Melbourne
If you read matron_jojo you know where we were on the weekend. A nice little (paid for by someone else) trip over to Melbourne for the weekend.
Or that was the idea.
Unfortunately fate f's with me now and then. Firstly I wasn't feeling that good, still aren't. Secondly,
I've long suspected the truth, and admittedly the interstate rivalry is a big influence, especially during football season, but I found Melbourne to be a dirty, dark, damp, cluttered, noisy, barren wasteland of a city. Obviously the fervour with which the Melbourne-centric media promote the city is an attempt to blind the rest of the world to what they know to be the truth. "Me think thou doth protesteth too much!"
The airport was nice enough, and that's probably saying a bit considering we had just left the ultra-new Adelaide airport with it's opulence-in-the-voids size, but then we caught a bus with a maniac forcing his way through the death trap that Victorians call a road system. The other passengers actually wished us good luck and health after disembarking at their respective stops! Our hotel room was nice, and having some time on our hands we decided to go for a walk.
Down the first alley we passed I saw two honest-to-god punk gangs having a dust up. Are you freaking kidding me?
We did some window shopping, found Minotaur (a highlight - I got a Metallica book and matron_jojo got Vol 3 of "The Watchers Guide") and went to the observation deck of the tallest building in Melbourne (for now at least). All very nice but not that exciting.
The dinner that we went to, the reason for the trip, was very good. Not the least because my beautiful wife was looking stunning (if somewhat cold). We were treated to a very nice dinner, and a free look around the Melbourne Aquarium. And no, fish wasn't on the menu.
On Sunday we had a bit more of a walk around to see the sights, including the frightful Federation Square, the national Horse Racing Museum and The AFL Hall of Fame. It was all interesting but to be honest my head was making me feel like I would much rather be home and in bed.
To sum it up, I took my camera, but the only thing I felt the urge to take a photo of was matron_jojo and myself.
Depressing. Melbourne.