Tweeting Eurovision

Every year I am surprised that it’s Eurovision Song Contest again. To be honest, I think this is a waste event. I got goosebumps because of more than one song yesterday, but not of the good kind. I confess, I watched it anyway and it actually was interesting this time, but not because of the show itself but the millions of tweets on #ESC2015. Did you ever do this, watch TV and simultaneously comment every minute on Twitter on what’s happening? Don’t you think that’s strange behaviour?? Not that I am in a position for a judgement as I did it myself yesterday – and the ESC is probably the only thing on TV where it really doesn’t matter if you pay attention or look on your smartphone. But it’s weird. Everybody wants to throw in their two cents; it seems nobody really cares about the music, it’s just a contest about the funniest tweet. Even some of the big journalistic media participated in the collective bitching. Subjectively, this was what most tweets were about:

What I actually learned about Aborigines.

Everybody who visits Australia should be aware that this country originally belonged to another people – the Aborigines. This post is about them. It is a matter of respect as they have lived in Australia for thousands of years before the white people came (colonization by the British started in 1770 with the arrival of James Cook) and things went badly wrong. Diseases, fights, stealing of Aboriginal kids to raise them in white families – just to mention a few things. When I came to Australia, I was very interested in learning about Aboriginal culture and hoped to meet some in person. Well, I learned…    

Red Sand

This gallery contains 10 photos.

How would I describe the Australian Outback? Maybe as an emptiness that is not empty but full of life. The prominent color is red. Red sand. Red rocks. Red dust. I was on a 5 day tour with “Mulgas Adventures” – for … Continue reading →

Five Shades of Uluru

This is not just a big red rock in the middle of nowhere. It’s a sacred place for the Aboriginal people and the most stunning natural wonder I have ever seen! Uluru (or Ayers Rock as the white people call it) has a kind of energy to it that is hard to describe. Standing in front of it you will only see solid walls of rock and you’ll feel tiny like an ant, unimportant and still so blessed to see this place. Depending on day time and light conditions Uluru will change its face and color many times, sometimes even within minutes… The following pictures were all taken at the same spot, the popular sunset area, and show 5 different moods of Uluru.

Blue sky and sunlight causing interesting shades.

Sunset.

After sunset the moon takes over.

Evening sun with dark clouds.

Dark red glow.

 

 

The Great Ocean Road

Now this roadtrip is definitely a must-do when you are in the area around Melbourne! From the city it’s aproximately a 2 hours drive to get there. It reminded me a lot of the Highway 1 in California, winding its way along steep cliffs and through the rainforest. You can see everything in one day – like we did – but I guess you should rather spend several days there. It’s also the perfect spot for surfing! I caught some moments on camera for you.

This spot is called Shipwreck Coast.

What is it with Germans and Australia?

Let’s face it: When we visit the beautiful places on this earth we will hardly ever have them exclusively for ourselves. There will be other tourists and unless it’s not totally crowded that’s fine for me. But I’d still like to keep the impression that I’m in a foreign country. I don’t travel to the other side of the world to hear nothing but my own language around me, right? But indeed when you come to Australia as a German and especially when you sleep in cheap hostels like all the backpackers, this will happen to you. It is incredible how many of my folks run around on this continent. Of course ranting about all the Germans down here is a bit ridiculous as I am one myself. But I can’t help but think that Germans are invading this country. Here’s why.  

Melbourne Street Art

Now here it is – my next big journey. It led me to Australia where I currently am, trying to share my experiences with you. I know it really is a privilege to come here twice in my life because it’s the other side of the world. My adventure “down under” started in Melbourne, where I stayed for a couple of days. But even after such a short time (and although the weather was mostly crap) I can say it is one of the most interesting cities I have visited so far! It is a very cool, very stylish and creative city with cultural events happening all the time. I was particularly fascinated by the street art. Unfortunately there is no time for a long text because I am staying at hostels where the internet connection depends on luck rather than anything else… But in this case, pictures speak more than words. 🙂  

Travel Diary Reloaded

I tell you something: If you’re on a big journey, do write a travel diary! When I was on my working holiday in Australia in 2010, I bought an empty book and wrote down my daily experiences. I didn’t leave out a thing. I pasted maps, tickets, flyers of my activities on the pages, noted my spending and all my thoughts – the happy and the homesick. Five years later, I noticed how precious this book is. I read it for the first time a few weeks ago and I completely loved it. It’s pure memories. It’s completely hilarious. And it showed me how important it is to help our little brains remember.

In 2010, I wrote a travel diary. But paper is so yesterday, isn’t it?

3 things I learned in: Australia (East Coast 2010)

1) Crododile’s eyes glow red in the dark when you point a flashlight on them. Nature can be very, very beautiful and very scary here. No place like Australia where evolution has gone wild.

2) Being a backpacker for too long can affect your human dignity. I guess that’s what dirty hostel rooms with ten-bed-dorms and instant noodles do to you.  It’s when you start stealing plastic cutlery from Snack Bars. Next step is stealing shower gel (1,50$) from your room-mates. No, I did not do that. Well, at least not the latter… 🙂

3) Never. Eat. Vegemite.

Read more about my backpacking experiences in Australia here.