We decided a bit of a sleep in was in order followed by breakfast on the deck of our hotel (with sunglasses, coffee and plenty of water). Then it was time for a leisurely stroll to the mall to grab a USB for the wedding videos and to check out the sandcastle building comp in the square outside the hotel. The first one was a sandcastle of the Burj al Arab, the Dubai landmark that keeps featuring in my life. There are a number of odd places that seem to have a repeating presence in my life – Goulburn, Germany and the Burj Al Arab (needless to say I appreciate the second two more than the first). We discovered a produce. Market in the town square and wandered through marvelling at all the different deli items on sale. Dan was beside himself when he found a cart selling sugar coated cashews.

We went back to the room, packed up all our stuff and missed the train that would get us back to the home of our gracious hosts by 2pm as promised. We arrived about 3pm or so by the time we pulled our luggage from the station to our hosts’ abode. The main purpose of the afternoon gathering was to spend some relaxed time together after the big day but it also served as a way to consume some of the many leftovers from the wedding (including quite a collection of beer). It was then time for some street cricket. In true Aussie barbecue style, it was mostly the men who ventured out into the heat to throw a plastic cricket ball at plastic stumps, while the women (sensibly) stayed inside in the cool. A nice afternoon was had by all and once things started to fade, we bid our farewell, with a lift to the station from one of our hospitable hosts, and continued on our journey to Duisburg to meet the midnight train to Munich. (The Punch Line – Mighty Mighty Bosstones – the gentlemen of ska (and one of Boston’s best exports) are always good for a late night listen. And a good dose of skanking when you see them live.)