My Trip To Australia, New Zealand and Asia

Visited "The Impressionists"

Location: Melbourne
Weather: Cold

Today I visited 'The Impressionists' at the National Gallery of Victoria. It was an exhibition of 92 paintings from the Musee d'Orsay by various artists from the Impressionst era of Paris in the 1860's-70's. It cost $20 to go in, but it took me two hours to look at them all and I'd probably rate it as the best collection of paintings I've ever seen. They had paintings by Van Gogh, Degas, Bazille, Monet and his haystacks, Manet, Renoir, Sisley and Pissaro. I particularly liked Sisley's snow scene and Paris flood, Pissaro's peasant house, the odd Renoir and Van Gogh's marvelous eye-catching Starry Night over the Rhone.

By JamesReed on 19.07.04 @ 09:57 AM GMT [As Web Page] [Archives]

Played tennis at the Australian Open

Location: Melbourne
Weather: Cold

Well to get into the Wimbledon spirit, today I ended up playing tennis at the Melbourne Park tennis ground - home of the Australian Open. It was well quality, I went with a couple of friends, Tim & Sasa, we were supposed to play doubles, but the 4th member of our team was a bit hungover and couldn't make it due to being asleep.
Anyways, we were lucky enough to play on the Margaret Court Arena - Showcourt Number 1 - Pretty cool, huh?! in fact, the same court that Tim Henman last played on when he was over here. I know, because I spent 4 hours watching him on it before he crashed out! Of couse, our audience was a bit smaller than that match...we got all of zero spectators.
We hired 4 top quality rackets and played for 3 whole hours and also had a go on Showcourt number 2. As expected both courts were very good and it was great to play tennis for the first time since I left England. I seem to be of the same standard as when I left, although my serve needs a bit of work.
oh well...

By JamesReed on 19.07.04 @ 09:56 AM GMT [As Web Page] [Archives]

Hostel life

Location: Melbourne
Weather: Cold

Well haven't been doing much lately, except going to work, had to process 10000 envelopes for the end of the financial year the other week, I really had 'had enough' of that machine by the end! But hostel life ain't bad, drinking $3 pints in PJ O'Briens pub and The Joint bar downstairs and participating in the odd 'Bin night' - whereby a bin is filled with several gallons of various types of alcohol and made into a kind of punch, usually tasting surprisingly nice, followed by drunken games of limbo, musical chairs and the high-jump.

Also started playing touch rugby and football at the weekends. Done a bit of Karoke as well and playing on the free pool table, with my cheating roommate Sasa.


By JamesReed on 19.07.04 @ 09:56 AM GMT [As Web Page] [Archives]