Melbourne & the Australian Open
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Wendy
21 Januari 2016 | Canada, Thornbury
We practised taking selfies at Sydney airport - they say practice makes perfect so here's hoping!
Got to Melbourne on Sunday evening, much hotter than Sydney. On Monday in the city we took great visitors bus trip , really chatty driver/guide who was happy to tell quirky stories about the city - sculpture up the side of block of flats, pallet tree (made from old pallets) at Victoria food market. The competition between Sydney & Melbourne as seat of government, that resulted in Canberra being built and government moving there as compromise. Beautiful city with lots of old buildings and different feel to Sydney. Different type of old buildings, single story with covered veranda's. Sydney seems to revolve around the harbour, the Yarra river gives Melbourne a more genteel feel.
Anyway, off to the Open on Tuesday morning. Enormous complex. Walked around the practice courts and saw Nadal with Uncle Tony - he does not fix his underpants each time when he is practising service! Rod Laver area is very big but with good view of court even from higher seats. Watched Venus Williams being knocked out - not an inspiring match. However the next match was amazing - Nadal v Ferdasco. The speed and reactions of those guys was out of this world. Ferdasco was playing so well everyone wanted a 5th set! The atmosphere was great, people who loved tennis watching a wonderful match. It just seemed wrong that one of them had to loose. We were happy for Ferdasco but sad for Nadal. They played for almost 5 hours. We were very lucky to have the opportunity to watch them. It really is the luck of the draw, I was tempted to try for tickets for the Warwrinka match that evening! Lucky we did not as he got walk-over after 2 sets.
We had tickets for the evening session on Margaret Court on Wednesday. Spent the afternoon in Federation Square watching Federer on big screen - the sun was hot! Then got rickshaw ride to the courts!
We saw match between Tjonga & Aussi wild card, it was good but nothing on yesterdays match. Then Daria Gavrilova (Aussi) against Kvitlova. The MC is much smaller & more intimate than Rod Laver, you sit much closer to the players. Also day tickets are better value with 3 matches played against 2 in the evening.
Its raining this morning, so got to try to repack that case again & fly to Tasmania this afternoon. Lots of bush fires ib Tassie, mainly on west side but we are heading up the east coast from Hobart ........ to be continued
Got to Melbourne on Sunday evening, much hotter than Sydney. On Monday in the city we took great visitors bus trip , really chatty driver/guide who was happy to tell quirky stories about the city - sculpture up the side of block of flats, pallet tree (made from old pallets) at Victoria food market. The competition between Sydney & Melbourne as seat of government, that resulted in Canberra being built and government moving there as compromise. Beautiful city with lots of old buildings and different feel to Sydney. Different type of old buildings, single story with covered veranda's. Sydney seems to revolve around the harbour, the Yarra river gives Melbourne a more genteel feel.
Anyway, off to the Open on Tuesday morning. Enormous complex. Walked around the practice courts and saw Nadal with Uncle Tony - he does not fix his underpants each time when he is practising service! Rod Laver area is very big but with good view of court even from higher seats. Watched Venus Williams being knocked out - not an inspiring match. However the next match was amazing - Nadal v Ferdasco. The speed and reactions of those guys was out of this world. Ferdasco was playing so well everyone wanted a 5th set! The atmosphere was great, people who loved tennis watching a wonderful match. It just seemed wrong that one of them had to loose. We were happy for Ferdasco but sad for Nadal. They played for almost 5 hours. We were very lucky to have the opportunity to watch them. It really is the luck of the draw, I was tempted to try for tickets for the Warwrinka match that evening! Lucky we did not as he got walk-over after 2 sets.
We had tickets for the evening session on Margaret Court on Wednesday. Spent the afternoon in Federation Square watching Federer on big screen - the sun was hot! Then got rickshaw ride to the courts!
We saw match between Tjonga & Aussi wild card, it was good but nothing on yesterdays match. Then Daria Gavrilova (Aussi) against Kvitlova. The MC is much smaller & more intimate than Rod Laver, you sit much closer to the players. Also day tickets are better value with 3 matches played against 2 in the evening.
Its raining this morning, so got to try to repack that case again & fly to Tasmania this afternoon. Lots of bush fires ib Tassie, mainly on west side but we are heading up the east coast from Hobart ........ to be continued
-
21 Januari 2016 - 10:05
Mairin Byrne:
Hey Wendy,
Brilliant! Good for you! It's great to be able to follow your trip like this. Thanks for your Sydney card too; nothing like the bright card among the bills and ads! Also good memories of the long-ago times when Neal, and before him Robin, were in Sydney.
I'm just settled ater the end of year rush, I know I'm slow.... Fanny (my step-daughter) and her family came from Reunion Island - they're still here in fact but with Fanny's mum. So we fed and watered 18 for a couple of days around the "Alle Christmas" on the 30th. Luckily John and his family slept at Emilie's. JA is really great again thank goodness and doing lots of activist stuff; he's so glad to be back in circulation.
Continue to enjoy your trip and we'll definitely come to Holland in the Spring and catch up with your news.
Hugs and kisses to Una and Aveen and best New Year wishes to them too.
Mairin XXX
-
21 Januari 2016 - 14:07
Fiona:
It is freezing here, so seeing you in short sleeves and all that sun is quite a contrast! Tennis sounds excellent and you saw some favourites - did you see Tsonga looking after the ball girl who wasn't well?
Sounds as though it is all go - look forward to next chapter!
Reageer op dit reisverslag
Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
