26th/27th January 2018

Huhuu 💛

26/01/2018: Yesterday, I woke up at 6:30 am on Australia Day to go jogging along the Brisbane River. At 7:00 am, I met up with another backpacker and off we went. It was already 27 degrees, so we were looking forward to our destination: the swimming pool.

So we walked to the swimming pool, did a few laps, and walked back. Then we had breakfast on the rooftop terrace.

Australia Day is Australia's official national day and is celebrated every year on 26th January. It commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove on 26th January 1788. Many Australians actually criticize the holiday because the arrival of the British had a significant impact (to put it positively) on the lives of the indigenous Australian people, the Aboriginals. They refer to the day as Invasion Day and criticize it for ultimately celebrating the submission of the Aboriginals. Nevertheless, many exciting attractions take place annually, which I took part in. I took an Uber taxi (which is a taxi company where private individuals are allowed to offer taxi rides) to the Eat Street Market. The Eat Street Market is open every weekend and can be compared to the gourmet mile in Minden, there is a lot of international food, live music, and cool drinks.

Because the food there was very expensive, I only bought a cool lemonade and a little something to eat, you can never eat so much in the heat!

There was also a water show on the river to celebrate the occasion:

Then I took the free ferry back. The ride took just under an hour, which I really enjoyed because I got to see a completely different view of the city.

At 7:30 pm, there was a huge fireworks display that I watched from the rooftop terrace of the hostel. They made hearts and smileys explode in the air, I've never seen anything like it! It was a beautiful day.

27/01/2018: Today, I woke up early, packed my bags, checked out, and took the AirTrain to the airport. After a two-hour flight, I finally landed in Cairns. Finally back at the beach!!! I really missed it!!! My hostel is great. Air conditioning, free BBQ in the evening, great location right on the water, nice people in the room, free breakfast with pancakes. Mhhhh!💛 I'm already looking forward to tomorrow!

I took a little stroll around the city and went to the dive shop where I booked my three-day boat tour, which starts on Monday. I will do a total of eleven dives on the Great Barrier Reef in those three days! I'm soooo excited! At the dive shop, we took care of my diving equipment and filled out some safety forms.

In the evening, there was the free BBQ at the hostel and because traveling always makes me so tired, I'm already in bed. I'm looking forward to the coming days here in Cairns!

Best regards! 💛