Melbourne (3)

Sunday morning in Melbourne is about markets.  The Arts Centre markets, home to some of my favourite stalls, like great bags, fabulous curry spice mixes, felted hats, personalised pencil cases and the best stall for a slightly chilly Melbourne morning, the man with the curved heat packs for the neck who warmed them up before selling them to us!

Then it was onto a tram down to St Kilda for lunch with some old friends of Bronwen's and a stroll along the pier, via the St Kilda markets of course and a few stops at some of the cake shops

No fairy penguins to be seen, but some pretty impressive balancing acts.

Back to Melbourne, we met up with some more old friends for a dumpling dinner and then Melbourne was pretty much over apart from the appearance of the 'Bathroom Cafe'.

The bathrooms at the Crown Metropol are separated from the sleeping area by sliding screens across the vanity unit (it's cooler than it sounds).  The girls decided it looked like a cafe and once we came back from St Kilda armed with various cakes, this was the result.

  

Monday morning, there was time for one more swim and then it was back to the airport for our return to real life.  It was a great escape that was full of fun.  Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible.

Melbourne (2b) - in which Melbourne gets serious points for being very cool.

You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you?  Don't worry, I won't leave our intrepid explorers stranded in faux Egyptian poses outside the museum...

For those of you who have been to the Melbourne Museum, you may know that behind it there is a very cool playground.  If there is one thing my children can't resist, it's a playground.

Never mind that it is 5.30pm on a winter evening when you have already been up the tower, to the zoo and into King Tut's tomb - you can't go past a playground.  So in the gathering dusk and increasing chill, they played.

To add to the magic of the moment, a young man stood playing his trombone under a tree.  I must admit, it was a pretty cool playground.

We dragged them away and headed back to Lygon St to find some dinner.  (Saw a cool Vespa parked on the street - this one is for you Edward.)

You have to run the gamut of spruikers outside the restaurants now.  We soon developed a criteria - anyone with a 'kids menu' (nuggets and chips?) we walked past.  There needed to be calamari and good looking pizza.

Eventually, we came across a restaurant that seemed to meet the criteria.  One of the waitresses vouched for the calamari - she'd had it for lunch - so in we went.  She was right, the calamari was grilled and beautifully tender.  The pizza chef gave the kids a ball of dough each which they manipulated while waiting for their spaghetti.

We had a pizza I will replicate at home one day - artichoke hearts, olives and fresh prosciutto, very yummy indeed.  We made the ultimate tribute to our day - a pizza dough Tutankhamun head.

Walking down the street we passed one of the best shop windows I have seen. Deli, plus bicycle.  Great looking French cheese and wine...

And then, the jackpot.  Not something you would ever find in Canberra and indeed, something that is getting progressively harder to find these days.  A bookshop.  A bookshop open on a Saturday night.  Who could resist?

In we went, and then found the ultimate prize.  A bookshop, open on a Saturday night, with a table of trains in the kids section.  It was an hour before we could peel them away.

   Thanks for a great day Melbourne.

Melbourne (1)

With one section of the family having an adventure overseas, the remaining section decided a bit of a treat was in store.  After all, we couldn't just sit around and mope all day with Claire away, now could we?

Friday morning, suitcases packed with our grooviest winter threads, we were off.  Airport, Qantas club lounge, toast with accompanying frog, aeroplane, and then we hit our destination - Melbourne!

Thanks to some contacts in the industry, we got a great rate at the Crown Metropol, so we could soak up the view from the room and the pool....

Ah, Melbourne.  The coffee looks like this

The public art has a sense of humour

It is just a whole lot of fun.