I have been really lazy the last month and I have not updated my blog for a while. It does not mean I have done nothing but I have rather taken a break from the pace of traveling to have a life closer to what is used to be for me in Amsterdam. What does that mean: work during the day, going out in the evening for a drink or a diner and partying during the week end. After this month I am about to resume the pace of traveling with Lionel who visits me from Amsterdam and with whom I will cruise the coast to Melbourne.
This month I have been lucky to live with 4 Australians in Sydney. This La Familia with from left to right Kim, Me, Jackie, Karps and Trent at Kim's 25th birthday!!!
I found the room through Tim I had met in Cairns (right hand pic below). When I say Australians I could even say Novocastrians (people from Newcastle, a city 2 hours north of Sydney). For them I am Frenchie which I take as a compliment but which in truth is not the best possible as here there are not so happy we did our nuclear tests in the 1960's in the Southern Pacific (I really have no idea why they are upset by this!!!). Anyway I had a really nice time, they took me to concerts, to beaches where there were no backapackers (a common plague in Sydney), out in local pubs and restaurants or introducing me to the haute cuisine of Australia, the BBQ!!!. They also invited me to parties with their friends where I usually ended up being the only non Novocastrian in the crowd!!!
The other big event of this month is that I have been working as a concierge in a BMW dealership. This meant driving cars over 3 different floors according to the needs (workshop, customer parking for pick up/drop off or wash, or storage parking), a lot of manoeuvring because there were a lot of cars in a confined space. The interview for the job was really easy, I was asked if I would show up everyday and if I was a confident driver: I answered yes to both but I omitted to mentioned that I have not driven more than twice per year in the past 6 years. Futhermore at the interview I was told that if I damage a car I would have to contribute to pay part of the repairs (which potentially would wipe out all the income I had earned). With this sword of Damocles above my head I started the job and even if BMW are really easy to drive I did myself a few scares in the first days. Then I grew better and more confident until I stupidly damaged the wheel and the rim of a car I was bringing for a customer. :-( But I got really lucky because it seems the car was still under warranty so I did not have anything to pay. Finally all went well, I had a good time but I would never do this as a permanent job simply because I do not like cars!!!!
I did not visit much in Sydney and because I am now really ill and for the third day in bed when Lionel visits the city by itself I will simply not visit Sydney (shame on me) but I was there when the incredible dust winds came last week. Obviously this is awesome to wake up with an orange sky not knowing what that means (did the French resume nuclear tests in the Pacific?) and of there was any danger. Here are a few pictures I took myself, you'll find much better ones on all news websites if you are interested.
Lionel arrived a few days ago and we spent his first day together before I became so ill I had to go to the emergencies (very good and efficient) and stay in bed. Here are a few pictures of our day in Sydney...
...and some I have taken over the month I spent here: Sydney at daylight, at dusk and at night:
I found the room through Tim I had met in Cairns (right hand pic below). When I say Australians I could even say Novocastrians (people from Newcastle, a city 2 hours north of Sydney). For them I am Frenchie which I take as a compliment but which in truth is not the best possible as here there are not so happy we did our nuclear tests in the 1960's in the Southern Pacific (I really have no idea why they are upset by this!!!). Anyway I had a really nice time, they took me to concerts, to beaches where there were no backapackers (a common plague in Sydney), out in local pubs and restaurants or introducing me to the haute cuisine of Australia, the BBQ!!!. They also invited me to parties with their friends where I usually ended up being the only non Novocastrian in the crowd!!!
The other big event of this month is that I have been working as a concierge in a BMW dealership. This meant driving cars over 3 different floors according to the needs (workshop, customer parking for pick up/drop off or wash, or storage parking), a lot of manoeuvring because there were a lot of cars in a confined space. The interview for the job was really easy, I was asked if I would show up everyday and if I was a confident driver: I answered yes to both but I omitted to mentioned that I have not driven more than twice per year in the past 6 years. Futhermore at the interview I was told that if I damage a car I would have to contribute to pay part of the repairs (which potentially would wipe out all the income I had earned). With this sword of Damocles above my head I started the job and even if BMW are really easy to drive I did myself a few scares in the first days. Then I grew better and more confident until I stupidly damaged the wheel and the rim of a car I was bringing for a customer. :-( But I got really lucky because it seems the car was still under warranty so I did not have anything to pay. Finally all went well, I had a good time but I would never do this as a permanent job simply because I do not like cars!!!!
Me at the desk, waiting for cutomers or driving a car from the roof to the customer parking.
Me driving a Z4 and using our walky-talky to communicate with the team.
I did not visit much in Sydney and because I am now really ill and for the third day in bed when Lionel visits the city by itself I will simply not visit Sydney (shame on me) but I was there when the incredible dust winds came last week. Obviously this is awesome to wake up with an orange sky not knowing what that means (did the French resume nuclear tests in the Pacific?) and of there was any danger. Here are a few pictures I took myself, you'll find much better ones on all news websites if you are interested.
Lionel arrived a few days ago and we spent his first day together before I became so ill I had to go to the emergencies (very good and efficient) and stay in bed. Here are a few pictures of our day in Sydney...
...and some I have taken over the month I spent here: Sydney at daylight, at dusk and at night:
1 comment:
Ben dis donc t'avais l'air plutôt bien entouré à Sydney :-)
Post a Comment