Weekend trip 17.08.-19.08.2018

I was asked by the family if I wanted to come to Emily's parents' farm for a weekend, which is located near Euroa. I saw it as a good opportunity to get to know the family better and see more of Australia.

Emily and I left home on Friday afternoon around 3pm. Stewart came later, as he still had to work. The car ride was pleasant at first, both kids were sleeping and we enjoyed the peace and quiet, but it didn't last. When William woke up, we were about halfway through the trip, which was about 3 hours in total. From that point on, he cried and nothing seemed to make him happy, not even the phone. Everyone was relieved when we finally arrived and the situation calmed down.

When we arrived there, I was amazed and very impressed by the scenery I saw (you might be able to imagine it from the pictures). After we were warmly greeted by the grandparents, we unloaded all the bags from the car and then my room was shown to me first, followed by the rest of the house. On that day, it was just us with the grandparents and Emily's brother+girlfriend, but Emily's sister+family will be coming the next day. So, a really big family gathering.

The food that evening was really delicious and reminded me of German food, which I already miss. It was potato gratin with roast pork, broccoli in cream sauce, and pan-fried carrots. A real feast. For dessert, there was a piece of cake.

The next morning, we went to the small town of Euroa. The grandfather took me to a pharmacy to get medicine for my cold. Then we went to a cafe with Emily and had something to drink and eat. After that, we went to the supermarket. The grandfather and I went to the bakery and I got some rolls instead of just toast. On the way back to the farm, the grandfather showed me his other farm, the sheep farm. It really can't be compared to Germany, the way the nature and fields look here. It's all so flat and expansive, you can't imagine it. The grandfather explained to me that his cattle farm has over 1000 hectares of land and 2000 cows, and the sheep farm has over 2000 hectares and 5000 sheep.

After lunch, Stewart asked me if I wanted to go for a ride on the quad bike, and of course I said yes. I was lucky to have my thick jacket and scarf with me, and I also got a hat and gloves because it got really cold due to the wind. Stewart showed me how the quad bike works, a short test ride, everything was great. He rode with the ranger ahead and I followed behind on the quad bike. It was really fun. I had never ridden a quad bike before, but I immediately got the hang of it. We drove to a large waterhole at the top of the 'hill'. On the way through the cow pastures, we saw kangaroos on the other side, probably about 20 of them, it was a really cool experience. When we arrived at the waterhole, Stewart tried fishing, but no fish bit, so we drove back to the farm.

That evening, Audry, Emily's brother's girlfriend, cooked Asian food, which also tasted good. There was pork that evening, then rice, chicken legs, Chinese cabbage cooked in cream sauce, and beans.

The next morning, we went on another quad bike tour, this time with the kids in the ranger with Steward. When we arrived back at the farm, we had lunch with all the leftovers from the two days. After lunch, Stewart and I picked lemons, tangerines, and avocados in the garden, and then we packed up and drove back home.

The drive back was much more pleasant than the drive there. I even saw koalas, but unfortunately only dead ones on the side of the road.

Avocado