Melbourne cont...

Here are some pictures from our last days hanging out in the city while we were staying at our hostel... 

A cool little art studio that was having a festival right next to our hostel.

Victoria Markets, a huge open market in Melbourne. 

We had to make it to Costco! (Dad did you guys see the charge on the amex? Thanks for dinner!)

Victoria Harbor

I have been in Melbourne for the last two weeks and have gotten myself into plenty of crazy adventures. Jessica and I have been all over town. We got to stay with our friends Brett and Ahrum for a while in Kensington. We mainly hung out with Ahrum most of the time because Brett was busy working and going to grad school. While we were with her we made some Kimchi and Korean food at her house. 

Preparing for Kimchi making...

It was a long process.... 

Almost done! 

YUM! We didn't get to try it too much though because we left a couple days after we made it :( 

Ahrum, Jessica, and I stayed at a hostel in a suburb of town called Fitzroy. It is a really cool part of town. There are a lot of hipsters roaming around the streets there though. The suburbs of Melbourne are pretty fun because Melbourne is so small so people go to the suburbs to hang out. Some people kinda looked at me a little weird because I’m just hanging out with a couple of Koreans… woops! I still haven’t really left Korea I guess, haha.  

The streets of Fitzroy

Jessica and Ahrum hanging out at our hostel.

The outside space at our hostel in Fitzroy

  On Sunday, Brett picked up Ahrum and I to go for a day trip out of the city. Jessica stayed in the city to meet her sister’s friend and hang out. It was amazing and much needed. I was really happy to get out and see some of the countryside in Australia. Brett is really into trees and nature so he took us to see Alpine and Mountain Ash trees east of the city. You could smell the eucalyptus from the trees. It was so fun! We had such a great day. It took about an hour and a half to get there and was a very scenic drive. We had a picnic in the park, which was my favorite meal thus far in Australia. 

In the Mountain Ash forrest... Sooo pretty! 

The Mountain Ash trees are one of the tallest trees in the world! 

Brett and I with the Alpine Ash trees.

We picnic'd next to the river, yummy fresh sandwiches 

My first spotting of Kangaroos! 

We just left Melbourne and are currently in Bowen Australia (up north on the eastern coast) with some of Jessica's friends. So once again I can't get away from Koreans.... I'm in a house with 6 other korean guys and Jessica, haha! Bowen is a beach town conveniently it is on the coral reef! Can't wait to go!! 

melbourne take 1

So, I decided to keep on writing for my friends and family to keep them updated on where I am in the world because I am still traveling about. Jessica and I have made our 25 hour journey to Australia. I thought the trip over here would be a lot worse than it was. I was surprisingly fine on the flights. I took a advil pm on the big 13.5 hour flight which I think helped a lot. When we arrived, we were both pretty well adjusted and didn’t have much jetlag. 

We are currently in Melbourne. We were staying at a hostel the first three nights and are now at our friends Brett and Ahrum’s house. Brett is an Australian that worked with Kalie (my best friend) in South Korea and Ahrum is Brett’s fiancé. Ahrum is South Korean so it’s nice that Jessica can have a Korean friend here as well. They are both so nice and caring. It’s really comforting to have them here as support in Australia.

The view from the rooftop of our hostel.

Wellington - where Ahrum and Brett live

The park in Wellington near their house.

Brett and Ahrum!

So far we’ve just been hanging out around downtown Melbourne. It’s a very small city. It reminds me of Minneapolis in the way it’s set up which I have been told before. The people are so friendly and helpful. I like it a lot but it just feels like a city and I’m not really in Australia. It could just as well be in America besides the fact that people speak with Australian accents and say things like “g’day mate” and “how ya going?” I love their accents. I also love the lemon-scented trees and palm trees all around. Some of the birds common birds here are so colorful as well. The weather is really nice right now. It is winter for them so the nights are a bit chilly but it does get pretty warm and sunny during the day. It feels so tropical here. I think I’m really going to like this place.

Flinders Street Station

The river that runs through town...

Although I really enjoy the city I would like to get out a bit more and explore what this crazy country has to offer. The best way to do that is by car, public transportation here is expensive and not very good. So, Jessica and I are most likely going to get a jeep and set out to explore the land! This should be interesting because they drive on the “wrong” side of the road and the driver’s seat is on the right hand side not the left. This should be interesting…

Home

Since I’ve been home I have been pretty busy, or I should say we. I brought home a souvenir named Jessica. She’s my coteacher from Wonderland. This is her first time in America so she gets so excited about everything she sees. I’ve taken her a bunch of places with me within the past month of being home, traveling to different cities and also places around Minneapolis. I've taken her to the zoo, happy hour, mall of america, ikea, st. bens, sculpture garden, the lakes, uptown, williams, hot tubbing, meeting all of my friends, had bonfires, etc. 

Taking Mocha for a walk

Sculpture Garden with Bre and her cousin who came to MN to visit for day!

Hadley and I took Jessica to see our High School

Celebrating my Dad's Birthday, we made him a cake!

Hadley and her family had us over for a salmon dinner

Jessica made Kalie, Lori (Kalie's mom) and I kimchi soup! Jessica loves Lori!

Free cone day with Angie who came back to MN for 3 days to visit us

Jessica teaching Angie how to make Hoddeok, the sweet korean pancake desert I love

Laying in the yard enjoying a beautiful spring day with Mocha. 

We’ve gone to Duluth/Cloquet to visit my college friends Chelsea and Karley and their families. She got to see the lift bridge, lake superior, the reservation, the night sky full of stars, a deer head on a wall, etc. That was her first fun trip.

Chelsea baking her delicious bread! Baking is not common in Korea so it was fun for Jessica to bake things.

Chelsea and her parents Bev and Steve!

Steve with the deer head, Jessica asked me if that was real - once I said yes she then asked me where the body went. I told her that Steve ate it! hahah

Jessica met a BIG dog, Tropper. He's about 90 lbs or so. You can't find those in Korea... now she thinks Mocha is small, not big!

We went and saw Chelsea run a fun st. patty's day race in Duluth

Lift Bridge

We got dinner with Karley in Duluth at Pizza Luce where all the runners were.

Jay Cooke State Park in Cloquet!

            Next we went to Orlando, Florida to visit my younger sister Angie. Jessica told me she had never dreamed of coming to America let alone Disneyworld. She was smiling the whole trip there. Angie took us to Clearwater Beach the first day where we got to play in the sun and go on a “Little Toot” boat ride to see dolphins and the sunset. We spent two whole days in the Disney parks and saw all 4 of them. Between the busy park days I took her to the Premium Outlet Mall where she thought everything was so cheap and wanted to buy it all… (In Korea, American brands are extremely expensive). After I got her out of the mall, we went to a few other resorts to check it out and wander around them.

Clearwater Beach!

Found this hotel on the beach front...

Little Toot!

Epcot!

Jessica's favorite ride was Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom!

We saw Angie working the Flower and Garden show at Epcot in front of Canada.

We stayed at Pop Century!

Chillin at the Polynesian Resort at Disney

Jess got pixie dusted while shopping in Downtown Disney

Sorcerer Jess is getting ready for Hollywood Studios...

Hollywood Studios

Angie's roommate Ashley gave Jessica a magical moment where she got to meet all of the characters one by one as they came out to greet her. Jess almost died, she was not expecting it at all. She was sooo excited!

The first to greet her was Minnie Mouse, her favorite!

High Four! 

We learned how to draw Sorcerer Mickey!

Lights, Motors, Action show!

Jessica's first view of Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle.

She loved it!

Wishes fireworks show!

            The last trip I took Jessica on was to Chicago. She got to meet my friend Bre who I refer to as “Wonder Woman”. Jessica loved her. I call her wonder woman because she was wonder woman at 6 flags. We got to stay and hang out with Bre in Algonquin on Friday night before heading to the city on Saturday. Jessica got to see Lake Michigan, State Street, Macy’s, Millennium Park, the bean, north beach, a few bars in Lincoln Park, etc. It was a pretty fun trip.

Bre's brother Greg and one of their family birds. They also have iguana's, a snake, a bearded dragon, and some other creatures I don't even know the names of. 

Bre with the sink desert at Colonial Cafe, don't worry we split it between four of us...

Bre's crazy tall family, Jess loved it because she said for once she didn't feel like a giant!

The Bean

Millennium Park, the flowers were gorgeous!

The riverwalk

Macy's

            Last thing to mention is that my mom got Jessica a job while we’re home coaching “soccer tots”! It consists of playing soccer games with 3-5 year olds. We actually started coaching the morning after we got home from Korea, Tuesday mornings for 2 hours with Keith. 

We've been working with kids about this age...

            Next on my list is a trip to Australia with Jessica. We’re leaving here on Tuesday, March 10^th (after our last soccer tots session of course). We’re heading to Melbourne and then figuring it out from there. Not too sure what’s on our agenda but that’s half the fun. I’ll try to make some posts from there with updates!