Special Holiday Edition

Yuletide is once more upon us, with the commensurate joy and headaches. I see that in Canada the weather is wreaking havoc with flights, delaying reunions and returns. I can only hope that those stuck in the airports find some way to share the spirit of the season with each other.

I have lately been wondering what the first British immigrants thought when their first Christmas came around in Australia. In this country, Christmas is a summer holiday, sometimes with temperatures of over 40C. As I write this, Christmas Day in Canberra is expected to be sunny and 30C, while most of Canada lingers under a frigid cold. Here, the days are long and hot, completely at odds with most Christmas traditions of hearty meals and carolling at night. Australians have adapted, though, and now have some of their own fine traditions. One example is that Australians traditionally have a barbeque with prawns. I look forward to partaking in this, and other fine antipodean Yuletide traditions in the coming years.

Christmas falls around the time of the December solstice, which in the northern hemisphere is the shortest day of the year, but in Australia, it is the longest. The sun found itself over the Tropic of Capricorn and officially brought about a change in the seasons. In some points of Australia, the sun was directly overhead.

The same day, I went to the Ukrainian Orthodox Centre to help with the preparations for a lunch. It was very well attended, attracting some 70 people and afterwards, there was more partying by some of us who stayed around. However, at one point, the accordion was brought out and played nearly unceasingly for nearly 9 hours. I wonder if you can imagine that. I was reminded of the famous Far Side comic in 2 panels the first one "Welcome to Heaven, here's your harp" and the second "Welcome to Hell, here's your accordion". Luckily, I was able to cope thanks to the wonderful company.

The reason I am writing this post so early is that I am departing for scout camp soon. I am taking a bus to Sydney and tomorrow I will be driven to Orange, a town about 3 hours outside Sydney. I managed to get cheap bus tickets to Sydney, such that the round trip back to Canberra costs as much as a normal one way trip. The camp itself will be held outside Orange at Lake Canobolas, in the shadow of Mt. Canobolas. From what I'm told, Mt. Canobolas is the highest peak west of the Great Dividing Range until you hit Africa. I'm looking forward to seeing how Australian scouts camp. There is even to be a large New Year's party which I hear is quite the festivity. I'll be gone until the evening of January 4th.

To prepare for this camp I had to buy a few things, like a rucksack, a compass, a poncho and a few other odds and ends. I already have most things that I need but to purchase what I did not have I was driven to the new Discount Factory Outlet in Fyshwick. DFO as it's called is essentially a large shopping mall built in the style of a warehouse. There are many stores inside, mostly clothes, but some camping stores. I managed to get everything I needed except a poncho which I purchased at Big-W. DFO stores do offer some pretty good deals and after a quick rummage through their selections, I am now fully stocked on all my camping needs. Not even the hazardous Australian Outback will be a danger.

I also received my new bike, completely built and ready to ride. I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to be mobile and how great it is to be able to get to virtually any point in the city quickly. I love biking and I can now go farther and faster than before. I look forward to riding my bike many times. It may not be skydiving (my brother's recent adventure), but I find biking exhilarating. Apparently, a person on a bike is the most efficient energy user known to nature.

With the arrival of summer, Australia's wet season has begun and with some spectacle. A few nights ago, I watched some lightning in the distance. I find thunderstorms fascinating and there is something about lightning that is captivating. This is especially true of "quiet lightning" , that is distant lightning that is seen without the accompanying thunder. Later that morning, there was a torrential downpour where the sky seemed to be a sheet of water. If anything, it will replenish the reservoirs and we can begin to move out of drought.

I also had a peek at my test scores for the Foreign Service Officer exams and I was pleased to see they were all well above the minimum pass levels. I'll list my scores with the minimum pass levels in brackets beside: Graduate Recruitment Test=34.0/55 (23), Situational Judgement Test=74.0/100 (60) and Written Communication Proficiency Test=40.0/50 (18). We'll see what comes of this but I wouldn't mind working in Canada's foreign service. Perhaps I can meld the law and diplomacy by working in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's legal division. Or perhaps I could be Canada's counsel in Australia. Who knows where this could go. I'm pretty happy and proud of me-sen. Come to think of it, isn't the minimum cut-off for the Written Communication Proficiency Test a little low? You would think that diplomacy, a job that requires a high degree of intelligible communication, would mandate a higher minimum score. Maybe this is why the world's so messed up sometimes.

Well that's it for now. I hope everyone everywhere is having a warm holiday season, even those who celebrate Festivus, the festival for the rest of us. I'll also wish everyone Season's Greetings, because I know that expression cheeses my mom off no end. I'll close, though, by just a merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Pre-Season Cheer

There are signs of the Christmas season all around me, which compensates for the lack of snow. While normally I would be bundling up as Christmas approaches and complaining about how cold the weather is, instead, I am lounging about in warm sunny weather on the other side of the world. This is particularly poignant as I have been reading, with more than a passing interest, about the deep freeze in the prairies and the large snowfalls elsewhere. So that I'm not confused, I've seen wreaths, Christmas trees and carollers. The other day, as I was going to a work Christmas party, I saw 4 carollers on the sidewalk. I remembered thinking that I hope they sing one of my favourites, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, and sure enough, they were. Today, there was a whole choir outside the Garema Place ACTTAB. To my mind, carolling in the blazing sun is just bizarre, especially when you think that all other Christmas traditions, such as warm hearty meals, are based on it being a winter holiday.

Another sign of the season is the obligatory office Christmas party, or in my case, 2. ACTTAB threw a lavish affair at the Hotel Realm, a very well appointed establishment in Canberra. This came complete with buffet and bar, all paid for by the company of course. I had a great time and some others had even better times, though I suspect they wish they could remember them now. The second ACTTAB Christmas party was a lower key affair at the Hellenic Club. This time, we had to pay for our food and drinks and instead of being for the whole organization, this party was specifically for those who work in the branches. It was quite enjoyable as well and we all got presents from our wonderful boss, Jenney; I got a box of chocolates. I guess you never know what you're going to get!

The day after the first Christmas party the races were on at Canberra Racecourse so I worked there. All I can say is that I am glad I don't drink alcohol as many people were nursing vicious hangovers. I was stationed with another seller in the public area which took some skill to find. It was up the stairs and down the hall, through 2 other "public" areas; those were reserved for club members and something else. The racecourse, despite its size, is quite labyrinthine. I enjoyed being up in the public area because it meant that I could actually watch the races. I did have one interesting episode though, well 2 really. The first is that I ended up serving a couple from Toronto who had recently immigrated to Australia and were now applying for their permanent residency. The other involved a man who turned in $80 and tried to get me to split it 50/50. When I told him we couldn't, since the money didn't belong to either of us, he became very irate. This continued sporadically for some time until he left. I guess he learned the price of honesty.

A few days ago I decided to go out to a pub for something to eat and afterwards, for no particular reason, I decided to walk to Scrivener Dam. This is a dam at the end of Lake Burley Griffin which allowed the lake to be formed. Prior to 1963, the Molonglo River slowly snaked its way through Canberra and was subject to periodic flooding. In the 1950s work was begun on the lake, which Walter Burley Griffin (Canberra's designer) had planned. Excavations began during a drought which made the work considerably easy. The lake was to have a minimum depth of 2m to prevent mosquitoes from establishing themselves. At one end, the Scrivener Dam was constructed to allow the lake to fill. A few weeks after work completed the drought broke and Lake Burely Griffin was finished.

The walk to Scrivener Dam is long but goes through some nice park land. It goes past the National Museum of Australia and continues along the lake shore before dipping inland. I especially remember the night view of western Canberra as I approached the dam over a hill. It was as if I had just come from a long journey through the wilderness and had happened upon an oasis of civilization. I walked around the dam for a short while before turning round and heading home.

So that I get get to far-flung places places like Scrivener Dam more quickly, I've decided to buy a bicycle. I went down to Big-W, the Australian equivalent of Wal-Mart, and bought one. I don't have it yet as it has to be assembled and I don't trust myself to do it. However, soon I'll have a brand new bike and I'll be able to access the whole city. Like Ottawa, Canberra is very bike-friendly and I look forward to riding many places as necessary. It'll also mean that I'll be able to sleep in a little more when school starts up again.

Yesterday I took up the Hall Dean's challenge of a ping-pong game. He has accepted all challengers to play him at aping-pong and if you win, you get a prize. We played a quick game but I beat him 11-2. My prize was 2 biscuits. I'll see if he'll accept another match.

Today was a very quiet day both at ACTTAB and at Cafe Pronto. At the Garema Place outlet, there were very few people, though the place was truly empty for only a few minutes. At Cafe Pronto, we had only 1 pizza customer until 19:45, and we opened at 17:00. We then had a 3 pizza take-away (take-out) order and 3 tables. Just before that, though, the place was so quiet we had a little staff Christmas party where I made 2 pepperoni pizzas for the 5 of us. I have never seen a Saturday evening, or indeed any evening at Cafe Pronto, so quiet. I wonder why that is?

My laptop is also beginning to show its age. The graphics module is decaying so every so often I get these strange staticy lines across the screen. The machine is still usable and with a bit of jostling the lines disappear, but my laptop is nearing the end of its life. Also, the hard drive seizes up occasionally, which is much more serious, bit I've found a way to handle that; I hit the part pf the laptop the noise is coming from and the hard drive then continues as normal. I can't afford a laptop as yet, but in a few months, I think I'll be able to swing a nice one.

And finally, my next post will be on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day as I'm leaving for camp. I've begun to gather up the gear I need, though I already have quite a bit. This will be a Ukrainian Scout (Plast) camp near Lake Canobolas, a glorified pond near the town of Orange. I'll be there from December 26th-January 3rd but have to head into Sydney on the 25th as I'm getting a drive from someone there. I'm heading back to Canberra on the 4th so that I don't have one long trip on the 3rd. I'll wish everyone proper season's greetings in my next post.

Discoveries

This has been a week more of discoveries than actual events, though there have been some of those as well. Throughout the last week I have found things out about Australia which are interesting and, at times, unbelievable. It just goes to show what a fascinating country this really is.

But first to the events of the past week, the first of which was the raising of a giant Christmas Tree in Canberra. This large, and I'm sure, artificial, tree stands right in front of the Legislative Building. It is lit up by many small Christmas lights and there are even presents, or more accurately, large gift-wrapped boxes, underneath. I tried to get a picture, but none turned out well. I'll have to use my mini tripod to get a good night shot.

On Monday, to finish off the year, the local Ukrainian Scout group had an "apel'", which translates to "gathering". There was a brief mustering, where I was the sergeant giving the orders, followed by an excellent barbeque. I brought some porkchops to be cooked and they turned out alright. That's it for scouting until February except for camp outside Orange, NSW later on this month. I'll have more on that during a later post.

I've taken to watching Australian parliamentary debates (Question Time in the House of Representatives) on the internet via the Parliament House website, http://www.aph.gov.au/. I must say that it is very entertaining if for no other reason than the choler to which the MPs whip themselves up. They tend to shout extensively and use colourful metaphors to describe their opponents. It was doubly interesting for me lately because some of the debates surrounded the government's proposal to buy a laptop for every secondary school student in Australia, a move the opposition opposes, if only out of a contrarian expectation of the public. The program is called either Computers in Schools or Computers for Schools, which is the name of a federal program my mom administers. Unfortunately, Parliament has risen for the summer and I shall have to find somehow else to amuse me-sen (Yorkshire for "myself").

I have been following not only Australian politics, but Canadian politics as well which is also providing no end of entertainment. I was rather hoping for a change in government or an election. Maybe Stephen Harper has played his cards right, though, as the coalition seems to be imploding which is probably what he was counting on. I can only hope that the coalition gets its act together by budget day.

It's not as hot down here as I thought it would be. Temperatures are lingering around the mid 20s, and I was expecting at least 30C by now. Today it barely reached 20 and rained wombats and koalas, my Australian equivalent for cats and dogs. It doesn't feel like a proper Australian summer. It has, however, caused some leaking in Fenner Hall, though not anywhere near my room, thank Fortuna.

Today, apparently, there was also an earthquake in the region that was felt up to 60km away. The quake measured 1.0 on the Richter Scale, but I think 2.0 is about the threshold for anyone actually feeling it. I guess we can all go about our business as though nothing had happened, because nothing really has happened.

The first discover this week was that on of my favourite book, In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson, goes under the title Down Under Down Under. Why the title would need to be changed is beyond me since most Australians would understand the sunburned country reference; it comes from a poem but is spelled "sunburnt country". The difference is that Down Under was published in the UK so it uses British spellings and turns of phrase. In a Sunburned Country uses American spellings and slang by contrast. The whole book is interesting but I am particularly taken by the chapter on Canberra, not only because I live there but because Fenner Hall is across the street from the Rex Hotel, where Bill Bryson stayed. He noted, among much else that Canberra should have one of the following mottoes: "Gateway to Everywhere Else", "Why Wait for Death?" or "There's Nothing to It!" To these I would add my own suggestions: "It's not that Bad", "It's not as Bad as You Think" and, my favourite, "Where Fun Comes to Die".

A few days ago, while working at ACTTAB, I found me-sen thinking that I should at least know how the odds are calculated for bets. I had always assumed that the odds are set by a bunch of guys sitting in a room, poring over thousands of statistics, and coming up with the odds. Actually, the odds are set by the betters themselves in a way. A horse's odds change depending on the number of people betting on it; the more people betting, the better the odds, the lower the payout. The money collected goes into a pool, there is a win/place pool, a trifecta pool, a quinella pool, and so on and those who win get a percentage of the pool money. It sounds complicated but once you see the equation, which only has 3 characters, it has a kind of elegant simplicity. If nothing else, at least I know better how things are done on the tracks.

I mentioned earlier that Australia is an interesting country and my last 2 discoveries this week relate to that. The first was the realization that there are only 2 paved roads leading into the state of Western Australia; one from the Northern Territory and one from South Australia. Western Australia, you have to understand is the largest state (taking up 1/3 of the country's size) and one of the most prosperous states. Yet, due to Australia's size (it is the 6th largest country behind Russia, Canada, China, the USA and Brazil) and the concentration of its population in a few large cities , there is little need for an extensive paved road network. Amazingly, the roads themselves, the Great Northern Highway and the Eyre Highway, are 1 732km apart! To put that into perspective, that is roughly the same distance between Ottawa and St. John's. Can you imagine crossing such a distance in a First World country without ever seeing another soul or crossing a paved road? It really does boggle the mind.

The second discovery was that Australia is considered part of the "Economic North" and "Economic West". This is a designation to merely say that Australia is a part of the First World, like Canada, the USA and western Europe. It is comical though since Australia is about as far away from those cardinal directions as you can get; only New Zealand, Chile and Argentina extend further south. It is also well into the eastern reaches of the Eastern Hemisphere making the "western" designation equally unintuitive. However, in a land of such striking contrasts, perhaps it is not that surprising that Australia finds itself in such a bizarre, and contradictory, position.

Solidarity Forever

The first item this week was my root canal treatment on Monday. I was a bit nervous going in but I was soon put at ease by the endodontist. This guy was very friendly and made sure I knew what was going on. Although a nuisance, it didn't actually hurt, although there were moments of very slight pain; nothing that I couldn't handle, though. The whole procedure took slightly less than an hour and included some completely unique sounds and sensations. I hope never to repeat this experience. I'm putting all my hopes in stem cell research and maybe one day I'll be able to grow a new tooth to replace this faulty one. Actually, I'll probably get a whole new set if I can.

There have been a few interesting news items in Australia this week. Jorn Utzon, the Danish designer of the Sydney Opera House, died at 92. Following some disagreements with the government of the day, Utzon left Australia before the completion of the Opera House; he never saw it complete in person. He did, however, have numerous photos of the Opera House at his home and it was said that he held it in very high regard. The Opera House is Utzon's most famous landmark and he never designed anything quite so famous again. He said that it was not that he never wanted to return to Australia, it's just that he could never find the opportunity. After many years, his doctor advised him against the long travel and so Utzon, by chance, couldn't make it to Sydney. However, Utzon's son said that since the Opera House was his father's vision, he didn't need to see it in person, all he had to do to see it was close his eyes. Whatever the case, Utzon's imaginative design will live on for many years and, I'm sure, continue to spark the imaginations of those who see it.

In a more bizarre news story, random breath tests are being contemplated for New South Welsh parliamentarians. The other day, an MLA came into the Legislative Assembly following a Christmas party in the parliamentary bar where he'd been drinking. Then, for some reason, he got into an argument with another MLA, in the chamber mind you, and ended up pushing, though not very strongly, a female MLA. In a country where alcohol-induced hooliganism is a major concern, this naturally caused a but of an uproar. The MLA has apologized to the MLA he pushed but that hasn't quieted the storm. He says that while he had been drinking, he wasn't drunk, but that cuts both ways; he's not a mean drunk, he's just a sober jerk. Now there are calls for breath tests to ensure sobriety but the Speaker has said that it must be voluntary. In a country where drinking is a favourite pastime, we shall see how this plays out and if anything will come of it; I doubt it.

I've also decided to join the union that represents ACTTAB employees. I don't know exactly why, but I've always been a supporter or unions and unionism. I'm sort of a capitalist with socialist leanings, or a socialist with capitalist leanings. I just think they are worthwhile organizations to represent workers. Some people say that if your employer is good, and ACTTAB is a very good employer, then a union is unnecessary. I find that argument as bizarre as saying that since the police don't go around beating people up, we can get rid of democratic representation.

A curious thing happened, though, and that was that my mother said it pleased her that I was joining the union. I never figured my mom for a big union supporter but I know she was a union representative many year ago in the public service. It's perhaps not all that surprising since my mom comes from the Canadian prairies, the birthplace of Canadian socialism. This is somewhat ironic since now it is the home of Canadian conservatism. It's also curious as I've never known my mom to express a strong opinion on any matter, really. The furthest I've ever heard her go is to call Bush and Harper, "idiots", which has provoked an interesting response from my dad. My dad has called my mom, jokingly, a prairie radical, perhaps in the vein of Tommy Douglas. Maybe my mom is a little more radical than her manner would suggest?

The End of a Season, and the Beginning of Another

Today is the last day of official spring in Australia with the summer season beginning tomorrow. Actually, I expected it to be hotter by now, but its been sitting around the mid 20s for a while. Maybe the temperatures will go up soon because I can't wait to get stuck in to the heat.

I'm actually a little sad since I had to break a nice tradition this year. Every year since 1989 my dad and I have watched the Grey Cup together but I couldn't do it this year. There are some drawbacks to being in Australia. I couldn't find anywhere in Canberra that would be showing the Grey Cup on TV. I kept up to date on http://www.cfl.ca/ and a friend from back home filmed it and is sending it to me, so I'll be able to watch it. Unfortunately, the same will apply to the Superbowl that my dad and I have watched continuously since 1991. I'll just have to bear it as best I can.

With so many people moving out of Fenner, there is a tradition called "Dump and Pillage" where people leave stuff that they can't or don't want to take with them. Anyone who wants them can then take them for free. I've got so many ladles, cutlery and other assorted kitchenware. I've also managed to score a set of speakers for the computer, a TV, a stereo that I'm holding over the summer for a friend and a portable TV. I've finally got everything I need and it feels great.

With the school year over, Fenner Hall has really emptied, especially my floor. Out of 24 people, there will only 7 staying the whole summer. It's really quiet, except for the odd conference with people staying over. I'll see what it's like but I think it'll be enjoyable to be in a big empty house.

The reason I'm posting late is that I worked late yesterday and had to work early today at the Canberra Race Course for the Canberra Cup. Like the Melbourne Cup, only on a much smaller scale, this is an important race in the city. I worked in the main area and had many people come give me bets to place. We were given KFC for lunch that was delivered in large boxes and I even got to take some home; food for a few days. There were even some people who thought that I was good luck. What do you know, I guess I'm lucky! It was an interesting race with a long shot winning the race. I had someone win $600 but no really big wins. I then went out to O'Reilly's, a pub, before heading home.

What better way to ring in a new season that with a root canal. Tomorrow, I go to the endodontist to get a root canal for that tooth that was bothering me. I'm hoping everything will go alright and I can finally stop worrying about that tooth. Let's hope summer is a lucky season.

The First Free Week

This has been a fairly good week for me. The first week of liberation from the drudgery of university life has been quite rewarding. I was worried that I wouldn't have anything to do over the summer, but that has been sorted out. I even managed to get a good dose of classical music along the way.

On Tuesday, I went to a guitar recital put on by my neighbour, Chris. He was doing a graduate diploma in music and has just finished his program. The last thing he had to do was a recital to pass. It was very interesting as he played a selection that cut across many genres. I've listened to him play all year and it was nice to finally hear the whole thing start to finish. He really is an excellent musician. He's leaving Fenner for good as he has completed his program and I'll miss his guitar music.

I found out that ACTTAB wants to keep me on as a casual employee indefinitely. I'm quite glad as this gives me something to do over the summer and is pretty well paying. It also means that I have a job throughout the school year. It's pretty sweet; the betters do most of the work for you. I'll also, at some point, join the union. It's good to have something to do and feel that you are part of a team.

Using some new found wealth I got from my Melbourne Cup Day pay (10.5 hours at double pay), I bought a new mobile (cell) phone. I decided to get a Motorola Motorazr V3xx. When they first came out, I promised myself that I get a Motorazr and now I've fulfilled that promise. I'm keeping my old mobile as a back up, but this new phone is really great. It has a camera, a video camera, a voice recorder and a few other goodies. It also works on all frequencies worldwide, meaning I can take it anywhere. I'm looking forward to many years of good service with my Motorazr.

Today was an unseasonable cold day as a system moved through the region. It was so cold that the Snowy Mountains received, ironically enough, snow. It won't last long as temperatures are set to go back up again. It was a pretty miserable day with cold rain and a high of 15C. I hope everything warms up as I want to experience a real Aussie summer.

As if that wasn't enough, today the Australian national rugby league team lost to their New Zealand counterparts in the Rugby League World Cup championship. Australia and New Zealand compete in every sport and for Australians, there is nothing more humiliating than losing to the Kiwis. This is doubly so as rugby league was pioneered in Australia and is, more or less, an Australian sport. We'll see how long it takes Australia to live this down but in a sporting nation with long memories, it may be never.

Finally tonight, I've taken to going out some nights just to get out of the house, so to speak. Unfortunately, Canberra night life isn't the greatest and many nights the only thing open is the Casino. It's not that exciting but the food is alright. For one reason or another, Thursdays are the big night out for most people. Still, it would be nice to have some pubs open late at night. Maybe if I opened one, I could make a killing.

Enslavement and Liberty

I apologize for not posting yesterday, but I was quite busy with school, work and guests --- actually a guest. This has been a great week filled with both dread and excitement as the school year drew to a close. I can now look forward to the blistering summer in this sunburned country.

As I indicated, this week, I had 3 of my 4 exams, with one the previous week. Although that sounds hectic, they were all spaced apart by one day, which gave plenty of time to study. Also, the difficult subjects were placed at the the ends of the exam period, meaning more time could be devoted to them. With the last of my exams done, I'm now looking forward to a long and productive summer break. I'm hoping for a hot one this year, and we'll see if I get it.

Canberra is called the Bush Capital for good reason --- it is surrounded by farmland and parkland. Every so often, wildlife makes its way into the city. On several occasions I've seen possums in trees and night. The other night, however, as I was walking back to Fenner, I spied a Kangaroo in Haig Park. This is a strip of greenery running perpendicular to Northbourne Avenue and it's a pretty busy area. I was surprised to see a roo this far into the city, but that was nothing. Last night, I saw some Kangaroos hopping along the park next to Lake Burley Griffin, almost the exact center of the city. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, kangaroos get hit by fast vehicles so you must always drive with caution at night.

Being in such a green environment does have its advantages. With trees, shrubs and flowers now in full bloom, sometimes when I open my window, a sweet floral smell wafts through the room. It can really brighten up your day to swell flowers when you're studying like mad for an exam.

Speaking of flowers, in Canada, Remembrance Day passed recently. In Australia, this is not really celebrated with the main equivalent being ANZAC Day in April. The Australians call November 11th either Poppy Day or Armistice Day. I did see a few people wearing poppies on their lapels, but they were more like real poppies than the ones we use on Remembrance Day. Even though it was the 90th anniversary of the end of World War One, there were no public ceremonies as far as I could tell.

Finally, I had a wonderful time entertaining, albeit briefly, a friend who came down from Sydney. Alex, also known as "Juiceman", is a stunt person in movies and arrived for some training courses. I was working at Cafe Pronto but we later met up at the nearby Civic Pub and had some orange juice; it was 2-for-1 hour. When I was in Australia last, Alex was kind enough to give a place to stay in my final few days in Sydney. He's a great all-round guy at it's always so interesting to talk to him. After the pub, we just walked around various parts of the city and I showed him the casino and the Canadian flagpole. We then returned to Fenner and Alex stayed the night in my room. I figure it's only fair to repay the courtesy he showed me. He was only staying 1 night and early today he left to finish off his course and then head back to Sydney. It's nice to have friends over, especially after exams. It gives you a chance to enjoy your new-found liberty.

The Races

This has been the week of important races, both foreign and domestic. The mad hysteria of the Melbourne Cup came and went followed by the mad hysteria of the American presidential election. Both were very entertaining to watch and produced close results.

How do you stop a nation dead in its tracks? The answer is to hold a horse race. The first Tuesday of November in Australia is Melbourne Cup Day, the most important and prestigious trophy in Australian horse racing, not to mention the most lucrative. Its called the "Race that Stops a Nation" and it really does. Everyone, or virtually everyone, in Australia has the day off and watches the race which goes at 15:00. In Canberra, the day is a public holiday called "Family and Community Day", which is really funny if you think about it. Just to show you how big this race is, I once read a statistic that 80% of Australian adults, that's roughly 12 million people, place a bet on the Melbourne Cup on Melbourne Cup Day.

I was asked to work with ACTTAB at the Jamison outlet and right from opening it was a busy day. I didn't mind since I got double pay for that day, roughly $46.50/hour. I helped people place bets and generally had a pretty good time. All ticket windows were going and it was non-stop until the race jumped. I had a bit of fun, though. One lady walked up to me and asked, "How do I fill in this card?", referring to a Cup Pack card which gives several bets on the horses selected. To which I replied with some sarcasm, "With a pen." For those interested, the types of bets were a quinella (1st and 2nd, any order), a boxed trifecta (1st, 2nd and 3rd, any order) and an each way (particular horse to win or place (2nd or 3rd)). I even had a very proud moment. One man, a serious better, ran up with only a few seconds until the race jumped. After the gates open and the race begins, no more betting is allowed and if this guy didn't get his bet on, I knew he would be right cheesed-off. He put his betting card through the reader but realized he had made an incorrect selection and asked me to change it. I went into overdrive, changed the selection, pressed enter and no more than half a second later, the race jumped. I had gotten the bet on! I don't think it paid out in the end.

Once the race started, everything came to a halt. Employees and patrons alike stood and watched as the race was run. In the end, it was the closest finish in Melbourne Cup history with the winner winning by less than 5 cm. It was a long shot too, paying at 1.00:48.00! There were some major winnings that day and I paid one man over $11 000. Guessing the exact trifecta would have netted you over $22 000 while getting the first four (NSWTAB does this but not ACTTAB) would have paid better than $550 000! What I could do with that kind of money; what could anyone.

There are some bizarre traditions on Melbourne Cup Day, flowing from the British experience. Women get dressed up in fancy dresses and where funny hats called fascinators. Then they proceed to get drunk and stagger out of the venue with no shoes. This is not just at Flemington Racecourse where the Melbourne Cup is held, but all over Australia. Different races happen that day at various venues across the country so race tracks are open everywhere. They all have live coverage of the Melbourne Cup so everyone gets dressed up. Men sometimes where top hats but get drunk. Actually, it ends up being a right old mess, but fun all round.

In the other big race of the day, the favourite came first. Barack Obama beat out John McCain to become the first African-American to be President. To be fair, he's only half black but I don't think that diminishes in any way his accomplishment. Also, his father is a Muslim and though it was not a major issue during the campaign, it still must have been at the back of many voters' minds. Nonetheless, I think that this speaks to the best aspects of American culture and psyche.

Last week, I forgot to mention that I received an award from Fenner Hall. Every year there is a sporting awards show called Spartos which honours those who have made a significant contribution to the Fenner Hall sporting community. I was at university all day that day and didn't get the invitation until after I got back and well after the awards ceremony was done. It turns out I had been given an award for trivia and helping Fenner tie with Johns (another residence) for first earlier in the year. The win was not without some controversy, the question in question involving which of Shakespeare's plays was written first to which there is no clear answer. When I found out about the award, I was naturally surprised. I was even more surprised when I was handed the award and noticed that my last name had been misspelled "Dizioba". Of all the Ukrainian names in history, I had to get stuck with the most difficult to spell and pronounce one.

With Christmas decorations up I got to thinking how many people actually celebrate Christmas as a summer holiday. Christmas , New Year's and the like are summer holidays on half the Earth's surface, the southern hemisphere, but it contains far less land than the northern hemisphere. It turns out about 10% of the world's population, roughly 700 million people, has Christmas in summer. This includes cities like Canberra, Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne, every other Australian and New Zealand city, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Johanessburg, Bloemfontein (try and find it), Cape Town and many others. What a crazy hemisphere!

Life's Little Tests

I suppose the biggest news recently has been the arrival of my parents in Australia. They decided to pop on down for a visit before heading off to New Zealand to visit my brother. They're also travelling around Australia with the Jakubows, family friends (the same ones that were down in June, minus my friend).

My parents arrived on Wednesday, October 22nd after enduring what essentially amounted to 3 non-stop flights. They flew Ottawa to Vancouver to Sydney to Canberra, all in one go. Although they had a lengthy layover in Vancouver, this was a marathon flight schedule. And what awaited them when they landed, the coldest October day in Sydney in 16 years and a not much warmer day in Canberra. Luckily, because of the flight times, neither of my parents seemed to be suffering from the effects of jet lag.

Their first night here, I took them to Kremlin Bar, a Soviet-themed bar on Northbourne Avenue. I had a feeling they would find it particularly funny. Afterwards, we went to dinner at Hogsbreath Cafe a little further away. My parents then came to Fenner Hall to see for themselves the abject squalor in which I live. The next day, my parents went walkabout around Canberra, seeing many of the landmarks, particularly Parliament House, we then met up later and went to the Solomkos for dinner. After dinner, we all went to see the Ukrainian museum that the Solomkos have on their property. It includes exhibits on Ukrainian culture and dress, among much else.

On Friday, we took a bus to spend the weekend in Sydney and my mom managed to score a room at the Holiday Inn right outside Kings Cross Station. Kings Cross is a fascinating place, vibrant and exotic at all hours, as any red light district should be. But don't be completely misled, there is much to see besides. For example, we all had an excellent and inexpensive lunch at the Sydney Swans Club, which I think must be new. We then strolled around the neighbourhood and retired to our room a little later. As it turned out, our room hadn't been ready on time due to an airline examining the rooms for longer than was expected and so, as an apology, we were given free breakfasts for our entire stay at the hotel restaurant. I think it was a fair trade. I also managed to get a great leather coat that was being held for me by the parents of Andrew Bilinsky, the husband of Sonia Mycak, both of whom I first met in Canberra. This jacket is my favourite as it has a great look and works well with any combination of dress. I'm only sorry I didn't have it in the winter. No matter, from now on I'll be stylin'.

The three of us spent Saturday and Sunday exploring the city. On Saturday we spent a great deal of time in The Rocks looking at the market stalls. I also had a chance to climb up Observatory Hill and managed to get some great shots of the old observatory and the view over the Parramatta. We then walked to Hyde Park and had a look around before calling it a day. On Sunday, I helped my parents with their baggage to the Westin on Martin Place, another fabulous location found by my mom. The room was amazing and modern, by which I mean there was a lot of glass. The best part, though, was that the widescreen LCD TV has a welcome screen with your name on it on the hotel's channel. About half the day was also spent at the Australian Museum, an interactive museum about various aspects of Australian culture. I lost about an hour in the dinosaur exhibit alone and I was pleased to read that this museum has a partnership with the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, AB. Also, in a presentation by an Aboriginal man, I found out the Aboriginal name of the didjeridu, "yiraki" (yih-rah-KEE). To be more precise, it's the name given to the didjeridu by one particular group of Aboriginals, but don't ask me which one. It's used in music but also to simulate in ceremonies the sounds of the Australian bush and outback. Following the museum, we went for Chinese food in Chinatown in a little place which had the TV set to a Chinese soap opera. It was set a few hundred years ago and my dad and I had some fun trying to follow the storyline.

I had to leave on Sunday to get back to Canberra for the final week of studies. Exams are coming up much sooner than I'd like. For my parents, their journeys are only beginning. Their driving with the Jakubows to Melbourne and then to Adelaide. If it's true what they say about friendships and long car trips, I can only hope that everyone doesn't end up killing each other by the time they hit Mount Gambier in South Australia. From Adelaide, my parents hop on the Indian-Pacific all the way to Perth and then from Perth, they go back to Sydney and then to New Zealand. For a vacation, it's pretty full on.

Today, I already sat an exam, though this one was administered by the Canadian federal government. I applied for the Foreign Service and had to sit the Foreign Service Exams today at the Canadian High Commission. I took the bus down and met up with 4 other who were also taking the exam --- 1 guy and 3 girls. The guy was studying International Relations at Bond University on the Gold Coast and we had much to talk about since I had finished much the same degree at NPSIA. Also, as he was down for the weekend, we all gave him suggestions as to what he could do and see in Canberra. 1 girl was in her final year of law at the University of Melbourne and she was just down for the day --- again, something in common. The 2 other girls both lived in Canberra; one was teaching at the ANU, I think, and the other was working at Parliament House. We were all about the same age group and it was nice that there were only 5 of us, giving us a chance to really talk to each other.

The Foreign Service Exam consists of 3 parts: a general knowledge test, a situational judgement test and a comprehension test. They weren't as nerve-racking as I thought they would be, though the math problems were needlessly complex. It actually was a lot of fun. The tests started at 08:30, lasting about 1.5 hours each, and we got about an hour's break in between. Also, the test administrator was the chief trade advisor for the High Commission. He's a very friendly and easy-going man who was eager to help us with any questions we had about the Foreign Service. And in case anyone was wondering, he was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. I hope I did well as a career in the Foreign Service does appeal to me, at least now. I think I'll finish my law degree first, though, and get admitted to practice just in case things don't work out in diplomacy. You never know, in my first 6 minutes as a diplomat I may end up causing 12 countries to declare war on Canada, but I hope not.

An important holiday just passed by, Halloween. All I can say about it is that it is not really celebrated in Australia. There may be parties where people get dressed up , but there's no trick-or-treating. It's a shame really, how can you pass up a chance for free candy?

I also noticed the the Christmas decorations have gone up. This is 2 full months before the holiday. At least in Canada, most places have the good sense not to put up decorations until mid to late November. Maybe it's the fact that we have Thanksgiving in October, but the Aussies have Labour Day around the same time, so maybe that's not the explanation. I'm still looking forward to Christmas, which is a summer holiday Down Under. I'm not sure how I'll take such a shock to my system.

The Parents are Coming! The Parents are Coming!

It seems as though I will have guests in my city shortly. In a few hours time, my parents will have arrived in Canberra following a route taking them from Ottawa to Vancouver to Sydney and finally to Canberra. There are no stops in between in that they will not be spending more than a few hours in any airport before heading off. I can only imagine how tired they will be. The plan is to show them around the city and then we're all off to Sydney for the weekend. I wish Canberra's weather would be a little more hospitable, but it looks like it will be 15C with rain. I guess cold temperature follow Canadians.

The ACT, and most of Australia, switched to daylight savings on Saturday the 11th, unlike North America which does it on a Sunday in November, for the time being. I can see how it may be useful but I don't see how you can save any energy from it. We also find ourselves in the unusual position of having more daylight savings days than normal days. It seems like a colossal waste of time.

It was also Labour Day a few Mondays ago. Here, Labour Day is the first Monday in October but it doesn't really signify anything like the beginning of the school year, like in Ontario. I think it's just another day off, sort of like Colonel By Day (Civic Holiday) in Ottawa. Still, it's good to have a day off.

Politically, there's just been an election in the ACT with the Green Party holding the balance of power. The ACT is divided up into 3 constituencies each electing multiple members based on the proportion of votes each candidate receives. Currently, there are 17 seats in the ACT Territorial Legislature with the Labor Party taking 7, the Liberal Party taking 7 and the Green Party taking 3. It will be interesting to see what kind of horse-trading will go on to see who forms the government.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd elucidate the differences between the Australian and Canadian voting systems. First of all, in Australia there is compulsory voting and registration, meaning fines can be, and are, imposed on those citizens who do not vote. Secondly, in some jurisdictions, there is a system of proportional representation unlike Canada's first-past-the-post system. And thirdly, most Australian jurisdictions practice something called a preferential voting system. That means that when you vote, you rank candidates from 1-whatever (1 being most preferred) and then the votes are tallied until someone gets a majority of preferences. For example, if after counting all of the 1st preference votes no one candidate has 50%+1 votes, then begins a tally of the 2nd preference votes, and so on until someone has achieved a majority. It's an intriguing system that as far as I know, is uniquely Australian or if not, at least Australian originally.

That's really all there is to say other than be sure to read all of my New Zealand posts. I've got some great pictures up and maybe it'll give you some ideas of where to go.

The Flight Home

I got up around 04:00 that morning and woke my brother to thank him for his hospitality and companionship. We'd both had a great time travelling south and maybe we'll do something similar in the future. He's not in New Zealand for too much longer so maybe I should start planning our next trip.

Our flight took off on time just after dawn. Although I had missed the Southern Alps on the way over, I was in for a special treat as the peaks were illuminated red by the rising sun. I managed to get some pictures as we flew over them.

I arrived in Australia on time and without incident. As I had nothing to declare, I was whisked through the express customs line, much to my relief. At the airport I caught the bus back to Canberra and arrived around 13:00.

I'm very happy with my trip. I managed to get out of Canberra for a much needed vacation before the pressures of the exam season really begin to set in. I saw a country which I find fascinating and a part of it which I had never seen before. I guess I'd broadened my horizons just a little bit. If you can say that about a trip, it can't have been bad.

The Long Journey North

My brother and I left Dunedin on the bus bound for Christchurch at 12:50, meaning that we had spent nearly exactly 24 hours in Dunedin. Like the last trip along this route, this was going to be a long one, nearly 7 hours although we did stop in an interesting town along the way. This trip was part of the Invercargill-Christchurch run so while the road was the same, the breaks were at different places.

We headed back out onto the coastal road to Christchurch having made it over the hills of southern Otago. It wasn't particularly exciting except that it was here that I finally saw the snow-covered Southern Alps. On the trip down, they had been conspicuously absent and I can only imagine for reasons of optics. I have a feeling that blowing snow in the Alps caused the sun to reflect in such a way to create a haze, obscuring the mountains. I was now very glad to see the Southern Alps again and even though they are not the highest mountains in the world, there's something about them that makes them awesome.

Onward the bus went, passing through a myriad small towns until we reached the larger settlement of Oamaru (pronouned AW-mah-roo). This was once a major center during the Gold Rush years and its former prosperity is reflected in some of the local architecture. It is also known for the Oamaru bluestone, a type of rock used extensively on the South Island for construction. Since we had half an hour at this stop, I took the time to walk around the town and I took some photos of interesting buildings. Very quickly, though, we were back on the road.

One of the problems with taking a bus trip like this is that there are so few stops until you reach the major centers, so there really isn't much to report. Most of the photos I took were of the mountains as we drove along the coast. Except for a quick stop at Timaru, there wasn't much to see until we finally got off in Christchurch.

When my brother and I finally got home, we were quite exhausted. In our trip, we had seen much of the South Island and I was happy to have finally seen the portion that I had missed the last time around. While not as captivating as the highlands of central Otago and Canterbury, my time along the south shore was very rewarding. I think I'd like to go back as soon as I could.

I couldn't stay up too late since my flight was at 06:45 the next day. I fell asleep sorry to be leaving but also dreaming of the high mountains and the pounding surf of the Great Southern Ocean.

The Southern Sea

With the bus back to Dunedin leaving so early, my brother and I had the good fortune of being able to spend a good portion of the day there. The bus arrived just before 13:00 and we once again made out way back to Hogwartz. This time we were put up in what must have once been the master bedroom and still at only $27/night each. What a fantastic deal.

However, before we god back to Dunedin we had to cross the southern lands we had crossed only a few days previous. I was surprised to see that it had snowed a bit since we had been through and some hills had a light dusting of the white powder. The snow wasn't even that far from the road so it must have been chilly those last few nights. We also drove passed row upon row of sheep grazing. Since this is spring, there were many lambs about. We also made our way back across the raging Clutha River, which seemed even more full.

After unpacking our things at Hogwartz, I decided to take a walk to the southern portion of Dunedin, where the city meets the sea. Along the way, I stopped into the Dunedin Railway Station again and was pleased to find the Taieri (tahy-EH-ree) Gorge train waiting on the platform. This is a tourist train which runs north from Dunedin to Middlemarch, through part of the Taieri Gorge, which is supposedly very scenic. Many years ago, as train travel fell out of favour most of the Taieri Railway, which ran to Alexandra, was uprooted and only a last ditch effort by Dunedin saved this one portion. Where the track once was is now a hiking trail and some people do get off the train in Middlemarch and continue the journey further north on foot.

I continued walking until I found St. Kilda Beach, a beach to the south of Dunedin. It was quite spectacular to look at the ocean and know that if you were to keep going, it would be many thousands of kilometers before you would sight land again. At that point, you would be in Antarctica. I managed to get a few picture before, much to my chagrin, my camera's battery died. I can only leave you to imagine the picture I wanted to take. Think of black rain clouds slowly moving across a vast expanse of churning blue-green water. Then imagine that the sun comes out, only for a moment, illuminating the sea and creating a marvelous contrast with the black clouds behind; that's what I wanted to capture but couldn't.

I walked along the beach for a while before heading back into the city. There wasn't much to do after that, and nothing else that I wanted to see so my brother and I finished off the day with dinner at another fine establishment on the Octagon.

Dunedin is a place I think I could spend a few days getting to know. It's a very intriguing city both for its architecture and its geography. Not too far, on the Otago Peninsula, is Larnach Castle, New Zealand's only. There is also a colonies of albatrosses and yellow-eyed penguins. Try as it might, though, Dunedin will never take the place of the high country for me, but I wouldn't mind losing a few days in this southern haven.

The 24-Hour City

In a way, I'm glad I only spent one day in Invercargill. As much as I like the city, I think I got to see everything there is to see in just one day. I think Invercargill would be a more interesting city if it had been built right on the sea but it's set several kilometers inland and so there is no oceanfront upon which to walk. I had to be satisfied with a lagoon just south of the city. I also didn't have a car which meant that I couldn't travel to Bluff, Invercargill's port town a little further south.

The morning began inauspiciously with a cold wind blowing quite strongly and gray clouds in the sky. The temperature was not expected to go higher than 10C which was cold for this time of year. Hope as I might, the weather didn't improve and eventually rain did come, but not merely drizzle. Combined with the high winds, the rain became driving, almost to the point of horizontality and cold water on skin, amplified by a cold wind, really takes the heat out of you. Luckily, that didn't happen for most of the day and I managed to get some good viewing in before the rains.

Invercargill is not a big place and so I spent the day walking around the city. Invercargill is based on grid pattern and many of the streets are named after rivers in Scotland. The two main streets, Tee and Day, meet in the southwest of the city center at a traffic circle which has a monument to those who served in the Boer War. I noticed that many New Zealand cities have separate monuments for the Boer War and then all other wars are commemorated by a single monument.

One of the most interesting things I saw was a sundial built in the shape of an umbrella. This was to reflect that Invercargill's streets are aligned to the cardinal points. The sundial is one of Invercargill's most well-known artistic works.

Around noon, seeing rain clouds approaching, I decided that it was best I get indoors so I went to see a movie, Wall-E. This animated feature, made by the same people who made Finding Nemo, is the story of a robot, the last inhabitant of Earth, who ends up helping save humanity. What I found most interesting was that through minimal dialogue, the writers were still able to convey emotions, ideas and the general plot with ease. The movie was highly entertaining as well as thought-provoking. Better still, once I left the movie theater I saw that the rain had stopped and I could continue my discoveries.

After the movie theater, I paid a visit to the Southland Museum and Art Gallery (SMAG). Although only a small institution, it did have some fascinating exhibits. The art gallery had works from many periods and the museum portion had exhibits on local history from the first settlement by the Maori to the present. There were also an exhibit dedicated to New Zealand's subantarctic islands, 5 groups of islands spread about the south Pacific and protected because of their ecological importance. There was also an exhibit about The World's Fastest Indian and another one on space exploration.

Perhaps the most fascinating exhibit was that of the tuataras (too-ah-TAH-rah), members of a nearly extinct reptilian species. Although they look like lizards, the tuataras branched off from the lizard family before the dinosaurs evolved. They are all extinct now except for 2 species native only to New Zealand. This tuatara exhibit is part of an effort to protect them as they are endangered. Perhaps the most interesting feature about them is their life span --- 300 years. There is one tuatara there who is now about 110 years old.

I left the SMAG and headed back south out of the city. It was here that the wind and rain finally caught up with me. Unable to walk to Bluff and the ocean proper, some 25 kilometers further south, I walked along a boardwalk built on what is now a protected lagoon. I couldn't stay very long as the driving cold wind and rain were quite a lot to deal with. I walked back to the youth hostel my brother an I were staying at and we then went out for dinner at the Lone Star.

I'm sure Invercargill has its moments and that it looks better in the sunshine, but I really wouldn't want to stay there for any length of time. 24 hours was enough time to see everything this southern city has to offer. I read that Invercargill has never ranked particularly high on travellers' lists and severs primarily as an overnight stop. Nonetheless, I'm glad I stopped by. My brother and I went to sleep early that night as the bus back to Dunedin left at 08:45. All in all, I'm glad I visited Invercargill but don't spend more than a day there.

A Short Trip South

The next stop on the tour was the southern city of Invercargill, New Zealand's southernmost and westernmost city. With a population of roughly 50 000, about half that of Dunedin, Invercargill is not particularly big or even well-visited. It is used as a stopping point for trips along the Southern Scenic Highway and to Stewart Island, a largish landmass off the coast of the South Island. However, Invercargill has recently gained some fame from the movie The World's Fastest Indian starring Sir Anthony Hopkins. It's the story of a man from Invercargill who went to the United States on his modified Indian motorcycle and set a world land speed record. Invercargill has made the most of its recent exposure and there is a display about the man in the local museum.

The trip down south, about 3 hours was much shorter than the trip from Christchurch to Dunedin. While the scenery wasn't as spectacular there were still some points of interest. In case anyone was unaware of the area's European residents' roots, the towns had names like Dunedin, Invercargill, Milton, Balclutha, Stirling, Glenham, Glenavy and Gore. Some of the sights along the way were the Clutha River, named after the Gaelic name of the Clyde River in Scotland. This is one of New Zealand's major rivers and it was running quite full as we passed over it. Also, there is a stretch of road known as the Presidential Highway since it passes between the settlements of Clinton and Gore, both only 44 kilometers from each other. When Bill Clinton and Al Gore visited New Zealand, they passed along this route and even presented the citizens of Waipahi with an American flag. That American flag along with that on New Zealand still fly at a marker along the highway. Just as a side note, Gore is considerably larger than Clinton and I'm still waiting for them to build the Lewinsky By-pass.

My brother and I arrived in Invercargill in the early evening and did some quick exploring before going to our hostel. We walked by Queen's Park and made our way to the water tower, a building built in the 1880s and now a city landmark; it also still serves its original purpose. The one thing I noticed about Invercargill was the wind. Despite the sun, any warmth was taken away by the fresh gusts from the south. Invercargill sits right within the Roaring Forties and not too far from the Furious Fifties, bands of latitude known for their fierce winds. Nonetheless, by day's end both my brother and I were anxious to see what this antipodean city had to offer.

Edinburgh of the South Seas

October 6th was the first full day that I would spend in Dunedin, the New Edinburgh of New Zealand. Dunedin was founded by Scottish immigrants, as was most of the South Island, apart from the Maori of course. These Scots wanted to recreate a bit of home in this distant land and so they designed many of the buildings in the Scottish architectural style. As well, the name "Dunedin" is the Gaelic name of Edinburgh, Scotland's capital. You can certainly feel the Scottish influence through the architecture, the statue of Robert Burns (Scotland's national poet) and even in the accent of the residents.

New Zealand has an accent distinct from Australia characterized by the short i becoming a short u sound and a bit of a rolled r. This way the word "chip" is pronounced "chup". This is a feature of some Scottish accents as is the rolling r. It is more apparent in places like Dunedin and clearly betrays the regions Scottish heritage.

My first stop of the day was the Octagon, an area at the center of Dunedin. The area is, quite appropriately, in the shape of an octagon with George Street running down the middle and other streets forming the outside. I had seen pictures of it but it seemed smaller in person. However, on the Octagon are some of Dunedin's most famous landmarks: the Municipal Chambers with its high clock tower, the impressive St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral and the statue of Robert Burns. I did not linger over long and quickly made my way to the Dunedin Railway Station.

The Railway Station, constructed in the Franco-Flemish style is one of Dunedin's most recognizable edifices. It is also close to the equally artistic Law Courts, which still function as such. The station was built at a time when Dunedin was New Zealand's major port thanks to the Otago Gold Rush. Although it looks impressive, it is not actually all that big as most of the space is for offices. The foyer, while having an interesting look, is also quite small. I did take the chance to go to the Sports Hall of Fame in the building to take a look at some of New Zealand's athletic heroes. Most I'd never heard of except of Sir Edmund Hilary who in 1953, with Tenzing Norgay became the first person confirmed to have scaled Chomolungma (Mt. Everest). I also took a ride on a stationary bicycle which challenged people to see how fast they could go and if I remember correctly, I topped out somewhere around 81 km/h.

After leaving the station, I spent some time looking around the port of Dunedin before heading off to Baldwin Street. This would be like any other street in the city if it wasn't for 1 thing, it is the steepest recorded street in the world. At its steepest, Baldwin Street has an incline of 1:2.71 (1 meter rise for every 2.71 meters distance or about 20.25 degrees) which doesn't sound particularly steep until you try to climb it. I climbed it and then climbed back down. The area around Baldwin Street capitalizes on the street's fame and there are even shops which hand out certificates to say you had been there.

Needless to say, Baldwin Street proved to be an exhausting undertaking so I decided to venture back to Hogwartz for some rest. I'd also meet back up with my brother to see how his day had been. Along the way I stopped to take a picture of the Registry of Otago University, New Zealand's oldest post-secondary institution. Apparently, some 25 000 students inhabit Dunedin, locally known as "scarfies", and add to the vibrant mix of the city. I made it back to Hogwartz without incident and rested as my brother and I discussed where to go for dinner. We chose another pub on the Octagon and had a very pleasant time.

On the whole, Dunedin is a fascinating city and I wouldn't mind returning there on some future trip. I'll always think that the highlands of Central Otago and Canterbury are my favourite places in New Zealand, but Dunedin does have its charms too. I didn't have too much time to enjoy it, though as next on the list was Invercargill, where the south meets the ocean.