The End — i am nicole

After Ryan left, I made my way down to Melbourne for a week to catch my flight back to the states. Sigh. The trip was over. But first, I had a few things left to do.

Summer was over in Victoria, so sadly my initial plans of beaching every day fell through. But Melbourne came through for me again. What a great, reliable city. Anyone looking for a new relationship? This city won't disappoint.

Since I'd been hiking my butt off up in the rainforest, I had to continue my active streak before I returned home to sitting on said butt all day every day in front of a computer screen. Any body of water is a magnet to me, so I walked down to Albert Park Lake and jogged around its track while snapping way too many photos. Can you blame me though? Just look at that cityscape reflecting in the water!

Melbourne is a typical large city with alleyways between a lot of its buildings. But unlike others, its alleyways aren't dark and scary with hoodlums ready to jump ya. Melbourne's alleyways are full of cafes and coffee shops. There are vintage stores, quirky bars, and gourmet donut counters. And every wall surface is covered in murals and spraypaint tags. They change daily with artists and (probably those hoodlums) coming in and painting over yesterday's new art. The tags can be excessive, but the beautiful murals and funny political and social art make up for it.

One morning I wandered around the famous Queen Victoria Market. I'd heard great things about the summer night market here, but the daily one doesn't quite live up to the hype. It was drowning in tacky souvenir stands and takes some time to find the few decently cute shops. The food sections were still great though.

While in town, I met up with all the girl's I'd met along the trip and my college friend, McKinley, again. We all had brunch, went to markets, comedy shows, and footy games, walked around the city, and had lots and lots of wine. I made some wonderful friends during my few months of travel and now have their homes all over the world I need to visit. People complain about how difficult it is to make new friends as an adult. But if you ever find yourself in this situation, I suggest taking a trip alone. Slum it in the hostels where you're forced to meet others. Book some group tours and actually speak to people. Too often we get lost in our phones, ignoring the world around us. You'll be amazed at what you see and who you meet.

Sweets from an adorable flour market in Prahran.

Taking the wrong train out of the city isn't so bad when there's views like this.

I met up with Rachel and Jennifer from our Fraser Island trip for the last, most Aussie thing we could think of: a footy game! It took a while to understand, but after a lot of googling, we finally figured out which numbers on the scoreboard showed who was winning. Australian sports are ridiculously rough - we watched multiple guys get knocked out cold in the middle of the field and everyone just kept on playing the game around them.

Rain and all, it was still fun to see these girls and watch some sportsball.

This city is great. This country is great. This trip was so freakin' great. I was sad to leave, but after living out of a backpack, showering in flipflops, and sleeping in bunkbeds, I was ready for some normal. The adventure was incredible, but it was time to go home. I'll miss you Australia!