I don't know what these are called but they're Heaven on Earth, made by my friend Lee, who enjoys making sweets but doesn't like to eat them. Is there really a better friend to have than that? I think not! 

These were amazing chocolate chip Madeleines made by Sylvie. 

There was a bunch more food that I didn't get pictures of because I was too busy eating it, but it was all great! We went to a nearby pup around noon in preparation for the 1:30 game. None of us really know much about footy, or particularly cared about the outcome of the game, but in the spirit of all things Melbournian we chose teams to cheer for and had a lot of fun! Since we weren't hardcore enough to arrive hours before the start of the game, we got there too late to get into the main room, so we added on a table in back!

No seats left? That's ok, we'll just move this giant plant to make room. 

In fact, said plant makes a pretty decent coaster! 

Here's the view of one of the rooms in the pub. It was busy but not annoyingly so. We all agreed it was more fun to watch in a place where we could actually sit down than one of the many crowded bars downtown. Apparently there were entire streets where you couldn't even move, and stood shoulder to shoulder waiting to get in to a bar. No thank you...as an intense hater of crowds, I'm glad we chose the low-key option! 

The game was between the Sydney Swans and the Hawthorne Hawks. The Hawks upset the Swans and won in what turned out to be a landslide. I have to admit, I didn't pay too much attention to the game. Katie's roommates, however, are die-hard Hawks fans, so they were pretty happy! 

There was a lot of scarf-waving going on.

After the game, we went to get gelato, because why not!? 

We ended the night with a stroll home from Flinders Street Station, during which we witnessed some hilarious antics of extremely inebriated fans. One guy threw a beer bottle into the river in which he had apparently placed a pair of his buddy's sunglasses, who was "going for" the losing team. There was some colorful language in there and it was quite entertaining. One thing I learned, after making the fatal mistake myself, was that "rooting" has an entirely different meaning in Australia. Google it, and then imagine my awkwardness when I asked someone I had just met who they were "rooting for". More appropriate terms are "going for", "cheering for", or barracking, whatever that means. 

All in all, our first Grand Final experience was lots of fun!