Destination: Melbourne

I journeyed to Melbourne this past week. I cannot tell you how much I miss cities - of walking around lit up streets, the fast pace of people, how there is no single pattern to the rhythm of life bustling about you.

 
We began our adventures on Phillip Island, a two hour drive from the airport to the bay. After eating a picnic lunch we walked the beach up to a cliff where we saw the pinnacles. Everything seemed a different color green, richer like the trees back home. Later, we drove to the other side of the island and walked a boardwalk looking for fur seals. The night ended at the Penguin Parade, were Little Penguins came back to shore for the night and we got to watch them (standing less than a meter away)!

On Wednesday we started our journeys in Melbourne with a free three hour tour. It was really nice to orient ourselves in the city and find places we otherwise never would, such as graffiti-ed laneways, small cafes, and some beautiful parks. In the afternoon we walked around the Docklands and took too many pictures with all the sculptures which dotted the landscape.

Thursday was ladies day at the races. We all got dressed up and hung out at the track for a long afternoon, getting sunburned on the way. There were nutella crepes with ice cream which we tried happily as we sat on the lawn and people watched.

To finish our trip, we spent Friday seeing as many more sights as we would fit in. The sky was perpetually a mixture of brilliant blue and stormy grey. Nevertheless, a friend and I walked through a Birrarung Marr to Melbourne Park in search of the tennis courts for the Australian Open. Later, we visited the Queen Victorian Markets (with an American food stand selling Goober for $12). I happened upon a mini-museum inside a store inside a mall and another exhibit in the state library. If I had more time, I would have liked to go to all the other free places I saw during my brisk stroll along various city streets! Right before dusk we headed to the Eureka Skydeck 88 to gaze at the city both in daylight and twinkling night. Being from Chicago, I have seen higher breathtaking views, but all in all it was a great view.

In the pre-sunlit hours of Saturday morning, our tired feet headed for the airport as we said goodbye to this city of trams and Krispy Kremes and headed back home to Perth.