Osaka night life
I spent a bit time roaming around Osaka at night over the weekend, through the shopping arcades, the restaurants and the bars… Minami is one of the main areas to go out, and is crawling with people. I walked through what felt like the longest shopping arcade in the world, in between countless stores. You can […] Read More
Absolutely Auckland
And here’s my best-of-Auckland: Best part/scene/place: Ponsonby. Probably the best mix between residential, restaurants and nightlife. Although much more quiet than Melbourne’s Fitzroy, it has it’s charm. Best drink (alcoholic): I didn’t experiment much. Just some local Kiwi brews. Auckland wasn’t cheap to go out, and I needed to save some money. Best restaurant: Xio Dan in Auckland. […] Read More
Pallet Pavilion
I came back from Akaroa in time for sunset in Christchurch, and wanted to have a second look, in beautiful weather instead of yesterday’s rain. Alas, it’s just as depressing. I’m still speechless. Christchurch is inventive though. If your shopping mall is a ruin, create a temporary one. This one became so good, it might […] Read More
Hatches down for Lusi
The weather has been great yesterday, and I enjoyed a good time in Albert Park with a bunch of shirtless students from the nearly university, and my NZ travel guide. I also managed to get some Japanese Yen, as I realized it might be wise to have at least some local currency before heading north. […] Read More
New friends (and food)
I recently met up with Clint and his friend Nina in Grand Central in Ponsonby for an after-work beer. Ginger fusion, actually, something they had on the table and I joined in, not tasting the alcohol in it until it was too late…. Clint is a Pacific Islander through and through, coming from the biggest […] Read More
Beach day
Another day at the beach… Waiheke left me knackered, so I scrapped my plans to go visit and hike around Rangitoto today. I needed something more mellow… On to the ferry to Devonport again and over to Cheltenham beach to be lazy in the shade and a bit in the sun. It was windy, not […] Read More
Harbor walk
The weekend was really quiet… I first wanted to go out and party a bit, but in the end… Friday it seems I was too early, all the places I went to were still empty… And I ended up watching Modern Family and eating chips. Bad! Saturday I went up on the tower, and I […] Read More
Best of Melbourne
And here’s my best-of-Melbourne: Best part/scene/place: Fitzroy. No doubt. The smallest postal code area in Australia, but it has all it needs. After five weeks I had only discovered a fraction of its bars, restaurants and cafés. Best drink (alcoholic): Thursday 2$-Schooner at Sircuit. All you need. Before 9 pm. Then the price goes up! Best restaurant: The Newmarket […] Read More
Melbourne routines
Back in Melbourne, I immediately felt at home as the taxi rolled through Fitzroy and on to Abbotsford, my new home in the Milkbar. It’s a great place, in a quiet side street, in walking distance to the Abbotsford vietnamese area, and a 10 minute walk from my Smith Street watering holes. My host Gerome […] Read More
Small world
It must have been at least 10 years since I last saw them: Robert, with whom I went to college in Bruges, and his wife Suzanne, a fellow Madonna fan. They both are Dutch diplomats, and we stayed in touch via Facebook throughout the years, their postings to Washington D.C., various Madonna tours, and their […] Read More