Summary: jetlag via casual contact, brekkie and a bus around townHave you ever heard of someone “catching” jetlag? I nearly did. When the whole team goes to bed at 2 or 3 pm and you’re the only one to call it a nap and wake up a couple hours later, then the whole team wakes at 4-something am... Anyhow, I think I have avoided it by drinking lots of fluids (sorry Alex, you weren’t drinking that juice box) and getting up while others sleep. Not as easy as it sounds.
We hit the streets at the first signs of light. There is a Starbucks attached to our building. Now, I am not going to go to Starbucks every day because Hudson’s is perfectly fine, but it is always a good sign to be near the Starbucks when the whole country had something like 20 of them back in 2003 and we’ve only seen four so far (Adelaide and Glenelg Beach, in front of the hotel and the Carlton neighborhood today) so it is fair to say they have not overrun the place yet. It was cold and looked like rain at first, so we doubled back, put on heavier clothes, and went to Southbank for a proper breakfast ("brekkie"). We also planned our week. You can look for a trip to Penguin Island, museums, gardens – you’ll see it when it comes.
There is a free tourist bus that takes you around Melbourne and shows the sights. You can hop on here and hop off there, so it serves for info and free transport. There is also a free cable car that circles downtown and we’ll take that later. We hopped off at the museum, which had a fun kids play area, a nice rainforest walkthrough, a fascinating simulation for how water goes from evaporating to raining to groundwater and to your drinking fountain, and a truly depressing set of exhibits on the mind and on anatomy. Alex played and played then we had lunch at a rather authentic Italian restaurant in the Carlton neighborhood (great name!). We hopped back on the bus and it was nap time. At this moment, I do not know if the story ends here. If it does, I am going downstairs for dinner. Cheese, crackers, and Toblerone from the mini-bar are a far worse dinner than vegemite, crackers, and “Pepsi Max” (Diet Pepsi) have been when Alex dozed around lunch time more than once.
We hit the streets at the first signs of light. There is a Starbucks attached to our building. Now, I am not going to go to Starbucks every day because Hudson’s is perfectly fine, but it is always a good sign to be near the Starbucks when the whole country had something like 20 of them back in 2003 and we’ve only seen four so far (Adelaide and Glenelg Beach, in front of the hotel and the Carlton neighborhood today) so it is fair to say they have not overrun the place yet. It was cold and looked like rain at first, so we doubled back, put on heavier clothes, and went to Southbank for a proper breakfast ("brekkie"). We also planned our week. You can look for a trip to Penguin Island, museums, gardens – you’ll see it when it comes.
There is a free tourist bus that takes you around Melbourne and shows the sights. You can hop on here and hop off there, so it serves for info and free transport. There is also a free cable car that circles downtown and we’ll take that later. We hopped off at the museum, which had a fun kids play area, a nice rainforest walkthrough, a fascinating simulation for how water goes from evaporating to raining to groundwater and to your drinking fountain, and a truly depressing set of exhibits on the mind and on anatomy. Alex played and played then we had lunch at a rather authentic Italian restaurant in the Carlton neighborhood (great name!). We hopped back on the bus and it was nap time. At this moment, I do not know if the story ends here. If it does, I am going downstairs for dinner. Cheese, crackers, and Toblerone from the mini-bar are a far worse dinner than vegemite, crackers, and “Pepsi Max” (Diet Pepsi) have been when Alex dozed around lunch time more than once.
I am just now realizing some Aussie that has crept into my vocabulary. "No worries" has fully exported to the US, so that doesn't count, but "How ya Going?" is the replacement for "How you doing?". I like it and it may go home with me. Ditto for "good on ya" - nice job, good for you (without any sarcasm). One other odd point. To date, I have seen Foster's in one bar (restaurant, pub, whatever). I knew it was less than popular, but geez. Then I realized that the most popular national beer, VB (Victoria Bitters - it is everywhere) is from Foster's, so the national distribution that would support Foster's supports VB (same great company that makes the fine wines that I loved at Penfolds, Wolf Blass, ... heck Beringer back home). It always pays to read the beer in the mini-bar (while sticking to wine to pair with the cheese and chocolate).
Now you get the daytime views from our room
They did awake and we had a nice dinner on the river, but no real notes to add except that as soon as I wrote that nobody has had Foster's since week 1, our restaurant had Foster's - that's ok, the point stands. Just a couple more photos. 
Next: the weather will determine it a bit - drizzle and we meander around town, maybe hit the aquarium, clear and we go to Phillip Island.
1 comment:
shame on you!
you're in Melbourne
coffee capital of Australia and you're going to Starbucks or Hudsons!?!!?!?
Get yourself to Brunetti's (Faraday St, off Lygon St, Carlton Nth) for the best coffee and cakes in the country
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