being in the thick of the Grampians

Next morning I went to the information office in Halls Gap and Martin went to the petrol station with smoothie. After we found our useful ones in the mountain of information brochures, we started our tour in the thick of the Grampians. We have been fascinated by the small streets in this highland area, which weave thru the whole australian scrubland. The view from one of these many view points was breathtaking. After these first impressions we went on to the next viewpoint. On this way we found a nice bank - this one had to be captured on film :)

Together with all the japanese tourist we went to the second viewpoint called "the balconies" and enjoyed the nature and the red paths thru the silence to the full. The next point on our list was also the highlight of our whole trip thru the Grampians and took most of the time - the McKenzie falls. A huge waterfall in middle of the australian scrubland. Martin took many pictures of this gorgeous place on earth - I don't really know the technical details, but Martin can tell you if you want to know ;) I just know that you got such effects with long exposure ...

We spend plenty of time at this waterfall before we went back to the parking area for having dinner. Then it happened -  the noodle disaster.

During Martin stood in the back of the campervan making noodles assiduously and agitating the fried onions for the tomato sauce I wanted to show him some pictures of Hong Kong (don't worry I couldn't and you missed nothing...). But I had to connect the laptop with the current, because the Martins battery was very low after some years of using it. Martin said I just have to connect it with the cigarette lighter in the front (he had a very useful adapter) and I just have to turn around the key. I soared up on the passenger seat and did what had to be done - I turned around the key... Well, that was enough! It lolloped, juddered and twitched, Martin screamed, I was all of a dither and trembled and turned around the key again in full panic - it lolloped and juddered again until smoothie finally jerked to a stop three meters far from the first position. Well I forgot something... Martin always uses the first speed when parking somewhere but I always use the hand brake. That's why the kitchen run away while Martin was cooking and I turned around the key. Oh dear that was a very confusing talk after all - somewhere between laughing, crying and trembling we embosomed each other and were glad having a complete not broken kitchen. Of course the table legs were broken but anything else was fine. The only thing we just realised after the first shock were the noodles lying everywhere on the ground. That was our very strange evening in the Grampians. We had to cook the noodles again and had to look how the bird tried to kill themselves while eating the noodles.

More funny stories will follow - promised!

Let's get started - Werribee Park and Grampians

 In the following post I would like to tell you more about the next days and their highlights. Ih hope I can remember everything and can give you a point of view of the wunderful south of Australia.
 At late afternoon december 18th we started our trip. This day we had enough sleep (especially Martin). First we spend a bit at the car to finish it totally - packed boxes, stored bags and decorated for christmas. About 5 p.m. we started. But where we are going? Martin didn't told me the whole route, wherefore I sat at the passenger seat kind of unoriented and followed him in the dark. After two hours we stopped next to the sea on a parking area - "We will stay here this night!". I couldn't see anything this night and it started raining, but that was ok. Because I was cold and I wouldn't go out of the car to take a shower in Martins self built shower, I held my feed in the rain to clean them - it took a while to remove the soap, but with the help of Martins water tank it was ok.

Our first night in the car - I had to acclimate to the parking-area-sleep. After one hour without a sleep lying next to Martin (he could sleep very good) I could enjoy the wunderful bed. We have been in the south-west of Mebourne. Our next stop should be an extensive hilly landscape called Grampians.  On the way we stopped at a park - the Werribee Park. I didn't really know what should come - it was an insider tip of the lonely planet tourist guide. Martin went there before and liked it. I was thrilled. There was a huge rose garden with more than 5000 rose bushes - there are arranged as a big Tudor rose. It smelled like heaven and we ambled thru enjoying the park and the silence. My nose was not used to so much fresh air!
We took photos of nearly every rose bush and afterwards we went thru the Werribee Park Gatelodge. It's a huge old estate that is rebuilt to a hotel. Martin had to write a essay about it. I really liked it and enjoyed the hours together with my sweetheard.
From there we went to the Grampians - but first I had my first driving lesson in a left controlled campervan. I tried to drive from the parking area to the next big street and I really have to say that this was enough as a first experience. To change gears with the left hand at the steering wheel, to drive on the left handsite and that all with a very spongy  handling was enough for the first time. I was glad and was all in a sweat, but I felt good. From this time Martin could drive Smoothie again.
On the way to the Grampians we drove thru many little nice villages and in one of these has been a wunderful town hall. Later we had to refuel the first time - unfortunately this petrol station was closed and we had to drive on to Halls Gap. There we have been disappointed too because in this tiny little village everything closes at 7 p.m. - we arrived at the petrol station at 7.10 p.m.! We have been too late and had to stay in Halls Gap until next morning. We stayed at a parking area next to the petrol station because we hadn't enough fuel to go to the next open petrol station. But it could be worse because Halls Gap is famous for their kangurus browsing in the front gardens and jumping thru the whole village - hard to believe but it is true. On the way to Halls Gap we saw a big pack on a field at the roadside already. Being fascinated and well prepared with our zoom lens we made a stop to took some wunderful shots. Enjoy them on my german blog!
In Halls Gap I had the chance to stand right next to them very close. There was big meadow next to a camping site - there were plenty of kangurus and their babies. They have been so distracted with browsing that I could go closer and closer. That was THE chance... After these awesome shots we went further in search of a sleeping berth. After two days without a shower we felt dirty and wanted to take shower and wash hair. Unfortunately we couldn't find an open camping site. That's why we decided to ask everywhere if we could just use the bathroom for a shwoer withour staying over night. We found a hostel where we could take a shower for just 15 bucks. That was very refreshing and we could start our search for a nice sleeping place. Like I told before we stayed next to the petrol station and next to the information office. The advantages of this location: We will definitely have new fuel next morning, we could use the toilets next to the information office and we could enjoy our noodles as dinner on the parking area.

Next morning we started our discovery tour thru the Grampians, but this ist another story.
See you soon :)

Welcome to Australia!

On 17th december it was time - my flight to Melbourne and to Martin started early in the morning. The rising sun in my face and with tired eyes I got in the plane at 7:30 am. After around 3 hours flight and a two-hour-Stop in Kuala Lumpur at one of the most uninteresting airports, the next 7 hours flight to Australia started.
At midnight I landed in Melbourne on time and hoped to have a wunderful reunion with Martin. A confused an very tired Martin welcomed me. I was a bit confused, but I thought, that it was because of the time. First he proudly showed me his van, which seemed to be a bit smashed - that was one of the reasons Martin was in a bad mood. On the way to the airport the roof rack broke because of big hole, wherefor the entire wheight of the back part of the roof rack weighed heavily on the roof of the van. Therefore Martin had to go slowly and carefully so that everything not came down (could he know, that everything kept strong) and he couldn't stop quickly enough at a red light without having the risk that everything from the roof fell down on the street. That's why he got a ticket and I could understand his bad mood at the airport.

It was more funny being in the Hostel where Martin presented me the rooms and we went in the bathroom and directly into bed. On my way to bed I had to discover that my hand desinfection gel in my backpack was bursted and therefore some of my things were covered with gel. I wanted to clean it and asked Martin for a tissue or something else to dry it. Within his answer "Take the yellow towel over there, it has many holes." he fell asleep lying in the bed on top of the blanket. After cleaning my stuff I really wanted to cuddle under the blanket because for me it was chilly (Martin thought different that's why he opened the window before sleeping), but I had to discover that I just got the blanket when I would push Martin away - that's what I did and Martin didn't show any reaction.

Next morning Martin, who woke up later than me what is really untypical, asked me, if he even said good night. I just smiled - "You didn't say anything."

WELCOME  TO AUSTRALIA!

The describtion for the "blustery" welcome of the previos day followed the same morning, because Martin told me that he had worked for the last three days on the van to finish it - that meens he had no sleep for around 70 hours. I was shocked! The result of this hell work can really be shown and I want to put my whole proudness into words that he did that all completely on his own and with simple tools. But I don't really know if the whole rough going was worth it. Be that as it may I feel very flattered and have to say that you can really enjoy driving and living in such a "hotel on wheels". Meny pictures you can find attached in Martins blog or the german version of mine.

WELCOME TO AUSTRALIA!!!

christmas time at Swiss School

 From now on I will write my blog also in English because many interested people can't speak German.  All of the pictures in my blog are just shown in my German Blog - you find the link attached in the link list.

After one month without any news, I have to get you up to date.

What happened the last month, where have I been, who attended me, who have I met and what have I learned - all of that I will tell you in the next posts.

in the christmas bakery

...there sundry happens. In the kindergarden we made cookies and the kids had much fun to knead the dough on their own. In the end there were many tasty cookies for all of us. I think that all the pictures show enough and I don't have to tell more about it. I can tell you, that it was very cute to see how much fun they had and how all the teachers stood in front of our door because it smelt so delicious.

christmas drawings

Every friday Susanne (the wife of the representative school director) comes to us in the kindergarden to draw with the kids. Depending on the season and the cause the motives change and many cute pictures develop. This time many cute reindeers have been drawn.

christmas celebration on 15 december

This day all the students came to school at 1 pm. All the staff and the teachers (me as well) had to come at 11 am to arrange everything. That was really nice but the disadvantage was to work until late pm. First we had to arrange all the different stations but than we had a wunderful christmas afternoon with the kids before the official program started in the late afternoon. Some grades performed songs or dances - our kindergardengroup also. To "Es ist für uns eine Zeit angekommen" (a german christmas song) we danced in a circle and had much fun.

 In the early afternoon the kids did handicraft, they drew, sang Karaoke and heard christmas music. the told program was full with cute acts of the little ones and also some really professional acts of an opera singer or some of the older students. From 7 pm all could enjoy the wunderful decorated ambience to talk and to eat the delicious buffet, while the student band and some dance groups showed a little evening program.

I wish you all a wunderful christmas time (better late than never)!

I hope you had some relaxed days with your families.