Melbourne Night Market - Feb 27

Summary: in town, ready for some football, yet another great time with no pictures, Night Market

Aneta had some work to do, so today Alex and I were on our own - at least until nap time. One activity he enjoys is laundry (thank goodness for small blessings) and we were due for it. We asked the concierge where to find coin op laundry and he pointed us to one in Chinatown (yes it sounds like a cliche - no laughing out there!). I thought coin-op laundry was all the same until I started doing it every week or so - this was a nice place near some other shopping to keep us entertained between cycles. We ate en route and shopped in between - even had an amusing discussion with a guy trying to get me to sign up for a credit card - it was a good way to start the day.

Although the Aussie Football season does not start until Easter, their pre-season is well under way. Although the preseason means nothing, they still have a playoff and a quarterfinal is this Friday at the Telstra Arena - in Melbourne. I'll be there.

Yet again I left my camera in the room and yet again I was made to regret it. On our first day I was in some street performance - no pics. Yesterday early in the morning, Alex and I went for a walk while Aneta was on a call and giant hot air balloons flew right over us. I did not feel too bad as it was not fully light out, so the photos would not have been all that good. This time, Alex and I went to grab a quick lunch at Federation Square (all of 2 blocks away). What am I going to do, photograph him eating (again)? That's when a giant marching band of bagpipes comes down Swanston (the main street) followed by a trail of exotic cars and concept cars (think Ferrari and giant solar panel cars plus a dune buggy made by a well-funded engineering team). This parade was promoting the Melbourne Motor Show International - maybe the largest car show in the Southern Hemisphere and it starts tomorrow. Said parade turns towards us right up into Federation Square with the Lord Mayor of Melbourne (gotta like that title) in the lead car. Mayor jumps out and starts shaking hands and kissing babies maybe 15 feet away and there are not all that many people. I hung back, but you can be sure I would not have been shy and retiring had I brought the camera. Telling the story, I feel like a cross between Forrest Gump (stumbling into big things) and someone who claims to have seen a UFO (bagpipes and a mayor, huh?). Oh well - I do have a receipt from lunch, does that count?

On the way back from Fed Square, Alex fell and smacked his head on the sidewalk. He cried, he has a big bump on his head, and I am feeling guilty for turning down his request to be carried. Hopefully I will have no updates from that. He has been fine since his nap, but I still feel bad.

So Aneta rejoined us and we headed for the Suzuki "Night Market" - this is a series of weekly events in which the Queen Victoria Marketplace is open from 5:30 until 10pm every Wednesday of the summer from November 28 until February 27 - so we caught the last one. The event bills itself as world music, world food, and weird & wonderful wares. It more than overdelivers on food. Wow. Great time. We walked around eating great food and it was packed. The music was ...um... contemplative. Picture a coffee shop in Berkeley or Phoebe doing "Smelly Cat" on Friends. Either way, the drummer for the next act warming up was better. Note: The guy on the right next to Aneta, Alex, and the balloon appeared to be a photographer and he took a few pics of Alex rockin' out to the drummer, so maybe we'll be in the Age tomorrow morning or on some tourist guide we don't see next year. I can't wrap this up without saying that Alex walked the whole way back. He always asked to be carried at least part of the way, but he walked easily a kilometer (10 blocks?) on his own, playing with that balloon. In a related story, my shoulders feel great.

Next: got to get to that aquarium and tower on the South Bank.