Welcome to Melbourne, Australia

Our four hour flight on Air New Zealand from Christchurch, NZ to Melbourne, Australia included a hearty breakfast, and the last of our Maori words. Kia ora is much easier to remember than poroporoaki. May we be saying kia ora on a future adventure.

Once again, passport stamps are a thing of the past, so there is no tangible proof that we traveled to Australia. Yes, I did try to ask nicely.

Our first realization that Australia and New Zealand are different countries came when we looked for a Super Shuttle to take to our AirBnB. The best we could find was a red double decker Skybus that goes between the airport and its downtown terminal every few minutes. I bought the tickets online the night before, so we were set to go. We lucked into the front row of the top level, which gave us our first unobstructed views of Melbourne.

My first impression of Melbourne after a nine days in New Zealand was that it is huge and filled with lots of people. I equated it to leaving Omaha, Nebraska and landing in New York City's Times Square during the Christmas season. Lots of hustle and bustle with a complicated mass transit system.

From the bus depot we walked about 15 minutes to the high rise apartment building where our home for the next few days was located near the Asian district (at least based on the food in th immediate area). I was so pleased the owner works in the CBD (Central Business District) of Melbourne could meet us at 10:30 am so we didn't have to wander the city with our bags. This is definitely the downside to booking a trip on our own rather than with a tour group. 

The studio apartment was on the fourth (American fifth) or at least 20 floors. We were given quick instructions on how to use the stove without setting off the fire alarms, which frightened me into not using the stove. A typical city apartment, it was a tight fit. The washer and dryer were on the first floor (American second), along with a gym that was accessible with our room key.

While we did use the laundry facilities (which were much more expensive than the bargain we paid at the place in Wellington) we did not use the gym. Walking 30,000 steps a day was enough exercise for me.

We asked the concierge downstairs for ideas for

lunch. He said we could go left to the

Queen Victoria Market, or right to Hardware Lane. We went to Hardware Lane and had a filling meal on a charming street. I ate pumpkin risotto, Don had chicken salad, which turned out to be chicken on a bed of iceberg lettuce. We ate there again later in our stay since we eyed up many meals on their menu.

In hindsight, we wish we had gone to the QVM instead because there are no dinner options there. As is typical for when we travel, we struggled to find something for dinner.

Yes, this is made out
of LEGOS

We went to the LEGO store so Don could get another stamp in his passport. For the first time on this trip, the LEGO store was in the CBD (Central Business District) a couple of blocks from our lodging. They might also have one in a giant shopping mall in suburbia, but one stamp per city is enough. 

Finally warm enough on this trip
to wear shorts!

From the LEGO store we went to our first ALDIs on this trip. Back home ALDI is Don's go-to grocery store, whereas mine is Wegmans. We always enjoy stopping in grocery stores we travel to see what is different, as well as what is the same. In the case of ALDIs, this one has an overwhelming selection of Greek yogurt and Mueslix, which made figuring out exactly what to make for breakfast a bigger challenge than it should have been. When he came home, Don went to our local ALDI expecting a similar selection and was mightily disappointed.

Twelve hours after leaving Christchurch I had an email message saying they found my glasses!  This was the second part of a month-long adventure for my glasses.

With our luggage safely stored in the AirBnB, and us wearing shorts, we felt unencumbered and ready to see something in the city. I hadn't anticipated that luck, so I didn't plan an activity for the day. Through a quick Google search I discovered a self-guided walking tour of 16 spots with Street Art. It turned out to be a wonderful tour, though we only had enough stamina for nine stops. We kept talking about finding the other seven locations, but for one reason or another, we didn't continue.

Photos and descriptions from that tour can be found in another post.

Around the eighth spot we were both ready for gelato. We had noticed a place around the corner from where we had lunch, so we headed in that direction. We shared a 2-scoop gelato of chocolate rosemary (on top) and lemon cheesecake (on the bottom). They were the flavors of the week and captured our taste buds.

From there we went back to the room to change into warmer clothes. We fell asleep instead. The two hour time zone difference from Christchurch threw off our internal clocks more than the gazillion hour time zone difference from New Jersey (I think it worked out to 12 hours plus a day, it really was hard to keep track of). 

Having read the trams are free in the CBD we took out out looking for dinner options along the way. We went much further than the CBD, so we hopped out before we were caught and started to walk back. Along the way we discovered an Italian restaurant that felt more Italian than anyplace we ate in Florence. It reminded me of Trenton's 'Burg in the 1990s, before Rossi's and other places fled to suburban locations in Robbinsville and Hamilton.

When we told our chipper server we were from New Jersey she said she wanted to go there. Unlike the person at the museum in Christchurch who wanted to visit for our emo music scene, this woman wanted to go because of our strong ties to Italy. I had tortellini with mushroom, and Don had rigatoni with vegetables. My notes say it was quite a lot of food. I am sure we finished it.

During dinner Don thanked me for organizing the trip so well. Watching a husband trying to navigate customs and border control with his wife giving him step-by-step instructions from the other side of the secure area made him realize how much I have been doing.

From our room I could hear drivers revving their engines and the WHOOSH of the traffic light as the walk signal was engaged every minute or so. The city noises are the trade off for being so centrally located. Later in the trip I asked someone going to an upper floor if the noises could still be heard from up there. He said yes.