Exploring Perth and Western Australia

We arrived in Perth late Friday night after a whole day layover in Singapore.. from the sky, this city looked pretty dark. As we learned, everything starts early in this city but ends early as well. Shops actually close usually at 5 pm and the bar is the fullest around 7 pm to 9 pm. In Germany we haven't even left the house at that time :D But on the other side it is quite nice, you still get your sleep after partying ;)

Our first  impressions of Perth and Australia were pretty good, the city and its skyline is beautiful as well as King's park and the view you get from up the hill. A big plus of Perth was to met Laura's really good friend Lisa, who live there now, and gave us the chance to experience the life of the locals. This way, you always get a much better impression of a city.

For both of us it was the first time in Australia. In general, we feel like it has a lot of similarities with the US. The way the cities are build up and how shops and houses look like is much more American than European.. and of course the amount of different fast food restaurants at every corner. For sure, they don't only eat fast food, there are many healthy food choices as well offering raw bites and gluten free food. Kind of the extremes of both sides. 

If you feel like you know all coffee specialties from your trip to Italy, you are wrong. There are so many versions of coffee in Perth (and the rest of Australia) you have never heard of that you need a explanation for each. However, mostly there are only minor differences. So, if anyone can tell us the difference between a cappuccino and a flat white, feel free to leave a comment ;) Check out the matcha latte below...

Apart from food, Perth has a lot to offer, from a fancy business district to amazing beaches (we've been to Scarborough, really beautiful) and the relaxed hippie town of Fremantle. Just see the pics we added below, it will give you a good expression on of the city :)

We been on a little road trip with our friends Lisa and Dorik to Margaret River and the area south of Perth. It is known for its wines and cute little weekend getaways. The pier in Busselton is worth a stop, insanely long reaching 3 km into the ocean. And don't miss out on the wine tasting on all the vineyards! It is a fun tour to do with your own car... no need to book an expensive tour in town ;) We drove all the way to Augusta to see the lighthouse where two oceans meet, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. You can actually really see the waves coming from two different directions meeting right in front of the lighthouse! Awesome!