My first couple days in Melbourne have been busy... I was pretty exhausted when I got here, but we headed out for a drive around the city so Derek could show me the sites. We stopped in Williamstown for lunch at a chicken chain called Nando's (quite delicious) and went to Dan Murphy's, the main liquor store. The variety of Australian wine was endless! My dad was very impressed by the $2.99 bottle... it actually wasn't too bad, I've had worse. We cooked a flank steak dinner at the house and I struggle to stay awake until 9pm.
The next morning I'm up at 6:30am, which seems to be the norm so far, but it's nice to have some time to myself. It's my parent's last day here so we head out to the Queen Victoria Market. It is amazing! They have tons of booths that sell everything from wooden carvings to socks to work clothes. There is also a fantastic deli section with fresh seafood and meat, pasta and olives, and fruit and vegetables. This place puts any other market I've seen to shame... I'm going back on my own in a few days just to wander around! And they have way better prices than the supermarket or shops in the city.
Next is Little Vietnam for some lunch and a stop at an asian market. It is ridiculously busy with people shouting constantly. They have bowls of sliced fruit on all the stands for tasting and the largest prawns I've ever seen. We stop at Safeway on the way home so my mom can pick up Tim Tams to bring back to Canada. They have 8 different kinds! Black forest, cookies and cream, mint, honeycomb... We dine on fresh oysters and rack of lamb for what is supposed to be my parent's last dinner here.
Derek and I drive my parents to the airport the following morning and since he has to go to work, I take the train into the city. I wander around downtown Melbourne for the day and there are people everywhere! It's a very cool city with amazing old architecture, beautiful parks, and tons of shopping. Graffiti is considered art here and I discover a lane covered in tags from different artists and amazing spray painted pictures. I meet Jodie when she is done work; we grab a bubble tea and jump on the train home. It's then we get the call that my parents are coming back. They sat in the plane for five and a half hours before they decided not to take off due to a faulty fuel line and they are leaving tomorrow. Talk about Panchuk luck!
Things I have learned about Australia:
- dollar stores are called Reject Shops and you can get a bottle of water for 60 cents (most stores charge about $3.00)
- there are public toilets everywhere and they are clean
- lanes are small, like back alleys, but they contain some of the coolest shops and cafes
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