Big City Vibes - small Jennie in Melbourne!

Meanwhile, I'm already in Israel and slightly behind with the updates of my trip, but here are my impressions of Melbourne.

I got off the bus in Melbourne and immediately noticed how incredibly cold it was - exactly what I had feared. First, I organized a rechargeable ticket and called my hostel to see if it would be possible to drop off my luggage there. Luckily, it was super easy to find your way around Melbourne, and the trams in the city center were even free, so you didn't need a ticket. So I went there, dropped off the luggage, buttoned up my jacket again, put on a hat, and off I went.

I went back to Flinder Street, one of the main streets in Melbourne. There I met Ed from Airlie Beach again. He flew to Melbourne specifically to take a little break from work. We strolled through the small side streets and found a beautiful street, small and winding with many cafes. I felt like I was in Milan or Barcelona, but definitely not in Melbourne. We decided to have breakfast there, very expensive (about 25 euros for breakfast!) but incredibly good and great atmosphere.

Strengthened, we set off for Lionel Street - a well-known street full of street art. It was strange how many tourists were crowded in front of the colorful pictures. There were far more beautiful pictures to discover all over the city, you just had to open your eyes.

As a final stop, we decided to go on the Ferris wheel, known as the 'Melbourne Star', which is exactly the same as the 'London Eye'. We tried to catch the sunset, but unfortunately, it was very cloudy - but that didn't stop us from falling in love with this city. I would always prefer a sunset at the beach, but I also love the moment when a city starts to sparkle, when the hustle and bustle of everyday life is swallowed up.

The next day, it was time to say goodbye to Ed again, and then I was on my own, but thanks to the previous day, I already had a good idea of the city.
I walked through the streets and turned wherever I liked, ending up in Melbourne's Chinatown.

Although my hostel was a complete mess and everything was under construction, I fell more in love with this big, colorful city with every passing second. In the evening, two people from my hostel asked me if I wanted to come to Nomads - another hostel with a bar (for those who read my previous blog post, I was also in a Nomads hostel in Noosa - the one with the color party!). And there, I immediately met many great people, including my dear Paula. Paula is also German and 19 years old, and from the beginning, I felt like we had known each other for a long time! That evening, the hostel organized a kind of quiz duel in which we participated until I fell asleep late at night.

The next day was the first really warm day! We had 23 degrees, and I asked Paula and Pia (from Finland) if they wanted to accompany me to St. Kilda. And so my crazy idea turned into a real girls' trip.

 We talked non-stop, drank slushies, and walked along the beach from Luna Park towards Brighton.

Just in time for sunset, we arrived at the famous Bathing Boxes, and at every box there was an 'ahh!' or an 'oooh!'. The little houses were simply adorable!

We took photos until the sun was gone and the memory was full, then we returned to the hostel and got ready for the 90s party that was taking place there. Anyone who knows me will be amazed, because yes! - I hate the 90s. But we started with Twister and quiz questions, had a few drinks in between, and then the music started. We even decided to move on to a club called Calton, hidden in a staircase, with 2 dance floors where we turned the night into day.

Unfortunately, I was already feeling sick again and woke up the next day without a voice and with a sore throat. The weather wasn't great either, so Paula and I decided to stay in the hostel. With a good book in hand, some pancakes and coffee in my stomach, the day was saved. On my last full day in Melbourne, I grabbed Paula again, and we dashed off. First, Paula applied in a German Hofbräuhaus in the middle of Melbourne's Chinatown (crazy, right?!), and then we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art and walked through the huge botanical garden on the way back, along the waterfront, listening to a street musician and enjoying the sun. That was the moment when it became clear to me that I had completely fallen for Melbourne.

We spent the evening again in the Nomads bar playing a few rounds of pool (I even won twice!) before I got ready the next morning to leave Melbourne and Australia behind. I had had a lump in my throat for the past few days because I didn't want to say goodbye. Not to Paula, not to Australia. I visited this country for 4 weeks, lived there, saw and experienced a lot, and now suddenly I'm leaving? Even little things like shopping in the supermarket had become much easier, I had gotten used to the currency, and of course, speaking English had become second nature to me, I even dreamed in English!

But my flight was booked, my next and last chapter was about to begin... I had to say goodbye and move on. The only thing that could cheer me up was the weather in Israel. The beach, 32 degrees, and sunshine were waiting for me there. So I got on the plane and kept traveling further towards the sun, further towards home, because only a few days, one last flight, and only 1 hour time difference separated me from Berlin. But first, Israel was on the boarding pass!