Work, work, work...

We have been in Brisbane for 6 weeks now, and our everyday life has mainly been shaped by work. Over time, we started to like the company more and more because we got to know many employees better and found some new friends. So in the end, we were a bit sad that our time here was already over and that we would soon be moving on. As a farewell, we were showered with sweets and small gifts, which once again showed us how lucky we actually were with our backpacker job in Brisbane. Nevertheless, we are of course looking forward to the upcoming experiences and our upcoming trip to Sydney!

On our free weekends, we always tried to do one or two activities in Brisbane. On a Saturday, we made our way to the Brisbane Powerhouse, an old power station that has been converted into a theater and show stage. The old industrial flair fits perfectly into the stage scenery and the atmosphere! On Saturday morning, there is always a large market in front of the Powerhouse with big, colorful fruit stands, various art stands, and of course, everything that food lovers can imagine. We especially enjoyed the very sweet and juicy mangoes!

On our next weekend, we visited Mount Coo-Tha with its botanical garden. During the one-hour tour, we learned unexpected facts about the native plants of the rainforest and were amazed at how big a Benjamin can become when allowed to grow in a tropical climate. The tour through the "Exotic Plants" area was funny, as it mainly featured plants from Europe... Not really exotic to us. After the tour, we still had enough strength to walk uphill for an hour to the lookout platform on Mount Coo-Tha... But let me tell you, we were glad to have made it to the top in the end! The view was more than worth it, and the food at the panoramic restaurant quickly made us forget our efforts. A completely successful day!

Our last weekend was all about Christmas. The city of Brisbane has planned many different events around Christmas as part of a campaign. First, we visited the Christmas Village by the river, a kind of Christmas market with many small art stands, German sausages, and warm waffles. Delicious! 5 days before Christmas, the daily Christmas Firework also starts, which reminds us more of New Year's than Christmas! But still very nice to sit by the river and watch the fireworks accompanied by music. A third major event is the City Hall Lights. The town hall with its tall bell tower is illuminated with lights during the Christmas season, making it serve as a huge screen. Every 15 minutes, a small Christmas story is played on it. It's incredible how clear and vibrant the colors are!

You see: Christmas is coming, even though the Christmas atmosphere here is very different from Germany!