Brisbane (08.01.- 18.01.2019)

When we arrived in Brisbane, there was a long walk ahead of us. However, we made good use of this walk for sightseeing.

Brisbane is a very beautiful city with many bridges. The Brisbane River runs right through the city center, giving Brisbane a very relaxed and laid-back atmosphere. Our airbnb apartment was located in the south of Brisbane, where people usually only go when there is a cricket match. The main attractions in Brisbane are the shopping center and Southbank, with museums, three public pools and many restaurants and BBQ areas for cozy evenings.

But back to our arrival. When we arrived at the apartment, we washed our clothes first. The feeling of clean laundry is actually the most delightful to us. We then had dinner and enjoyed good WiFi.

On the second day, we went to the tourist information center in the city to learn about Brisbane. We then took a boat tour of Brisbane. There is a free circular tour here that quickly takes people from one bank to the other. We sat on the boat, got on and off at various stops, and enjoyed the view of the water and the blue sky. As it is currently over 30°C here every day, we always feel quite tired. So we just walked around Southbank, visited a few museums (which were quite small), and then went back to our accommodation, where we organized all the brochures from the tourist information center and planned our next few days.

On the third day, we slept in first and then walked to Chinatown across the Story Bridge (east of the city center). It was nice to see a smaller center outside the city... without many tourists. Then we went to Breakfast Creek. This is a hotel and restaurant that is very historic. Because it is right on the river and Brisbane is occasionally flooded, the restaurant has many photos of the floods. The last flood was in 2011. Then we went back to Chinatown and had dinner there. The way there led us past many car dealerships, more than half of which were German companies. We felt almost like we were on Podbielskistraße. After that, we walked back to our accommodation.

On the fourth day, we were able to accompany our landlords to a market in Westend. The market had everything from food to clothing. The banana bread was particularly delicious. There were over 8 different types of banana bread with plenty of samples. Delicious! Trying pumpkin seed pesto was also interesting and really tasty. After the market, we took a walk in the area. Then we went to the rugby stadium in Brisbane. Unfortunately, it is not rugby season, so we couldn't watch a game. Brisbane apparently has the best rugby team in Australia, so it would have been exciting. Then it was time: Marie is in Brisbane. I was very happy that Marie and I could see each other again in Brisbane and spend a few days together before she went back home. So when Marie arrived, we went straight to her accommodation to welcome her. This girl is so tan, it's amazing. We were all happy to see her and had more stories to tell... after all, we hadn't seen each other for over a month.

On the next day, we met up at 10 o'clock (or rather 10:15) to go to the botanical gardens. There was a small market there that we checked out. Then we went to City Hall and took a tower tour. We spent the waiting time before the tour drawing mandalas. It was really funny and in the end, Ben created some really beautiful mandalas. Then we strolled around the city. There was also a stand in the middle of the city where you could try ice cream. But not normal ice cream... ice cream with grasshoppers. Marie and I carefully removed them. Ben tried one! He said it was very crispy and didn't have much flavor. But Marie and I still didn't eat them. After the grasshoppers, we went to the tourist information center to buy zoo tickets and bus tickets for another day, or to find out where it would be cheapest. Then we took the ferry again. Marie still hadn't taken the boat trip yet.

On the next day, we met up again at the same time and booked our visit to the zoo at the tourist information center. On the way, we stopped at the Brisbane sign and took photos and observed the people there. Then we took a bus tour. It cooled us down and we were able to explore other parts of Brisbane again. The day ended with another beautiful boat trip. On the ferry, Marie noticed that Fiona (classmate), who is currently on vacation here with her mother, is in Brisbane. So we messaged her and an hour later we were all sitting at a table, ending the evening with pleasant conversations.

On the next day, we had to get up early and march into the city. We had signed up for a city tour. In a small group, an employee of the tourist information center showed us all the beautiful spots in the city center. As it was really hot that day, she cut the tour short, but we still gained a new impression of Brisbane. The expo a few years ago caused a lot of renovation, especially in Brisbane. In general, there is a work of art to admire on almost every corner in Brisbane, which we would never have noticed if we hadn't taken this tour. You just have to look up every now and then and you will see the diverse works of art. After the tour, we took the ferry to New Farm, slightly east of the city center. There is the so-called Powerhouse, which had a pixel exhibition that day. It was surprisingly small, but we were already very impressed by the district itself. It was warm again and there was almost no wind, but this quiet atmosphere and the good weather somehow fascinated us... and it also made us quite tired again, so we didn't do anything else.

On the following day, it was time to go to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. When Marie, Ben, and I arrived there after a good hour on the bus, we immediately noticed the many koalas. 130 koalas! You can cuddle and admire them. Fiona and her mother were also there that day, so we joined them. The special thing about the park was that there were only Australian animals. There was also an information session by the animal keepers every half hour. We learned a lot about platypuses and birds, and the dog show in particular impressed us. It showed how dogs are used on sheep farms. It was very amusing to see how much fun the dogs had with the sheep. It was almost 40 degrees that day, so the dogs were often able to cool off in the small dog pool. Afterwards, we tried to take the perfect photo with the kangaroos. We didn't succeed so well, but it was very nice to pet and observe the many kangaroos. We could also feed them, but most of the kangaroos were already full from the many visitors. We were also able to pet baby kangaroos. After taking about 500 kangaroo and koala pictures, we headed home. We exchanged our best snapshots and went to bed.

The last full day had arrived. Since Marie had already packed a bit and had some space in her suitcase, I sorted out some of my long clothes and went to her hostel in the morning. Then Marie and I went to the city and bought the last souvenirs. Ben, meanwhile, was still resting at home, and we met again at the public pool in the afternoon. After a few comfortable hours at the pool, Marie wanted to have dinner at Domino's as a conclusion. Here, a pizza costs only €3, which is unbeatable. You get full and have a delicious pizza. Then we treated ourselves to an ice cream and made the evening perfect. All together, we went to Marie's hostel to sort our things. Marie also had many products (e.g. sunscreen) that she doesn't need in Germany at the moment. When the exchange was over, it was time to say goodbye. It was already quite late.

On the next day, it was time for us to pack our suitcases, enjoy our last time in Brisbane, go to the bus stop, and wait for the bus that would take us to the Gold Coast. While waiting at the transit center, we ran into Tim (classmate, roommate in Elwood, Melbourne). It was also nice to see him again. If it seems like all our classmates are in Australia: that's correct. Luisa, Karen, Fiona, Meret P., Marie, Tim, Ben, and me. By the way, there will soon be a few more classmates coming to Australia...

It was really indescribably beautiful to see Marie again and spend the last few days of her stay with her. We will miss her and hope she arrives home safely and of course doesn't lose her tan so quickly. She is currently on a plane to Singapore and then has two more flights to Hannover.