Hello Adelaide and Melbourne
And so we're back, from outer space Adelaide and Melbourne, with many meaty things blog about in the traditional manner. But meaty blogging is a bit beyond me still, for having pushed mightily beyond my boundaries again and again during the trip (and a bonus family thing on Saturday night) I find myself without will or wit. However, I'll try to throw a few discussion points together and see if I manage to expand upon them later in deathless prose.
Topics for future discussion or possibly merely eternal tease include but are not limited to:
Flying, airports (the startling similarity thereof), automated checkins, and luggage management. All this with a stick.
My strange love affair with the theatre of airline food.
Ear protection - winners and losers.
My fellow travellers.
Hello again Adelaide.
The internet: having it and not having it. The surprisingly strong feelings of isolation in being cut off from my invisible imaginary friends.
The Wedding! Family, The Dress, the venue, the service, the exhausting hours to fill in between service and reception, the in-laws, the food, the dancing, the band, the man who pissed in the garden, threw up, then had a smoke. Classy.
The interment. One day I'd like to get on a plane and go somewhere that didn't involve a funeral service of some kind. But this was a reasonably stress free affair, being considerably after the event.
Hello (effectively for the very first time) Melbourne!
The Hotel Windsor Melbourne: 5 stars of heaven. I may need to adopt a child so I can sacrifice it to the great god Wotif for turning a $2700 bill(!) into a $600 one. I am spoiled for life. Dearest Perth: you do not remotely understand the concept of old world charm in 5 stars.
Melbourne Aquarium. You can check in, but you can never leave. The penguins were nice. I have a new shark handpuppet called Goofy, and a pink (I swear it was purple when I bought it) octopus called Pinky Pie.
Husband did things while I flaked out in our very nice room, as was the plan. On his lonesome he clocked up visits to ACMI (Aus Centre for the Moving Image), Melbourne Gaol (where he did not reveal that he was in the biz himself), two jazz gigs, and a matinee theatre performance of "His Girl Friday".
We had dinner with old friends! In a cafe! Like normal people! It was ace.
We learned that Melbourne opens at 10am, and so did not get inside the State Library to see the reading room. But saw plenty of old and new architecture to delight the eye.
Wasted coffee opportunity on a business-like kiosk thing in a dull part of town.
Went to Federation Square which I liked very much, helped by the fact that it is paved in pretty rock from WA.
Didn't make it to the Botanic Gardens, but did go to some of the smaller gardens by the decidedly unattractive Yarra.
Having walked past many closed shops I took off on my own one afternoon for a closer look, with the possibility of boots in mind and a fantasy land of scarves of all colours of the rainbow. Failed to escape Haighs without burden.
Acquired boots and was stunned by the variety of comfortable, sturdy, flat, and funky shoes on offer. Shoes. Now I understand. Shoes.
Rode the one free City Circle tram to avoid Myki.
Spent rather more time than necessary in Melbourne airport. Then home!
There's another niece wedding in Adelaide in February, so we hope to repeat the experience and spend a few days clocking up a few more Melbourne attractions. Still plenty of big ticket items left to see, and damnit I just like the place. Might not be in quite the same style next time.
Shoes
Oh, and the weather was perfect - didn't need rain or even warm gear for the whole week.
Topics for future discussion or possibly merely eternal tease include but are not limited to:
Flying, airports (the startling similarity thereof), automated checkins, and luggage management. All this with a stick.
My strange love affair with the theatre of airline food.
Ear protection - winners and losers.
My fellow travellers.
Hello again Adelaide.
The internet: having it and not having it. The surprisingly strong feelings of isolation in being cut off from my invisible imaginary friends.
The Wedding! Family, The Dress, the venue, the service, the exhausting hours to fill in between service and reception, the in-laws, the food, the dancing, the band, the man who pissed in the garden, threw up, then had a smoke. Classy.
The interment. One day I'd like to get on a plane and go somewhere that didn't involve a funeral service of some kind. But this was a reasonably stress free affair, being considerably after the event.
Hello (effectively for the very first time) Melbourne!
The Hotel Windsor Melbourne: 5 stars of heaven. I may need to adopt a child so I can sacrifice it to the great god Wotif for turning a $2700 bill(!) into a $600 one. I am spoiled for life. Dearest Perth: you do not remotely understand the concept of old world charm in 5 stars.
Melbourne Aquarium. You can check in, but you can never leave. The penguins were nice. I have a new shark handpuppet called Goofy, and a pink (I swear it was purple when I bought it) octopus called Pinky Pie.
Husband did things while I flaked out in our very nice room, as was the plan. On his lonesome he clocked up visits to ACMI (Aus Centre for the Moving Image), Melbourne Gaol (where he did not reveal that he was in the biz himself), two jazz gigs, and a matinee theatre performance of "His Girl Friday".
We had dinner with old friends! In a cafe! Like normal people! It was ace.
We learned that Melbourne opens at 10am, and so did not get inside the State Library to see the reading room. But saw plenty of old and new architecture to delight the eye.
Wasted coffee opportunity on a business-like kiosk thing in a dull part of town.
Went to Federation Square which I liked very much, helped by the fact that it is paved in pretty rock from WA.
Didn't make it to the Botanic Gardens, but did go to some of the smaller gardens by the decidedly unattractive Yarra.
Having walked past many closed shops I took off on my own one afternoon for a closer look, with the possibility of boots in mind and a fantasy land of scarves of all colours of the rainbow. Failed to escape Haighs without burden.
Acquired boots and was stunned by the variety of comfortable, sturdy, flat, and funky shoes on offer. Shoes. Now I understand. Shoes.
Rode the one free City Circle tram to avoid Myki.
Spent rather more time than necessary in Melbourne airport. Then home!
There's another niece wedding in Adelaide in February, so we hope to repeat the experience and spend a few days clocking up a few more Melbourne attractions. Still plenty of big ticket items left to see, and damnit I just like the place. Might not be in quite the same style next time.
Shoes
Oh, and the weather was perfect - didn't need rain or even warm gear for the whole week.