Day One, First Impressions

I woke up at 5:00 am after going to sleep about 1:30 am feeling pretty good. The first order of business was to attend a meeting with a colleague at a cafe so we could have a coffee and discuss my visit. Even though we were not on the beach, this café had a beach feel, a small wooden structure, with tables all around. Even the latte that I ordered was acting different than a latte in a colder climate. It was served in a short clear glass, almost like a juice glass, with no handle.

For dinner I went with some colleagues down to a bar on the Yarra River that had a big grill where you could order a beer and a bratwurst. I had a duck and pistachio bratwurst with grilled onions and sauerkraut that was delicious.

I was asked by my colleague who has been here many times what my first impressions were. My comments were that the weather was just beautiful. It is the beginning of autumn and the days are in the 70s-80s, a dry heat that has a cool evening. The style of the houses and the flowering landscaping reminds me a lot of Pasadena, California. Even though they drive on the left, the size of the roads and the size of the cars have a U.S. feel. There is a lot of graffiti on signs and walls around town, which is reminiscent of our time living in El Paso, Texas. The teenagers look like surfer bums with their sun-bleached hair. I saw some kids dressing punk in all black with Mohawks, etc. That seems to fit in London against the backdrop of a gray sky. Here, where everyone else is in shorts, flip-flops, and sun glasses, it kind of looks silly.