Melbourne

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Just back from a weekend in Melbourne and I can confirm that they do have trams, tree lined streets and a dirty great cricket ground. Wasn't sure what to make of it at first: it is a lot different to Sydney (as people never tire of telling you) and the wide boulevards do make it feel a little more European, but it's all a bit more complicated than that. I guess it's true that it's a more stylish place (I fitted in wonderfully, obviously) and the food was good, but there's something above and beyond all that that slowly creeps up on you and makes you realise that you love the place.

Walking along the Yarra is as good in it's way as ambling around Sydney Harbour. St Kilda is much better than anything Sydney's got to offer. The trams are a laugh and we didn't come across the sort of bogans we had to put up with within an hour of landing back home.

I still felt there was something missing at times, though. Maybe it was because Ange wasn't well whilst we were there, but I never felt at home in Melbourne the way I instantly did in Sydney. You could get a good pint of Guinness, though, which counts for a lot. Wasn't sure what to make of Federation Square. From some angles it looks like a third rate sci-fi armoured personnel carrier. From others it worked perfectly. The Indonesian government was using it to hold a big arts and culture festival, so that was pretty interesting to walk through. Lots of colourful costumes and dancing. And an old fella doing martial arts. The food stalls looked good too. Haven't had Indonesian before and missed out on the chance this time too. Hopefully it was better than the noodle market in Hyde Park the other week.

Kylie flew over just before us, so we were able to meet up with her and her friend, Dave, a couple of times over the weekend. Seeing as it was Ange's birthday, we did a chocolate tour around Collin's Street, ending up in a very posh place for afternoon tea. The good news was that none of the others thought much of the chocolate brulees that were served up as part of the deal, so I got to have 4 of them. Add to that all the dark chocolate and rum and raisin Ange didn't want and I did pretty nicely out of the trip. She was a strange guide showing us around though. Seemed to know a little too much about all the men's clubs in the area and had a mind like a grasshopper. Think her meds might needed reassessing.

Had a great Italian meal with the girl that night, then went out for a drink with the others at an Irish pub just along the road from the hotel. Called it a night at half two.

Next day we went to the seaside. Should have that blog for that up in a bit.

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Comments

[Kylie]

Hey Stu! Fantastic blog, so interesting reading it from your perspective! That photo is a shocker haha. I really wish I had bought that Belgian chocolate fudge stuff now!