Melbourne Cup!

The race that stops the nation! The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major thoroughbred horse race. It is a 3200 metre annual race held the first Tuesday in November at Flemington Racecourse at 3pm.

The first ever Melbourne Cup race was in 1861 and Melbournians have enjoyed a public holiday to celebrate this great event since 1865. Long live the public holidays! People; rich and poor flock from all over the world to be part of this renown race day. From the designer outfits and corporate boxes to the car park parties and fancy dress, fun to be had by all.

If you are placing a bet or in the work sweep, we wish you best of luck!

Grog blog! Cheers!

CHEERS! Here’s to you! Bottom’s up! The clinking of glasses can help cement friendships and celebrate new ones — it’s an expression of goodwill and one that every traveler should know.

Language	Spelling	Phonetic Pronunciation
Afrikaans	Gesondheid	Ge-sund-hate
Albanian	Gëzuar	Geh-zoo-ah
Arabic (Egypt)	فى صحتك: (literally “good luck”)	Fe sahetek
Armenian (Western)	Կէնաձդ	Genatzt
Azerbaijani	Nuş olsun	Nush ohlsun
Bosnian	Živjeli	Zhee-vi-lee
Bulgarian	Наздраве	Naz-dra-vey
Burmese	Aung myin par say	Au-ng my-in par say
Catalan	Salut	Sah-lut
Chamorro (Guam)	Biba	Bih-bah
Chinese (Mandarin)	干杯 gān bēi	Gan bay
Croatian	Živjeli / Nazdravlje	Zhee-ve-lee / Naz-dra-vlee
Czech	Na zdravi	Naz-drah vi
Danish	Skål	Skoal
Dutch	Proost	Prohst
Estonian	Terviseks	Ter-vih-sex

Language	Spelling	Phonetic Pronunciation
Filipino/Tagalog	Mabuhay	Mah-boo-hay
Finnish	Kippis	Kip-piss
French	Santé / A la votre	Sahn-tay / Ah la vo-tre
Galician	Salud	Saw-lood
German	Prost / Zum wohl	Prohst / Tsum vohl
Greek	ΥΓΕΙΑ	Yamas
Hawaiian	Å’kålè ma’luna	Okole maluna
Hebrew	לחיים	L’chaim
Hungarian	Egészségedre (to your health) / Fenékig (until the bottom of the glass)	Egg-esh ay-ged-reh / Fehn-eh-keg
Icelandic	Skál	Sk-owl
Irish Gaelic	Sláinte	Slawn-cha
Italian	Salute / Cin cin	Saw-lutay / Chin chin
Japanese	乾杯 Kanpai (Dry the glass)	Kan-pie
Korean	건배	Gun bae
Latvian	Priekā / Prosit	Pree-eh-ka / Proh-sit
Lithuanian	į sveikatą	Ee sweh-kata
Macedonian	На здравје	Na zdravye
Mongolian	Эрүүл мэндийн төлөө / Tulgatsgaaya	ErUHl mehdiin toloo / Tul-gats-gAH-ya

Language	Spelling	Phonetic Pronunciation
Norwegian	Skål	Skawl
Polish	Na zdrowie	Naz-droh-vee-ay
Portuguese	Saúde	Saw-OO-de
Romanian	Noroc / Sanatate	No-rock / Sahn-atate
Russian	Будем здоровы/ На здоровье	Budem zdorovi/ Na zdorovie
Serbian	živeli	Zhee-ve-lee
Slovak	Na zdravie	Naz-drah-vee-ay
Slovenian	Na zdravje (literally “on health”)	Naz-drah-vee
Spanish	Salud	Sah-lud
Swedish	Skål	Skawl
Thai	Chok dee	Chok dee
Turkish	Şerefe	Sher-i-feh
Ukranian	будьмо	Boodmo
Vietnamese	Dô / Vô / Một hai ba, yo (one, two, three, yo)	Jou / / Dzo Moat hi bah, yo
Welsh	Iechyd da	Yeh-chid dah
Yiddish	Sei gesund	Say geh-sund

Grog Blog! Drinking Around the World - Russia - Vodka Shots!

It's 9 am in Moscow and we enter the Izmailovo  market.  Ushanka dolls stare cherub like from shelves, Matryoshka hats adorn the walls and sit smugly upon the heads of wide eyed tourists and Valenki boots warm the chilblains; however, it is the vodka that calls to us. Complimentary! The water of life beckons and we give thanks to the monk Isidore the inventor of this brew;  as we toast our health Будем здоровы! and slam down our early morning wake up call. Vodka is ritualised in Russia; some may say it is a religious entity that begins and starts the day. One must remember that Vodka must be consumed straight; no dilution can occur and the greatest insult one can give is to sip the vodka. Vodka is designed as a shot! Clink the glass, offer a toast: “Mezhdu pervoy i vtoroy pereryvchik ne bolshoy!", meaning something like "No long breaks allowed between the first and the second rounds! and scull.  

To get the full impact of the Vodka sliding down one's throat and burning the back of your retinas, the humble gherkin becomes your saviour. The process is simple, down the Vodka and eat the gherkin and enjoy the kaleidoscope of flavours that erupt across your taste buds as you watch the lights strobe across the Moscow landscape.

It's not just Vodka that is ravished and devoured but the humble пива, (beer) that is celebrated in all regions. It is interesting to note that before 2011, there was no regulations regarding beer and in fact anything with an alcohol content less than 10% was seen as foodstuff.  Got to love those Russians! There is nothing better than having a beer in a local, sharing stories with Muscovites and truly immersing oneself into their culture.

All Hallow's evening!

All Hallow's evening aka Halloween takes its origins from the ancient Celtic festival known as "Samhain". Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for the winter. It was believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. Part of the festival was to light bonfires this would attract insects which would in turn attract bats. Mask and costumes were worn to mimic and appease the evil spirits.

Modern day Halloween is a festival filled with fun. Typical activities include fancy dress, trick or treats, bonfires and apple bobbing. Halloween is celebrated in many Western Countries although it is not very popular in Australia.

Happy Halloween to All!

Reminiscence! Russian Revolution!

On the Go - Russia. Vodka Shots Tour!

An excellent tour for a snapshot of the key cities of Russia.  This tour takes in the historic sites of St. Petersburg and Moscow including the iconic Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood, St Basils, The Hermitage, The Summer Palace,  Red Square that surrounds the Kremlin and the living museums that are the Nation's Metro system.

The beauty of Russian tourism is that they don't give a jack shit about the English language and in reality this probably messes with the head of the tourist, but the traveler takes it in their stride and sees it part of the experience.

Hints and Ideas

Take a photo of the name of the Metro station you're starting from - this will help with your return journey.  Make sure you take in the sites of the Metro Stations - touch the bronze dog statute for good luck.

If the opportunity arises, go to a Cossack show or an Ice hockey game and soak in the atmosphere.

Get use to being offered Vodka everywhere you go, whether it's shopping, or on the train.  After slamming down a shot try chewing on a gherkin, you will be surprised by how they complement each other.

Go on a cruise on the canals of St Petersburg.  Don't worry if the tour is in Russian as the sites are amazing especially around dusk.  Make sure you rug up if you are doing the tour around October. Blankets are provided though.

Take the opportunity to sample the local cuisine - Borscht is delicious and if you're sick of the Vodka shots get stuck into the local brew at a Retro 1950's Stalin Bar and listen to stories about the Stalin era.

If catching the overnight train from St Petersburg to Moscow with a tour group stay in the public sleeping sector rather than fork out extra money for a cabin as you still have share with members of the public anyway.