FINALLY over the jet lag!!!

I will say it took almost a full week for me to fully get over the jet lag. I thought I was fine, but I was getting sleepy a lot earlier than usual and waking up around 4 AM every morning. I think I am pretty much on Australia time now :)

Work has been very busy. They didn't waste anytime getting us up to speed and entrenched in the project. Here is a picture of me outside the office on my lunch break enjoying the sun!!

This past weekend I checked out the City of Melbourne with one of my co-workers from the US, Christine. We took the tourist shuttle, which is a free service, to the area of town called the Docklands. It is one of the newer parts of towns and has a lot of shops and restaurants. It had a really great view of the city, and the arena where they play AFL Football. I'm still trying to figure out all the rules of AFL football. It seems like a cross between soccer and football, but they score all the time and at least one person ends up bloody. Here is a pic of the Docklands.

After the Docklands, we took the City Circle Tram, which is another free service, over the the Queen Victoria Market. This is a huge market that had anything you could think of; tacky souvenirs, food, clothes, jewelry. I ended up buying 2 rings and of course some tacky souvenirs. I couldn't come here and not buy a boomerang magnet!!! It was a very interesting place, and I didn't get to see nearly as much of it as I wanted too. It's open all the time, so I can go back anytime. Here are a few pics of the place:

Sunday's plan was to go to the National Gallery of Victoria to see the Salvador Dali exhibit. On our way, we ran across the Sunday Art Market. It was along the river banks in Southgate. To be in this market, you had to of made whatever you are selling. This market is every Sunday and had everything from photographs, scarves, cakes, painting and even live performances. It is amazing to see what some people can make with their own hands.

After the market, we went to the National Gallery, but didn't make it into the Dali exhibit. By the time we got there, we were tired from 2 days of being tourists, and the exhibit will be here until October. It was a beautiful art gallery that had paintings from all over the world.

Overall, it was a great first weekend. Plans are still pending for this coming weekend, but I think it will be another good one!! Many more pictures to come :)