2high festival | fedOZsenko

It was the ideal Saturday. After a slow morning of breakfast and reading, Chris and I continued our exploration of Brisbane and connected with Chris’s (formerly) long-lost family.

We caught the City Cat ferry to New Farm to take in the 2high festival at the Brisbane Powerhouse. A showcase of dance, music, film and photography, the 2high festival was a hub of young, artistic energy. We enjoyed the bright colours and the fresh perspectives. Chris was especially amused by use of Glados, the voice from Portal, for one of the instalments. We’re both smitten with the building, which was hosting the festival and a wedding in the top levels.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon touring the University of Queensland. The UQ student union plaza was well-designed and well-resourced, their athletic facilities were extensive. The campus lakes were home to ducks, eels, and much to our delight, turtles. There was an avenue of Jacaranda trees, much like the rows of Cherry Blossom trees on West Mall at UBC. The ground was purple with fallen flowers. We were enchanted to say the least.

We enjoyed a delicious meal at Wagamama with Chris’s aunt, cousin and his girlfriend, meeting them for the first time ever and liking them instantly. Dot (Chris’s aunt) was hilarious and personable, Mason (Chris’s cousin) is a fellow ex-pat and Anna (Mason’s girlfriend) was great to talk with about all things Aussie. Anna shared lots of great shops and links with me, including the upcoming Good Food and Wine festival and the Brisbane anti-gravity yoga studio. For dessert, they introduced us to Freestyle Tout where we split three desserts among the five of us. We were thrilled to connect with them; it was so comforting to spend an evening with family.