Today was a very cold and windy day, but thankfully no rain! After a good night of sleep we were up and going by 9AM this morning. We began our day with a tour of the Rod Laver Arena, or the arena where the Australian Open is held every year in January.
Our tour started in the mens locker room and then we followed the path that they would take out to the court. The walk of champions had awesome action pictures of every tennis player who had ever won the cup along with the years they had won at the top. We then went to a "super box" aka a box seat and learned a little bit more about what the arena is used for when the open is not going on. Just like any US sporting stadium this arena is utilized for concerts in the off season. Prince just recently played and Lady GaGa and One Direction are coming to town later this month. After the box we went into the media room where the players do their interviews after each match. I actually got to sit in the chair where they are interviewed!
The media room is where we ended our tour of the Rod Lavers Arena, but I learned a lot of interesting facts and information about tennis. Normally, I am not a huge fan of tennis, but I'm sure now I will find my self way more interested in the Australian Open in January. After our tour of that arena we took a quick bus ride over to the Flemington Racetrack where the Melbourne Cup is held every year. This event takes place every year on the first Tues. in November, and is so huge they make a holiday out of it and take off work and school. This race sounds very similar to what we would consider the Kentucky Derby. It is one race that takes place in the mid afternoon and contains 24 racehorses. According to Alex (or Adam as Macy and I like to call him because he looks like Adam Levine), one of our instructors, this event begins in the morning very classy with men in ties and the ladies dressed very formal, but as the day goes on many people get very drunk and sloppy.
We finished our tours for the day at 12:30 and then a small group of us went to go get lunch. I tried a hamburger and it was good, but it definitely tasted different than an American burger. After lunch we just relaxed in the hotel, and planned to meet in the lobby at 4:30 to spend some time walking around the city before dinner. Tonight was the first international rugby game against Scotland, so we all went to a local pub to watch the game, eat dinner, and get some cocktails. If you can't tell... Australians like to drink. So far I have enjoyed every minute of being in Melbourne. It is a gorgeous city and everyone here is so friendly and willing to help. However, I could definitely do without the cold weather!
~ G'Day
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