Day 8
We both recovered from our January 7 trips down to Melbourne. It was still my birthday back in America, so it was an extended celebration! Also, Nadine finalized her apartment decision in Geelong, and so that meant we had to move all of our stuff out of Paul & Sharon's house in Armstrong Creek. As a result, I was headed down to Geelong on Friday evening to pack up all of our stuff (I had only taken 1 weeks worth of stuff up to Bundoora, so I also had left stuff of mine behind with Nadine)
We were also hoping to find bikes in Geelong, such that we could extend our transport options beyond walking & public transit! (It's been great to re-experience life w/out a car...you realize how much longer everything takes & how less efficient it is for your time)
Day 9
After a quiet day of work, I headed down from Bundoora to Geelong via public transit (~1 hr Tram ride + 1.5 hr Train ride). Nadine & I met at a bike shop to look at a 2nd hand bike she had spotted that fit me & was in my price range. It was a good fit, but we decided to wait until Saturday morning to make a final decision.
We were also on a quest to find Nadine a bike. That same bike shop didn't have anything for her, but we scoured Gumtree that night and found a few options & setup a few rendezvouses for Saturday morning. I also opened the 'real' card from Mom & Dad for my 30th birthday. The celebrations it turned into my birthday week!
We also had drinks with a couple that Nadine met at a bus stop earlier in the week. They were a young Aussie couple (both Deakin Uni grads) & lived a short walk away from Paul & Sharon's. They showed us their home, shared some snacks, and provided plenty of beer! I was a good guest & kept myself well-hydrated!
Dave's Bday Card
Day 10 (Sat)
We woke up at 7a to catch a bus at 7:45a, which would take us to the train station to catch the 8:20a train. The bike we wanted to check out for Nadine was in Lara, and so we met the seller at the Lara train station. After a couple rides around the parking lot, and Nadine negotiating a few extra $$ off the price, she got her bike & a helmet! (Helmets are required by law here...$60 fine if caught without one) The seller was an Englishman who had been in Aus for ~3 yrs...a very nice man!
So we caught the 10am back into Geelong and headed back to the bike shop to get my bike. After a couple hours of bike adjustments, rides around the neighborhood, and NaDave devising an offer...Dave got his bike, helmet & other accessories! The owners are two brothers, that were super nice to us. They helped us out in every way imaginable.
So we had two bikes, but weren't properly setup to ride all the way back to homebase. So we hopped on a bus (learned how they store bikes on the bus) & got home. We both then zonked out and took naps...we were exhausted! We then re-packed up everything to move Nadine into her place. With the help of Paul & his car...we moved Nadine in around 8pm. We used our bikes to go get 'take away' from a local Italian place. (Also, we tried out the Phone holders for the bikes...they are amazing! Great Xmas gift!)
We ate our food & came up with a plan to bike down to the beach on Sunday for a surf lesson!
Nadine's Bike
Dave's Bike
Day 11 (Sun)
We woke up and booked 11am surf lessons at Ocean Grove beach. We biked there and unfortunately were 15 mins late (a headwind the whole damn time!). But we jumped right in and caught right up with the group. It was Nadine's 1st time surfing (Dave's 5th)...but by the end, each of us had caught a wave!
We biked around the town, then decided to bike back to Geelong along the beach. A beautiful view & a tailwind! We got back to Nadine's apartment & cooled our heels. What a great weekend!
Ocean Grove Beach
Day 12
We were both exhausted on Monday b/c of weekends, but we each made it through the day. After work, we each found a Target in our areas, and bought housewares to make each of our places our own (new pillows, towels, sheets, etc).
Day 13
I had my first technical meeting in the Sports Lab, and got a quick overview of the sensor system I'll be using. After work, I headed to a nearby Bikram Hot Yoga class and gave my back the TLC it was needing! The 90 minute class kicked my butt, but my lower back is thanking me for it.
Day 14
No big plans for today...other than planning our next couple weekends! Do we head down to Torquay this weekend for another surf lesson? (The waves are forecasted to be ~10 ft!) And for the following weekend, which we get Monday off for Australia Day, do we head to Tasmania?
We might try camping for the first time this weekend at Torquay beach...we'll see. No matter what...we'll find something to do! - NaDave
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