So I guess it’s been a little while since I last wrote… So much to tell!!
Saturday night Timmy took me to MCG (Melbourne Cricket Grounds) to see the Adelaide Crows play the Collingwood Magpies. Magpies, in case you’re wondering, are little annoyng birds that fly into people’s heads… Strange team name, I know!
Timmy was at his friend Sam’s birthday bash during the early evening, and I was too tired to go, so I was on my own getting to MCG. I decided to take a cab because I hadn’t experienced the Melbourne public transit system yet, and didn’t want to risk being late. I was very excited!! I hopped in a cab a little early – I was supposed to meet Timmy at Gate 1 at the stadium for 6:30pm, I got there at about 5:30pm. I was hungry, so I grabbed a chicken burger, Powerade, and a hot jam doughnut – the Powerade and doughnut seem to be staples in the Melbourne diet.
From the ‘G (what many locals call MCG) you can see Rod Laver Arena, HiSense Arena (both used for Aussie open) and some other Melbourne sights. I walked to what I think is called Melbourne Park (I have it on video – again, please stay tuned) – the area where Rod Laver and HiSense are located. I was the only person there, walked right in, no problems, saw the main court at Rod Laver, it was very cool! I’m looking forward to the Australian Open this year, it should be awesome.
By 6:30 Timmy was there, and we met the sister of his friend Brent Reilly who plays for the Crows (here is his player profile). Pretty cool that we got our tickets to this major quarter-final game from a player on one of the teams! Timmy and Brent “Radar” Reilly are great friends from childhood.
I hd seen one full game prior, and Timmy and his friends were great at explaining the rules. By the time the first quarter of this game was over, I was very comfortable with the rules, and was strating to REALLY enjoy the sport. It’s a ton of fun to watch!
Adelaide held a convincing lead throught he first two quarters, but Collingwood dominated the third quarter. The game came down to the final seconds in the fourth quarter, where the majority of the 63,000 in attendance erupted as the game ended and Collingwood had won. Timmy and I were going for the Crows (I have their jersey and now I have a great scarf, too) – and were seated in a Crows-only fan section, it was probably the only Crows fan-friendly zone in the stadium! I think it was all family of players who played for Adelaide…
So it was a crummy finish, but the game was awesome and it’s definitely something I’m going to follow through to the Grand Final in a couple weeks, where we’re going to Timmy’s friend’s place who has a nice TV. I guess it’s the equivalent of going to Brandon’s for a Super Bowl party!
Yesterday (Sunday) Mitch and I had plans to take the Melbourne tourist shuttle around the city – a free shuttle that would help me get oriented in Melbourne. Well, we didn’t do it. For whatever reason, we weren’t able to find the shuttle stop, even though we followed the map!! So Mitch gave me a walking tour. I really saw some new sights of Melbourne that were awesome. For one, he took me to the State Library of Victoria – one of the nicest buildings I’ve ever seen! Really, REALLY impressive. A definite must-see.
I also saw the Hardrock Climbing Gym which is where I plan to get some good use out of my climbing gear!
Last night when I got home from Mitch & Samara’s (I took public transportation all the way home!) Cherz was making us an EXCELLENT dinner. I tried pumpkin for the first time! It was excellent. Very similar to sweet potato, actually. It was a fantastic meal.
Now, Monday morning, I’m up watching the Als-Lions game on my SlingBox. The greatest invention ever. Althought I shouldn’t be up. I’ve been up since around 6:45 this morning – jetlag is still getting to me… I hope it gets better soon!
And again, I’ll say: stay tuned for pics and videos, they’re coming eventually! Just need to find an internet cafe…