Catch-Up, Catsup, Ketchup... Partie Deux

Did you know that in Australia and New Zealand they call ketchup Tomato Sauce? Last night we went out with some friends (friends! yay!) and my Kiwi roommate asked the waitress if we could please have some tomato sauce (pronounced, toe-mahhh-toe) with our fries. Even though I already knew that tomaaahhto sauce was ketchup, it still took me a minute to realize he wasn't ordering a side of marinara to go with his chips.

Then what is pasta sauce, I hear you all asking (or, not). Well it’s Tomato Sauce, too. What a confusing and bizarre world we live in.

Anyhow… here is Part Two of what we’ve been up to in the last few weeks.

Family & Friends. My mum’s college roommate Sandy’s friend she met in England (see if you can follow that one) lives in Melbourne with her lovely, beautiful family. Martine and Philip and their children (three girls and one boy, all around our age) have been nothing but open, hospitable and helpful in our transition to life in this amazing city.

We were invited over for dinner and then again the following day to watch the Olympic opening ceremonies (from the perspective of an Aussie news channel… weird!) and it was just our luck that Sandy’s husband Jim (the two of them have always been prominent figures in my life) was in town on business. Jim insisted on a group photo, though I think this had more to do with certain strict orders from Sandy, rather than a desire to capture such a fun and wonderful gathering.

In the place of Canadian flags, we waved around a couple of maple leaf backpack pins Sandy had sent along for Curtis and I, as Martine and Philip cheered for their home team.

After the somewhat comical failure of the Olympic Torch signaled the end of the Opening Ceremonies, we headed out to the picturesque Brighton Beach, a small stretch of sand modeled after the famous Brighton Beach in England. Little “Beach Boxes” line the shore, each one valued at around $200,000, though rarely do they ever go on sale.

A couple of wedding parties braved the cool temperatures and overcast skies to pose in front of the beautiful and ever-vibrant backdrop of the Beach Boxes.

Not a bad spot for photographs, no matter the weather!

Fun in the Sun. Having secured an apartment but not yet moved in, our last week in the hostel was filled with lazy summer days like this one, when Hinnerk, Becky, Curtis and I took the tram to Port Melbourne beach to soak up some Vitamin D.

We laughed and played under the sun’s warm embrace

Drank the beer we kept cool in the ocean surf

Watched the sun sink over the horizon

And soared off to dinner (I think there was more than a bit of Victoria Bitter involved at this point).

The end.

But not really.

the traveling stahr…