Couple days ago, came the day I knew was coming eventually. I ran out of the Finnish rye bread I brought with me. It was only one package of Ohut Herkku but it tasted good since I knew it might be a while before I get a the next decent rye bread. I have read that there are some bakeries that make it maybe one day a week. But maybe I’ll learn how to cope without it.
Usually when I’m visiting a big city abroad, I have bought a hop-on hop-off bus ticket as it’s a nice way to see different parts of the city and get some background information about it. This time however I decided to combine playing a tourist and rehabilitate my knee by taking a guided bike tour. It was also very praised tour in Tripadvisor and usually recommendation in there hasn’t let you down. Our guide Freddy was very entertaining and gave good amount of history to the city. The route was 16km in length, which was good and easy with almost perfect weather. It was also the first bike trip after my knee surgery, and I got the first taste of driving on the left (wrong) side of the street. Here they call it driving on the other side.
Now that I started about the wrong side of the road, it’s not the only thing that is affected related to the opposite land that it is here. Of course, the obvious ones are that I still occasionally look first left when crossing the road. One time I was standing in an escalator and as usual, standing on the right side so people could pass on the left side – wrong. Walking in the sidewalk and climbing stairs also tends to go left side. When I started on the bike tour, a surprise was that the hand brakes on the bike are also the opposite way. In Finland I have gotten used to that the right hand controls the back brakes, but no, someone decided to mess people up. The guide told it before hand, so I only feared any sudden situation and muscle memory kicking in. I’m just dreading the moment when I drive a car for the first time, and it might be coming sooner than I would have wanted.
My goal in the apartment hunt was to get a furnished apartment to avoid the trouble of acquiring the furniture and then sell it to the highest bidder in the end of my work assignment here. I’m having some guests (hopefully they don’t cancel 😊) during the year and because of that I have tried to get a two-bedroom apartment. I also don’t want it from some old building which might have issues during wintertime. Week ago, in one of the open inspections (it was crowdy) I found good enough choice and it was partly furnished. I filled the first application when I got back to my laptop and after couple of hours of filling the form and several attachments later, I sent it. At least all real estate companies seem to use the same service for filling the online form, so only the first filling would take so long. Last message in the beginning of the week stated that the owners have been showed the application.
Since I have only week left in this accommodation, I must include also the non-furnished options. Yesterday I filled my second application for an apartment that ticks many of the boxes even though I would have to get almost all the furniture. Hopefully my next post will be written from it. But I believe that my chances are better, since just last Thursday I was in the first inspection and there were only one other person checking the place.
Other things that occurred since last post. I visited St Kilda Festival where I for example saw a band called Delsinki performing, where the female member Brooke Taylor looked and sounded like Natasha Lyonne (actress from Orange is the New Black for example). I visited Sydney for a few days in a work-related trip where I only saw Sydney Opera House from a subway window on the ride back to the airport as I didn’t have time to play tourist this time. Tried my first kangaroo steak as the host here was kind enough to give me taste. It was a gamy taste, but I liked it as it was very well barbequed (and I don’t mean well done as it was a medium).
St Kilda Festival main stage 
Sydney Opera house from a train window
I’m going to end my post again with Blanco. Otherwise he’s great to have around in this place, but there are two downsides. First, I have cat hair all over my clothes. The other thing is that he has so called affection aggression or a cat love bite. If I pet and scratch him too long while he sits on my lap or next to me, he has several times suddenly bitten my hand (although lightly). It has something to do with a cat having enough of petting for that time. And I have enough of this post, so enjoy my photography highlights of the last two weeks.
Big chrome ball 
Another evening vista over Yarra river 
Lots of interesting architecture around the city 
La Trobe Reading Room (The dome) of the State Library Victoria 
View of the Yarra river from Sandridge Bridge 
Information about Finnish immigrants on Sandridge Bridge 
Trees of Kings Domain park area
Jone's adventures Down Under 