The race that stops a nation...

Today was Melbourne Cup Day! The Melbourne Cup is a horse race...similar to the Kentucky Derby...and it is literally called 'the race that stops a nation'. The race is held in Melbourne, Victoria and the whole state of Victoria has the first Tuesday of November as a public holiday every year. The rest of the country doesn't get an actual holiday, but everyone does stop what they are doing to watch the race.

It has been fun to watch all of the hype leading up to the race and the sweeps (betting on the race) began at the office around 10 this morning. At 2:30, everyone stopped working and gathered by our big tv's to enjoy some champagne and 'nibblies' (one of my favorite Aussie words).

Just like the Kentucky Derby, the race was over in just a few minutes...but it was fun to see everyone cheering on the horses they had bet on. None of my horses won, but I had a great time drinking champagne and participating in one of Australia's biggest sporting events with my colleagues!