Horses, cows and Kings day

Like I mentioned in the GOR-posts, we had heard of a Kings day celebration in Melbourne the 27th of March. Nicky's cousin Bram (aka Abraham aka Abe) planned to come with us on that trip, so we had to pick him up from the farm in Romsey where he worked. Romsey was an hour or two above Melbourne, so sort of on the way, but not really. The road to the farm was also not quite what our car was built for, and when we got to the gate Bram was waiting for us on a quad to lead us to the spot we could park. The farm was gorgeous. We got a tour on the quad with the four of us, through the ranch, over the fields with horses galloping all around us. Bram then lead us to his calf, whose name I forgot. He explained us that his job was to raise this calf, together with two other calves so they can slaughter them when they're big enough. I didn't bother getting attached to it, hence why I can't remember its name.

We drove back to the stables where Bram parked his quad and we met his Ozzy family there. The people were so unbelievably nice, they borrowed us their public transport cards for in Melbourne, they talked to us and made us promise to bring back 'Abe' in one piece. Bram then fed us hamburgers and introduced us to Abby the dog. Nicky and I got to ride one of the tamer horses. Bram's job at this farm was to break the horses and tame them, before the owners would get them back, or before they were sold. Like a real cowboy, he had the hat and the whip, the boots with the spurs and all, and of course the guns. Quite impressive how this dude could handle a horse.

That evening we left the farm to drive to our hotel in Melbourne. Melbourne is the second biggest city in Australia, after Sydney, but we didn't see any of the sites due to lack of free time there. Melbourne has a more free vibe than Sydney has. There are many small restaurants in the main street, small cafes, pubs, rooftop bars, etc. That first night we ate at a Mexican restaurant, because I craved Mexican, but mostly because everything else that looked affordable and nice was full. Back in our hotel we had a room with a double bed and two singles, a bathroom and a very nice breakfast café opposite the hotel. Both mornings we ate our breakfast there, both mornings were very satisfying.

Nicky, Kate and I had looked around for something orange Bram could wear, but the only thing we could find on the Great Ocean Road was an orange hoodie. I think he was the only one of our group wearing orange that night. The party was hosted in a club in St. Kilda, a suburb full of nightlife and penguins. We had played some fun games before we took an über there, we met some amazing Dutch people and the music was awesome. A night to remember, one of the best Kings day celebrations of the past years. The day after started of slow, we didn't do much and that afternoon we safely returned 'Abe' to his family.