Brissie Nights

Sidenote: Australians abbreviate everything by cutting off the end of the word and adding -ie. For example; Brisbane is Brissie, sunglasses are sunnies, poker machines are pokies, so on and so forth.

Brisbane is known for its trendy and chic nightclubs, but so far, we've only made it to the Uni (university) hangout, the Royal Exchange, which has crucial drink specials. On Sunday, the RE had a snow party to celebrate the last day of exams and the end of the semester. Since winter here consists of 60-degree weather, they used a bubble machine for effect and everyone dressed in snow/ski gear. We were told we stand out as Americans because of our black fleeces, but for the first time, we fit in (hey, it's the only thing we have to keep warm). It was funny they called us out on this because walking out of the pub we spotted three girls in North Face. Hey, they're Americans, we said. sticking out like a sore thumb...the point was proven.

Saturday night was a different story. We headed over to an apartment party, which was supposedly trash bag-themed so everyone was wearing ridiculous outfits. We befriended a model who did a Roberto Cavalli shoot with Paris Hilton. He tried calling her that night. No answer. She must still be in jail, he said. (please laugh)

Wednesday night we boogied out to a club that BJ's parents designed called Uber. There, we got our groove on to an array of upbeat music. Laura and BJ called it an early night (poor guy with a full time job) and Tayte and Katie strutted downtown, stopping at two backpacker bars (because they're guaranteed to be packed). The final stop was Down Under Bar, which is raved about in guide books for its cliche atmosphere. 4:30 a.m. came quickly, but no worries, we tiptoed inside after taking the cabbie home.