2 days in Melbourne

After an easy 1 hour flight, the family and I made it to the city of Melbourne. The weather was a bit colder than Sydney but nothing a bunch of New Yorkers could not handle. Once we settled into the hotel, we too took a cab to the main section of Melbourne where we met up with my cousin's boyfriend James at his juice shop called Green Press. The place sells delicious fresh juices and treats which everyone should check out! Follow his store on Instagram @lovegreenpress if you want to look and see what yummy treats they make (yes I'm promoting his business! Why wouldn't I?).

After grabbing some food and drinks at his place, James walked us around some of the streets in Melbourne, which included many ally ways that had some amazing coffee and sandwich shops. Miles and I had some sushi at one of the many Japanese Cafés we saw on our walk. You can tell the city had a huge Asian influence. Mom and I eventually went to a local Melbourne coffee shop in one of these ally ways before the four of us went back to the hotel to relax. For dinner, my cousin Lindsay and James met us in the lobby to walk with us to the Moroccan themed restaurant we had reservations at. After dinner, we all headed to n Australian footy game to watch Richmond and Carlton battle it out. For those of you who have not heard of this game, think of it as a mix between rugby, soccer and basketball. That is the best description I will be able to give because you have to see a game to understand what it is. Though Richmond kicked Carlton's ass, it was an exciting game to watch and experience. Right before the rain started pouring, we went back to the hotel to rest for our next Melbourne adventure.

During our last full day in Melbourne we took a helicopter ride to the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. The area had large cliffs and beaches as well as miles of farmland. Our goal was to reach the twelve apostles. No Jesus's apostles were not waiting for us off the cliff sides! These large rocks stand right near the coast line and were created by erosions.

It basically looked like the part of the land that stretched into the sea fell apart and was now stranded between the coats line and the crashing waves. It really is hard to describe how beautiful these forms were because it's a sight one must see in person to understand the beauty. Even pictures won't do these natural creations justice. Once we landed and got to see these forms up close, we realized how huge they were. We even walked on the shore and looked up the cliff sides from the bottom. Walking on the beach with coats and hats might have felt a bit weird for us but it was worth the beautiful views we got. Before lunch, we walked along the cliff side where a ship called the Loch Ard crashed. In 1878, this ship accidentally ran a ground off the coast of Australia trying to reach the city of Melbourne. Of the 37 passengers that were aboard, two survived. We were able to see the Loch Ard Gorge where the two survivors swept to shore as well as the large section where the ship wreck took place. Though that area is known for a crazy shipwreck, it was a beautiful sight to see. For lunch we stopped in this little town where we had fish and chips and sticky date pudding. After lunch we jumped back onto the helicopter and set course for home. Dinner was a bit different for us that night. We visited the apartment of Lindsay and James located in Port Melbourne where they cooked us dinner. We tried some wallaby and kangaroo for the first time which was a very different taste for the four of us. The kangaroo was a bit like steak but leaner and more gamey. I am not to sure how to describe the wallaby but it was a bit like a veil chop. I personally liked it and Miles seemed to like it due to the fact he ate all kangaroo in a short amount of time. Looks like I'll be cooking some kangaroo in my kitchen while I'm in school. After a delicious sticky date pudding with caramel sauce and this interesting ice cream for dessert, we headed back to the hotel for bed.

Before leaving for Cairns at 4:00pm, we had brekki (short word for breakfast) with Lindsay and James. The place according to James was a very Melbourne place. After brekki, Lindsay and James took us to the Victoria Market. The best I can describe this places is that it looked like a larger Chelsea Market with a greater variety of things to buy such as food and souvenirs. There were meat stores, retail shops, produce stands and more. We walked through the large market as it poured rain until it was time to say goodbye. Though my family will not see Lindsay till she takes a trip to New York, I have all the time in the world to go see her. It is so nice to have family on the other side of the world!

The city of Melbourne had a very different set up and weather conditions compared to Sydney. Lindsay calls Melbourne the Seattle of Australia and though we lucked out with the weather, I can see what she means. It is a beautiful looking city but the weather is not the best. For most of our trip, it was cloudy and in the 40's but again, nothing a bunch of New Yorkers can’t manage. I would love to see more of this city while I am in Australia for the next 5 month. Compared to Sydney, it was not my number one favorite place but I feel I need to see more of this city to grow to like it. Cannot wait to come back! Now it is time for some warmer weather in Cairns.