up at the airport with Matze's cousin Tajo, who was also traveling to Germany mainly for a wedding, although for that of his best friend. What a crazy coincidence; we hadn't even planned it, it was Matze's dad who noticed after a phone call that we were leaving on the same day as Tajo. He had been living in Perth, Western Australia for several years with his wife and child. That was the only reason we hadn't visited them yet; it was just as far as flying from Brisbane to the neighboring country of New Zealand and more expensive! We took a round of yoga together by the playground and chatted. Then it was on to Frankfurt, from where we took a train to Mainz. Matze's sister Clarissa picked us up from the station; luckily, she could work from home. The sun was shining, and the temperatures hovered in the mid-20s. We showered and strolled through Mainz, enjoying the (leg) freedom after the long flight. The old buildings of the city, especially the crooked half-timbered houses and the many blooming trees and flowers, put me in a European mood, and I was incredibly grateful to be there. We treated ourselves to a delicious lunch and a cold drink at one of the city's oldest breweries. In the evening, Clarissa and Dennis hosted dinner on the balcony. They lived in a really nice neighborhood with ivy-covered iron gates and quiet backyards. After a restful night, Matze and I took separate paths for a few days; he went to visit his biological father at Lake Constance, while I went to my dad's place just outside Basel. We had purchased Germany tickets but unfortunately needed a connecting ticket to Switzerland. While changing trains in Basel, I realized that visiting the public toilets cost as much as good German supermarket beer, so I decided to hold off until I could get on the next train. After relieving myself, I had to realize that I had boarded the wrong train that went directly to Zurich. I did want to go there anyway because Doreen wanted to attend the techno parade taking place that day, and Dad would be at work. However, I had planned to drop off my bag with them first and then go to the parade together with Doreen. The next problem was that I couldn't even let Dad know because I hadn't considered that Switzerland isn't an EU member and thus my SIM card purchased just yesterday was invalid here. In this overpriced and overcrowded train (due to the parade), there wasn't even Wi-Fi. Luckily, I found a nice person who provided me with a hotspot. Once that was sorted, I joined a group of already quite tipsy early twenty-year-olds, who even offered me a canned drink in exchange for some interesting anecdotes about Australia. At the Zurich station, I first said goodbye since I wasn't in such a rush to celebrate. I had 2 to 3 hours to wait for Doreen to arrive. I left my luggage in a museum locker and then took care of food; it was disgustingly expensive like everything in Switzerland, but I couldn't resist the super delicious buffet at 'Haus Hiltl', one of the oldest vegetarian restaurants in the world. After that, I visited the Swiss National Museum until Doreen showed up. We had to drop off my backpack at the station because the museum of course didn't stay open all night. There was a special counter for parade visitors, and the event was massive. After years in Australia, where an average festival doesn't gather more than 5000 participants, I was really overwhelmed by the crowd. The weather felt surprisingly like an Australian summer at around 35 degrees. There was hardly any shade, which bothered Doreen more than it did me, but the asphalt was certainly not as comfortable for dancing as the forest floor. We saw some really great DJs, and after a few hours of dancing, we found a not-too-crowded jetty at the lake, and I jumped fully clothed into the cool water. Such a mountain lake is wonderful! When the sun set, the parade floats passed by, each with a different 'theme', a DJ, and a boisterous VIP party. Unfortunately, Dori had gotten sunstroke, so we sat a bit away from the party-goers on the sidewalk. Her brother joined us; he lived in Zurich and wanted to check out the party too. Meanwhile, the streets looked like a battlefield, filled with confetti shreds, beer cans, and cigarette butts. The ugly downside of such large events... Dad picked us up at the Rheinfelden train station and drove us to Maisprach, the small village where the two now lived. I was immediately greeted by the four cats, three of whom I hadn't met before. The apartment in a maisonette style was very nice, with high walls and a great kitchen. The next morning, I explored the surrounding vineyards; although I didn't see any snow-covered peaks, nature was beautifully green, and the adjacent beech forest was dense and calming. At noon, we headed to Basel, where Dad showed me the city and the sushi restaurant he managed. I had visited the city about 7 years ago for a photoshoot, so I was already familiar with some buildings. In the summer, many residents loved floating down the river, some even using the current as a way home after work. Almost everyone here owned a waterproof bag. The water definitely looked much more inviting than the Elbe or the river in Brisbane. I had packed my swimsuit, so I quickly changed and walked a bit upstream in just my bikini. Luckily, I wasn't the only one doing this. The current was a bit stronger than expected; however, I had no trouble reaching the edge in time and 'getting out'. In some sections of the river, there were even gravel beaches where many people were with their children or in groups, drinking beer and chatting. A really nice free way to cool off. We drank a beer and explored the winding alleys of the old town with many small backyard shops and lovely stores. I was almost glad that my luggage was stuffed full, as I felt no temptation. The next day, I took a small solo hike just south of Basel; Dad dropped me off at the train station on his way to work. I hiked to a castle ruin and then through a nature reserve along a river. There were apparently beavers here, but I didn't see any; instead, I spotted many birds. Back in Maisprach, we enjoyed the evening sun—it's amazing how long summer days are in Europe; in Brisbane, the sun sets no later than 6:30 PM—on the balcony. The next morning, I then took the 'Flix train' to Berlin; I had opted for express trains over slower ones because the ticket only cost around 50 € and got me to my destination in 7.5 instead of 14 hours. Our friend Franzi, whom we had met in Australia, was also visiting Germany and had invited us to stay in her mother's apartment while she was away. Matze had already arrived the night before and had been drinking beer with Franzi and her friends for a long time. The two of them had therefore slept until almost noon this morning, as they are definitely not early risers by nature, haha. We met with Steph and Pili, a couple we also met in Brisbane. They had left Brisbane 2 months ago to go to a wedding in Spain and then travel through Europe, with South America next on their agenda. We found a bar with a ping-pong table, played, and chatted; it felt somewhat surreal.

On Wednesday, August 13th, we had some time to enjoy Berlin. We strolled through wild fruit orchards and picked apricots until my stomach grumbled; we also treated ourselves to a delicious waffle and bread roll breakfast. In the afternoon, we met up with Matze's brother Thomi and went with his two children to a swimming lake. Seeing so many naked people at first felt quite strange, especially since everyone was so close on the grass; every inch was occupied. When Thomi's wife Julia arrived, I paddled a round with her and Freya on a stand-up paddleboard. Later, I made my way to Elisa, a childhood friend who had lived for about a year in a beautiful top-floor apartment in Pankow with her partner and their now three-month-old son. The little one was barely awake when I arrived. Elisa and I chatted for ages, then we ordered some food. It was nice to see that motherhood suited her so well; she was still quite young, and we had mostly gone out partying before. The following day, we headed to Dresden—a full schedule—we both first went to our respective parents’ homes. For lunch, I met Mom and Frank at my grandparents’, and they were obviously thrilled. We were off to Clarissa's wedding in the Harz mountains and couldn't keep my dear relatives waiting too long. I drove Granddad's car since Matze's parents only had one car, and it couldn't fit everyone. In addition to Matze and a ton of luggage, we also squeezed in Clarissa's exchange sisters (from an au pair stay a few years ago) into the car. At first, I felt painfully overwhelmed, especially with the speeds and strict rules of the German autobahn, but luckily I quickly became more confident. Since the schedule started in the afternoon, I suggested we jump into Lake Cospuden first and then go have lunch in Leipzig. This also helped me cope with the more than three-hour journey to the Harz better. When we arrived in Bad Harzburg, Matze's dad was waiting with the room keys and tickets for the cable car. All immediate family members and partners were allowed to stay at the castle inn on the mountain, and if you didn't feel like walking, you could use your gondola ticket. After settling into our lovely room with a slanted roof, there was a reception in the beer garden. We sat at the table with Matze's uncles and families, drinking and chatting. The next day, many others from the family and I took a hike with Clarissa, and when we returned, the wedding ceremony began. The weather was at its best, and we had a fantastic view of the sunset. Later, there was dancing—first classic disco music, then one of the groom's friends spun some records. By around 2 AM, I was completely drunk; Matze's parents and some others stayed out until dawn. Despite that, everyone was still at breakfast the next day, some with more motivation than others. We continued to the Bodetal, where we spent two more nights in a cute and somewhat crooked half-timbered house. We visited the beautiful historical city of Wernigerode and the miniature park. The next morning, Matze and I took a hike up to the Roßtrappe, after which I drove back to Dresden alone. Matze visited his brother in Erfurt with his family and spent a few days there. My mom was happy to finally see me a bit more; we went to the gravel pit, went to the theater, and hiked through the heath. I met with Andrea and her little daughter Mela at one of our favorite cafes before leaving Germany. For the Hechtfest, I met Phillip, a friend I met years ago during my tour through New Zealand. I also ran into one of my favorite colleagues from my training time at Radisson Blu in a small backyard where nice techno music was playing... Dresden is like a small village. But you sometimes feel that way in Brisbane too; maybe that’s why I feel so comfortable there. We hosted a pre-birthday game night at Matze’s parents’ place; Beate and Ryan were back from their vacation and visiting Dresden. Even Tim showed up, one of my best friends from my Dresden days. Unfortunately, Basti had very little time left; he worked a lot and had a two-year-old daughter who had endless energy. We met up in the Neustadt and strolled through the familiar streets full of graffiti and cobblestones. I felt very nostalgic but especially grateful to have had such a wonderful time.

On my birthday, unfortunately, I had to head to the train station quite early in the morning; I was taking the Flixbus to Erfurt and then a connection to Frankfurt. Matze joined me in Chemnitz; he had been visiting an old friend in the Erzgebirge. We dropped off our luggage at Matze's brother's, who unfortunately had been suffering from a bad cold since the wedding, and Matze played tour guide since he had visited the city just two weeks ago. In Frankfurt, I had booked a hotel near the station, and even though I vaguely remembered it being a 'problem area', I was shocked by the pervasiveness of drugs and extremely scruffy people. The hotel itself looked clean, thankfully, and the 24-hour reception gave a sense of security. Sean had made the trip from Dortmund just for me, but Lynnette unfortunately couldn't get off work. We strolled through Frankfurt's city park and toasted; sitting on the riverbank in the beautiful afternoon sun, we exchanged anecdotes from the last two years. For dinner, I had picked a nice, cozy place; in addition to classic dishes, there was also a lovely vegan menu. It felt great to eat something German; such options in vegan form are nowhere to be found in Brisbane. To accompany our meal, we enjoyed some pitchers of apple wine, a Frankfurt specialty. Because we didn't want to send Sean home late with a complicated train connection, we smuggled him into our hotel room. It was a bit cramped in bed, and I had to fight for my share of the blanket a few times from both sides during the night, but it was worth it. The next morning, we went a bit out into the green; I wanted to sniff some German countryside air and walk through a lovely green mixed forest before we spent the next 24 hours cramped on planes.

Back in Australia, I went straight back to work the next morning, which even helped me overcome the jetlag. A few days later, we spent a joint evening with friends and roommates to celebrate my birthday belatedly. From mid to late September, the Brisbane Festival took place annually; there was live music, dance shows, and a giant free drone show right in the city center over the river. Additionally, projections on buildings and installations filled the city. Brisbane lights up beautifully at night anyway, but during the festival, walking around the city in the evening is especially enjoyable, as the nights at that time of year provide a pleasant 20 degrees. By the end of the month, I was back at Houdini's and the place of its owners; although this time it became a bit too fresh for the pool after work, I enjoyed having my own bed. However, I always had to keep the door to the converted garage closed at night; otherwise, Houdini would immediately lay diagonally across my bed and had to be painstakingly coaxed to get up with treats and plenty of cuddles.

In early October, we had a great outing to the gravel pit at Daisy Hill, with a picnic and swimming. Aaran, Shannen, and Pooven were with us. Temperatures had already climbed into the 30 degrees range, and we enjoyed it immensely! Water lilies and many other plants showcased a colorful floral dress; it was still 'spring' despite the temperatures.

Shortly after Matze's birthday, he and Shannen celebrated a joint birthday party, which we had also held the previous year; they named it 'Octoberpalooza'. This time, we also invited some of our European friends and borrowed Franzi's foosball table. We played until the early morning hours, but unfortunately, a neighbor complained, and the police showed up, albeit very relaxed and without any consequences. Our friend Stephano had just finished his set; he had recently completed a DJ course. Additionally, 3 or 4 others had played, very professionally, and there was lots of dancing. Juancho fell asleep on the sofa on our deck and was probably visited by some curious possums.

At the end of the month, the 'Earth Frequency' festival took place in Woodford, a tiny village in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. It always hosts one of the largest and longest festivals in Australia, 'Woodfordia', for New Year's. The grounds were beautiful but somewhat hilly. We arrived before the rest of our party group because Matze and I worked as volunteers on Friday morning, directing cars based on their size and purchased tickets in the right direction. We had set up camp in a nook between rows of trees, spreading our stuff out so that multiple cars and tents could still fit. Theoretically, we shouldn’t have camped there at all, as it was in the family area; but it was a bit off to the side, and we had just two neighbors who seemed pretty relaxed. The festival had strict rules anyway; music stopped at midnight on the big stages, smaller stages could play until 2 AM, and playing music in your own camp was prohibited after 10 PM. We had cleverly signed up as traffic directors at the entrance to the family camp, which allowed us to quietly slip our people in, who all arrived during our shift. We spent a lovely afternoon and evening, but we went to bed around 11 PM because we had to report for our second 6-hour shift at 2 AM! We wondered who we would be guiding around the camping areas at that hour since it was basically completely dead. It was, on the whole; we sat around four of us, chatting and sipping tea. Once, there was a report of someone lying in the bushes at the side of the path; the guys went to check it out and called for help over the radio—luckily, it wasn’t a life-threatening situation. We also helped a somewhat disoriented guy find his tent. One of the shift leaders finally brought us some coffee, and as the first rays of sunshine reached us, we all did yoga together. We enjoyed the peace on the campsite and congratulated ourselves on our choice of spot; the nearest toilets were so much nicer and cleaner than those in the main camp. Around noon, we set off to catch some music and to find Vanessa and Dave, who were also at the festival. Alongside them were many other friends and acquaintances roaming around, whom you would bump into now and then. There were really awesome DJs and beautiful market stalls with tempting offerings; I really held back and only paused 2-3 times to check something out more closely. However, in the evening we treated ourselves to a delicious Balinese bowl; we had met the older lady who cooked everything herself at the vegan markets, and she was so pleased with our visit. On Sunday, there was also a show from some representatives of the Aboriginals who had lived here long before the Europeans arrived. It was a mix of dance performances and songs, very beautiful and also moving. A fantastic festival with many wonderful moments and diverse music!