Melbourne

Friday morning I left the hostel with a great service: a private bus came to pick me up and bring me in front the gate for only 15$AU, pretty cheap!
Then I've tried the self check-in, everythign fine: I travelled without show my ID or passport all the time, what a security place is Australia!!!
Anyway, in Melbourne I follow Glenn's instruction and met him where he work, then we went straight away to a club in the centre and I started trying all teh tipical Australian beers... :-)
Glenn and his girlfriend Kalye are two amazing good friends of mine met last year at uni. They spent there only 4-5 months, not all the academic year, so it passed even more time from the last time I've seen them, it was really cool to have seen them again, I'm very happy to travel and see again old friends!
Anyway, I spent all my Melbourne stop in his house and even his flatmate where such great and cool guys, a really good atmosphere!
Anyway, since I was there for the weekend, I appreciate much more Melbourne and Sydney...in particular, Melbourne is famous to have hidden bar/clubs, if you don't know where they are it's hard to find...but when you find them they're really cool!!
Saturday night we went at BIMBO, good place to get drunk and dance....

Another important reason to have been here in Melbourne is that I've some relatives that I've never met (when they came in Italy I was too young!): this was another great things that I've done it! I've met there (my main contact was my granfather's brother), all the big family, and after months I felt again to be home! Also, I've decided to change for the n-times my trip in order to stay more time with them and also to spend anotehr weekend with Glenn in his origin town Mildura!
For the same weekend, Davy and Greg were supposed to arrive, thus another good reason to delay my Asias adventure!!! (Davy and Greg are 2 another ex-Royal Holloway friends, so good to see all of them again...)

Monday morning (or sunday night, if you prefer) there was the FIFA World Cup final (9th July 2006, don't forget this date!!!): as everybody knows, Italy won the world cup, I've alrady wrote what happen that night and how good was to stay in Lygon st, a place surrounded only by italian supporters!!!

During the week I spent more time with my relatives than Glenn since he was working and since we planned to go together to Mildura, thus I've been first to Rye with zia Liliana e zio Giuseppe (Rye is a place on the beach 2-3 hours away from Melbourne: I think it's a good place to visit and stay for the summer, not a good idea to stay there in this period!), then another day I've visit the city with Paola and Vinza: Old Melbourne Gaol, Rialto, Southbank, the casino by night,etc... (all the touristic attractions)
On thursday, finally, I've seen for the first and only time a Kangooru and Koala, thanks to Peter (Paola's husband) who bring me in this amazing place, Healesville park, where we spent a whole day watching all the australian's main animals!

Then the weekend: I and Glenn went to the airport, pick up Davy, Greg and a friend of them, then all together + Kalye and Matt started our 6h30m trip to MILDURA!!! This place doesn't have anything interesting to attract tourist (I appreciate Glenn's affort to try to find something to visit...), but it's a good and nice place where to live and, for us, spend a weekend! In particular, in the morning we went on the river with Glenn's boat, then at around 12pm we started drinking beers, playing pool and bet on horse races (on live, no virtual stuff as in the casino!)...and we kept going till the night: all day drunk! :-)
Of course we have had Great time (with the big "G"), expecially in the evening when we went out for bar and club (such amazing australian girls, oooo my god!!!)

On the way back we enjoyed nice stories about old and new stuff about Royal Holloway and local Australian news written in magazine "for only men"...
Also, on the way we found policemen stopping car trying to find driver with alcoholic test more than the allow: we stopped less then 10 seconds, Glenn just blow into a stir and that's it, all fine and safe home!

To keep note, in all the Melbourne's period I've played again PS2 (Pro Evolution Soccer, of course) and even after one year that I haven't played, I was still good and I finish 3rd (in 5 players) in the last tournament we have had at home (fucking Glenn always beaten me at the over time!!!).
Also, I wanna remind that this continent was discovered only 200 years ago (on 1700) thus is still pretty new (I couldn't believe that there are still Aborigin community living here!!!)

Ok, tomorrow it's time to visit Tokyo, my first stop in Asia...I can't wait to visit this "new world", I just hope to find soon an hostel (I haven't booked yet) and to don't find too many problem at the airport (now it's becaming a standard to find something wrong or particular strange)

See ya guys