Williamstown

I decided to take a break from school today and get out of the city.  I spent some time last night in one of the local bookstores, looking at travel books.  I wanted to find something fun to do today because I just finished a two big papers and I was ready for a break before grinding through my last two weeks of instruction.  I found a couple of good options, but it wasn’t until this morning that I finally made a decision.  My destination was Williamstown, a 30-minute metro ride away.  I had to make a transfer near the end, which always makes me a little nervous, but there were no problems, and I arrived on time.  I stepped off the metro and had no idea where I was.  Everyone else around me of course had a destination in mind and were on their way.  I stumbled around for a few minutes before finding a street sign leading me to the historic district.  I was really lucky to have come today, because there is a street fair on the third Sunday of every month.  I enjoyed looking at all the crafts, and I found the town and surrounding area to be filled with little antique shops and very interesting looking restaurants.  We were also right by a pier, so there were boats docked all over, and to my surprise, I looked out and saw one with my mom’s name on it, which never happens.  

I was also able to see Melbourne from afar, which was pretty cool.  I took my time on the pier, before wandering around the other streets.

I found another street sign directing me to a beach, so I turned that way, not knowing where I was going to end up, but still very curious.  I knew I was getting close by the change in the style of the houses.  I was definitely in a beach town, and it was awesome.  It was also great to see all of the parks and everything around, which is not something that I get to see everyday in the city.  As much as I like where I live, I miss seeing kids running around, people taking a bike ride around the community, and dogs playing in open fields.  I think that’s something that will be important to me in the future when I’m looking for a community where I’d like to live.

I arrived at the water, and it was breezy and cold, but very refreshing.  I began walking on the promenade lining the beach, when I passed by an old man who made a comment about the weather.  For the next 20 minutes or so we walked together, and he began telling me about his past and how he ended up here.  He was originally from Lebanon and came to Australia 60 years ago.  He recently had a knee replacement and so was just trying to get out and walk around on it to keep things moving.  We talked about his family, the US, and life in Williamstown, among other things.  He was the nicest man and offered to have me over sometime so that I could meet his wife  :)

After he had had enough walking, he turned around to head home, and I decided to sit by the water and eat the lunch I had packed.  It was great to sit there and just listen to the water and watch the birds come in and out.  It was just what I needed to clear my head.  I sat there for a while before I just got too cold and decided that I had to move (the winter coats that I packed are getting lots of use and it might be time to invest in another good jacket because I really wasn’t anticipating this weather when I was packing).   

I walked around the botanical gardens before deciding that it was time to head back.  I still had other things to get done today, but spending time in this quaint town gave me the energy boost that I needed.

As I said before, two more weeks of school left, and then it’s a week off for studying before exams begin.  I have four tests, one each on June 10^th, 14^th, 17^th, and 20^th.  After that, it’ll be one semester down and I’ll be on break for a month.  Plans for that month are still under construction, but hopefully I’ll nail down something soon.