Ooops I Forgot!

Hello again! I decided tonight to add another post, since I'm exhausted from all my schoolwork and need a quick break!! Only 7 more days till my semester is over!!! I neglected to include a few pictures and videos in my last post that I had wanted to share. On May 10th Brisbane held a 20th anniversary celebration of when the World Expo was held here in Southbank in 1988. I am a huge fan of the Southbank area, and you'd never know it by reading this blog! I can't believe I haven't gushed about it more. The Southbank Parklands, as they're officially known, are located directly across the Brisbane River from the CBD. Southbank has been awarded the best public sector development in the world by the International Real Estate Federation and the world’s best downtown public space by the International Downtown Association.

The area stretches on for about a mile, and is really beautifully landscaped. There is the arbour that I've talked about before that is always covered in wonderful pink flowers (magenta bougainvillea). There are also lots of grassy knolls and the rainforest walk, which is just adjacent to the Nepalese temple which you can see in the video below. Right in the middle is where Streets Beach is located - a man-made swimming beach that is always crowded on the weekends. At night it's lit up and looks amazing. Throughout the parklands there are several BBQ gas grills with covered picnic tables available for public use. These are always crowded in the evenings! On the weekends the lifestyle markets are held on a little pedestrian street near the middle of Southbank. These are always fun to walk through and feature all kinds of local crafts and food. I love Southbank.

So, back to my story! The Expo '88 celebrations were so fun! There was stuff going on all day, including an 80s movie marathon, concerts, river cruises, and lots of street performers. I made it down in time to watch Back to the Future with my friends Jess and Jody.


Later on in the evening, Leah, Jody and I hung out in the international beer hall that was set up at one of the sports bars in Southbank. Lots of fun!! There was a really great fireworks show too.


Afterwards, we were walking home when Leah decided to dare Jody. Neither one of us really appreciated how seriously Jody takes a dare! Leah told her she'd give her $40 if she jumped into the water (at Streets Beach) with her clothes on...