Newcastle: A visitor’s perspective

It appears that 2014 is not the year of blogging for Lateral Movements. (Though you can still catch me every 2 weeks over at APW)

Outside of the virtual world, though, things are happening. Jared and I are buying a house (!) – but that doesn’t mean the traveling will end. We’ve been roaming the globe for too long to give it all up for a little 3 bedroom, even though I am looking forward to having a lime tree and hanging up pictures. Maybe we’ll finally set up the hammock we bought in Bolivia that has been hanging, incongruent, on the wall of our apartment for nearly a year.

My dad was also here for his first visit to Australia. Like all visits from the ones you love, it went by at breakneck pace, leaving us all wondering if it ever happened at all. But it did! It did. For ten glorious days, he was able to revel in the autumn sunshine and see what it is that’s entranced me about this country.

One of my favorite parts about having international visitors is that they remind me of what’s unusual about living in Australia; the things I’ve gotten used to. Things like astonishingly high prices at restaurants, where $20 for a pasta dish is average, even at lunchtime. On the flip side, there’s no tax added on at the register, and tipping isn’t expected. My dad was there when we made an offer on what is soon to be our house; he even got to come and check it out. I’m glad he was able to witness a sliver of the house hunt, because otherwise I’d struggle to paint a clear picture of just how ridiculous house prices are in Newcastle, at least when compared to Fishers, Indiana.

I can’t say that things are back to normal now, but what is normal, anyway? So I’ll leave you with some photos of my dad’s – Newcastle through the eyes of a visitor, and it’s never looked prettier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My dad’s verdict: Newcastle is a really nice town.

I’d have to agree.