Oklahoma State University Athletics
Australia, As Told By ... Jentry Holt (Vol. 2)
August 12, 2017 | Cowgirl Basketball
How do I even put into words the last three days?! Melbourne was nothing short of spectacular!
On our first day we visited the Healesville Sanctuary which houses hundreds of Australia's native wildlife. I would not consider it a successful trip to Australia unless you get to see a kangaroo. Well, we made this a reality at the Sanctuary! Not only did we see kangaroos but we were even able to pet them! We also got to hang out with Koala bears, Tasmanian Devils and dingos along with many others.
The second day we started a walking tour of the city bright and early! This is where we really got a taste for Melbourne. We saw the Australian Open venue, National Gallery of Victoria, St Paul's Cathedral and the Botanic Gardens just to name a few. There are several things that I thought were distinct about Melbourne.
1. The city is very efficient. Every inch of space is used, nothing seems to be wasted. Even the dark alleys are put to use.
2. The dark alleys have the absolute best cafés! (Don't be afraid to enter or you'll miss out on the best eggs Benedict of your life)
3. There is spray paint art everywhere. A lot of people would probably call this graffiti. However, I think the negative connotation of that word is very unfair when trying to describe the spray paint in Melbourne. It's extremely unique and colorful which makes the city seem like a large coloring book!
We finished up the second day by spending some time with the kids at Helping Hoops Youth Clinic. Helping Hoops is a charity that runs free basketball programs for underprivileged children. They welcomed us with open arms and to say we had a blast would be an understatement! These kids had little to nothing and were the most kind-hearted and cheerful people I've ever met. During our time we participated in games and helped run a few drills. We went there to help them, but in turn they helped us right back.
The morning of day three was completely up to us! Mine consisted of a waffle covered in peanut butter and Nutella and time spent at the aquarium. That afternoon we had the opportunity to tour an AFL training facility. (If you don't know much about Australian Football hang with me a little while longer.) We also had the chance to go up to the Eureka Tower Skydeck. Imagine this, a glass box hanging from the side of the 88th floor of the tallest building in Melbourne. The entire box is glass including the floor, so naturally you can see All. The. Way. Down. I tired to play it cool but my hands haven't sweat that much since my first day of driver's ed.
To finish the evening we watched an AFL match. AFL is fantastic! After seeing it, I am all in. It is like football, basketball and soccer all rolled into one. It is fast, it is aggressive, there is smack talk and a lot of contact. What more could you want?
Over those three days, I walked 52,694 steps or 26.35 miles according to my Fitbit. The way I look at it we're just cross training for the season! We packed our stuff up and hopped on a three-hour flight to Cairns. Melbourne put on a pretty good show so we'll have to see how our final two destinations match up!
P.S. McDonalds is called Maccas and a hug is called a cuddle.
Until next time!
Jentry
On our first day we visited the Healesville Sanctuary which houses hundreds of Australia's native wildlife. I would not consider it a successful trip to Australia unless you get to see a kangaroo. Well, we made this a reality at the Sanctuary! Not only did we see kangaroos but we were even able to pet them! We also got to hang out with Koala bears, Tasmanian Devils and dingos along with many others.
The second day we started a walking tour of the city bright and early! This is where we really got a taste for Melbourne. We saw the Australian Open venue, National Gallery of Victoria, St Paul's Cathedral and the Botanic Gardens just to name a few. There are several things that I thought were distinct about Melbourne.
1. The city is very efficient. Every inch of space is used, nothing seems to be wasted. Even the dark alleys are put to use.
2. The dark alleys have the absolute best cafés! (Don't be afraid to enter or you'll miss out on the best eggs Benedict of your life)
3. There is spray paint art everywhere. A lot of people would probably call this graffiti. However, I think the negative connotation of that word is very unfair when trying to describe the spray paint in Melbourne. It's extremely unique and colorful which makes the city seem like a large coloring book!
We finished up the second day by spending some time with the kids at Helping Hoops Youth Clinic. Helping Hoops is a charity that runs free basketball programs for underprivileged children. They welcomed us with open arms and to say we had a blast would be an understatement! These kids had little to nothing and were the most kind-hearted and cheerful people I've ever met. During our time we participated in games and helped run a few drills. We went there to help them, but in turn they helped us right back.
The morning of day three was completely up to us! Mine consisted of a waffle covered in peanut butter and Nutella and time spent at the aquarium. That afternoon we had the opportunity to tour an AFL training facility. (If you don't know much about Australian Football hang with me a little while longer.) We also had the chance to go up to the Eureka Tower Skydeck. Imagine this, a glass box hanging from the side of the 88th floor of the tallest building in Melbourne. The entire box is glass including the floor, so naturally you can see All. The. Way. Down. I tired to play it cool but my hands haven't sweat that much since my first day of driver's ed.
To finish the evening we watched an AFL match. AFL is fantastic! After seeing it, I am all in. It is like football, basketball and soccer all rolled into one. It is fast, it is aggressive, there is smack talk and a lot of contact. What more could you want?
Over those three days, I walked 52,694 steps or 26.35 miles according to my Fitbit. The way I look at it we're just cross training for the season! We packed our stuff up and hopped on a three-hour flight to Cairns. Melbourne put on a pretty good show so we'll have to see how our final two destinations match up!
P.S. McDonalds is called Maccas and a hug is called a cuddle.
Until next time!
Jentry
Tuesday, July 07
Tuesday, July 07
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
