ies in the box would be a very different experience than sitting with the fans in the stands. He wasn't lying. First there was a mix up with our ticketed seats and we were told we weren't supposed to be there by a very rude man. Happily he went away. There was an Adelaide supporter sitting behind us who started mouthing off about how awful Collingwood fans are. This was not the brightest move considering he was surrounded by these supposedly bad Collingwood fans. Soon enough a verbal fight started with this guy and a man wearing a Collingwood shirt. Matt had told me the Collingwood fans would be somewhat "feral" (Australians love this word and use it lots!) I took one look at the guy who was seconds away from throwing a punch and understood what he meant. He was probably in his sixties with a 
thick gold hoop earring, at least four grotesquely big and sparkly sovereign rings, jail house tattoos on his hands and had the general look of a man who had done some hard living. Luckily everyone around calmed him down before a physical fight broke out. You can only imagine the high caliber of language that was spewing out of the mouths of these guys. There is an announcement asking spectators to please mind their language but I wouldn't recommend taking kids to a Aussie Rules game unless you are ok with them hearing F-bombs and other lovely expletives every few minutes. So yes this was a different experience to the box but I must say it was still a really fun time even though Collingwood lost...again. One other thing, never, NEVER eat a hot dog at the Telstra Dome. I think that is what it was supposed to be anyway. Stick with the meat pie!We decided to take a ride down to Victoria Market to pick up some bits and piece
s but took a little detour to Luna Park. This amusement park was built in 1912 by the same men who designed and built Coney Island in New York. The entrance and many of the rides were built in the USA. The Scenic Railway is the only roller coaster in the world that is still in operation from this period. It was closed for maintenance which was ok with me because I am more of a Merry-go-Round sort of girl. Not only do I get scared on rides but I get sick which is much worse. I decided to be very brave and go on the Ferris wheel which wasn't too big. The ride was fine when the wheel was moving but when it stopped and the chair sat rocking in the wind
I got a little freaked out. I was all set to use my other ticket for the Carousel when Matt pointed out the other roller coaster. Oh yay! It was working. I didn't want to be the boring girl so I agreed to go on it. BOO!!! The drops were scary but I must admit still fun in a "I'm so happy I haven't died from this" sort of way. The bad part was when the coaster started going in loops then my stomach got mad at me. Fortunately we only had two tickets each so we couldn't go on any more rides. My stomach was happy about this. I hadn't been to a fun park in a long time so it was really great to walk around. They call cotton-candy "Fairy Floss" here which I think is a much more fun and fanciful name.
s but took a little detour to Luna Park. This amusement park was built in 1912 by the same men who designed and built Coney Island in New York. The entrance and many of the rides were built in the USA. The Scenic Railway is the only roller coaster in the world that is still in operation from this period. It was closed for maintenance which was ok with me because I am more of a Merry-go-Round sort of girl. Not only do I get scared on rides but I get sick which is much worse. I decided to be very brave and go on the Ferris wheel which wasn't too big. The ride was fine when the wheel was moving but when it stopped and the chair sat rocking in the wind
I got a little freaked out. I was all set to use my other ticket for the Carousel when Matt pointed out the other roller coaster. Oh yay! It was working. I didn't want to be the boring girl so I agreed to go on it. BOO!!! The drops were scary but I must admit still fun in a "I'm so happy I haven't died from this" sort of way. The bad part was when the coaster started going in loops then my stomach got mad at me. Fortunately we only had two tickets each so we couldn't go on any more rides. My stomach was happy about this. I hadn't been to a fun park in a long time so it was really great to walk around. They call cotton-candy "Fairy Floss" here which I think is a much more fun and fanciful name. That night we met up with Pete (Matt's friend since he was 10) and his wife Jen for a Nepalese dinner. We went to a restaurant called Base Camp in Hawtho
rne which is very cute neighborhood. I had never had Nepalese food before so was a little nervous I might have an Indian food reaction. I love Indian food but most of the time it does not love me back. I got lucky. We had a banquet style dinner and my favorite dish was Khasi ko Masu (curried goat). There were prayer flags hung everywhere and intricately painted lanterns making for great mood lighting. It was great to catch up with Pete and Jen. They had their third baby the week I arrived here so understandably they have had their hands full.
rne which is very cute neighborhood. I had never had Nepalese food before so was a little nervous I might have an Indian food reaction. I love Indian food but most of the time it does not love me back. I got lucky. We had a banquet style dinner and my favorite dish was Khasi ko Masu (curried goat). There were prayer flags hung everywhere and intricately painted lanterns making for great mood lighting. It was great to catch up with Pete and Jen. They had their third baby the week I arrived here so understandably they have had their hands full. Sunday w
as Father's Day in Australia so we headed to Waubra (just outside of Ballarat) to visit with Matt's Dad. It was also Laurel's birthday so there was lots to celebrate. Matt's sisters, brother-in-law, niece and nephew were there and also Laurel's daughter, Pam, with her family. We brought the boomerang and had a great time throwing it with the kids. The wind was really strong so it kept flying pretty far away. Natarsha, Matt's niece, thankfully really likes to run so she was the little boomerang retriever. I went to grab it after Matt had thrown it directly into an ant pile. I thought I got r
id of all of the ants but kept finding the mean little creatures on me for the rest of the afternoon. Lunch was fantastic and we had a wonderful time with everyone.
as Father's Day in Australia so we headed to Waubra (just outside of Ballarat) to visit with Matt's Dad. It was also Laurel's birthday so there was lots to celebrate. Matt's sisters, brother-in-law, niece and nephew were there and also Laurel's daughter, Pam, with her family. We brought the boomerang and had a great time throwing it with the kids. The wind was really strong so it kept flying pretty far away. Natarsha, Matt's niece, thankfully really likes to run so she was the little boomerang retriever. I went to grab it after Matt had thrown it directly into an ant pile. I thought I got r
id of all of the ants but kept finding the mean little creatures on me for the rest of the afternoon. Lunch was fantastic and we had a wonderful time with everyone. Matt's sister, Tracy, came with us for the ride back to Melbourne. We drove thru Clunes and Daylesford just to take a look. Daylesford is a lovely little town full of spa retreats and mineral springs. There were wonderful old bookshops, antique stores and cafes. Clunes was a bit more 
rustic and small....not a whole lot going on. There was a sheep tied up in a front yard doing the "mowing". I popped out to say hello and give him a little pat. Just when I thought we were going to be friends the sheep gave me the old headbutt followed by a very threatening BLEET! He didn't want to be friends with me at all. On the way back to Melbourne we drove many stretches of road where there were Wombat and Kangaroo crossing signs. Sadly we also saw some roos who had not made it over the road. This sent me into a panic and I was screeching at Matt to go slower, which he did...reluctantly. I kept leaning over to check the speedometer. I am happy to say it was a very good thing we were going so slow because all the sudden on the side of the road appeared a roo who was as tall as me. He was just standing there waiting to cross the road. We stopped and so did the car coming the other way. Boing Boing! The huge roo bounced off safely into the woods. See how my craziness pays off sometimes??
rustic and small....not a whole lot going on. There was a sheep tied up in a front yard doing the "mowing". I popped out to say hello and give him a little pat. Just when I thought we were going to be friends the sheep gave me the old headbutt followed by a very threatening BLEET! He didn't want to be friends with me at all. On the way back to Melbourne we drove many stretches of road where there were Wombat and Kangaroo crossing signs. Sadly we also saw some roos who had not made it over the road. This sent me into a panic and I was screeching at Matt to go slower, which he did...reluctantly. I kept leaning over to check the speedometer. I am happy to say it was a very good thing we were going so slow because all the sudden on the side of the road appeared a roo who was as tall as me. He was just standing there waiting to cross the road. We stopped and so did the car coming the other way. Boing Boing! The huge roo bounced off safely into the woods. See how my craziness pays off sometimes?? 