From Christchurch, I left around 1:30pm to board my Virgin Australia flight to Melbourne and got there by 6pm.
My friend Alice, who I had met at the Yoga retreat in India, came to pick me up from the airport.
We went for dinner at “Lentil for Anything,” which is a cool vegetarian restaurant which is staffed by volunteers and you can pay-as-you-feel. The food was delicious and I totally love their concept of social fairness and inclusion through food.
She dropped me off at my BnB in the CBD area. I was so happy to be staying in the city center and this loft in a historical building was perfect for my 5-day stay here. There was a lot of construction going all around my apartment, so I assume this city is growing by leaps and bounds. I was surprised to find how reasonable it was to rent an apartment in this city. Being close to the University, there were lots of cafes and restaurants nearby as well.
Day of my Birthday –
I slept really good and woke up the next day with my phone buzzing non-stop, with messages and calls from my friends and family wishing me the happiest birthday in Melbourne.
I got a sweet “happy birthday” voice message from Alice and Carla.
I took the bus number 6 to Brunswick, which dropped me near Alice’s home in Brunswick.
She prepared a yummy birthday brunch for me and capped it off with assortment of desserts. She even surprised me with a special gift. Thank God it’s something small that can easily fit into my bag. I’m so grateful to Alice for making my birthday so much special. When you are on the road, moments like these melts your heart away!
Alice had to go to work for a late night shift, so I decided to walk from her place to CBD. It was cool to checkout the slowly gentrifying Brunswick area.
Along the way, it started pouring heavily with hail as well, for nearly 15 minutes, so I found refuge under a tree and then continued once the rain had subsided.
I did stop by the Queen Victoria Market but the fish and meat market deterred me from exploring more due to the strong smell.
My 88 angles made sure to greet me on my special day. I’ve been seeing them everywhere.
For dinner, I went to the swanky Souk, a Mediterranean influenced restaurant, for dinner. The purple mood lighting with white decor was very cool. The best was the flavorful meal I had, from fried Brussels sprouts, roasted Cauliflower with herbs, to Truffled Cheese Borek. Yummy!!!
Walked around the CBD to checkout the city’s architecture.
The streets were busy with locals and tourists alike, especially near the library and Chinatown.
Love the architecture of these homes in Australia with their detailed lattice work over the balconies.
The State Library of Victoria is worth a visit. The interior is pretty cool and so is their collection.
The Christmas light display at “The Melbourne Town Hall,” was simply spectacular.
Funky Fitzroy –
I enjoyed walking through the Fitzroy neighborhood which has an artistic feel with cool cafes and restaurants. There were lot of boutiques in the area which I enjoyed exploring. Was able to buy few items that were locally made and could fit in my bag.
The “Industry Beans,” was a hip cafe to stop by for a cup of chai latte. Their decor was pretty cool as well.
I was lucky that today was a perfect sunny day to walk through the alleys of Fitzroy and checkout the murals and art scene.
Evening Comedy Show –
My roomie who has connections with the local theatre scene was able to get for me a VIP Como ticket to see the comedy musical show – “Come From Away,” Because we all come from everywhere we all. It was a hilarious musical but also had emotional tones because of the 9/11 theme. I love how the Universe gifted me a ticket for this spectacular show.
Beach Day @ Half Moon Bay and St. Kilda –
Next morning, Alice picked me up from my apartment and we headed to Half Moon Bay and found a relaxing spot near the Red Bluff Beach.
Later we went to St. Kilda neighborhood for lunch. The strip has lot of cafes and restaurants, but there were nearly 5 to 6 dessert shops which was simply fascinating. We stopped by the hippy shop to checkout the cool stuff from around Asia. By now, we were super hungry so stopped by the Vegetarian and Vegan restaurant.
While Alice has to go to work, I explored more around St. Kilda and then took the bus which dropped me near my place in 30 mins.
Spent the evening, exploring the city and checkout the Christmas decorations. The rain was on and off, so headed to an Asian restaurant in Chinatown for dinner. After dinner, headed back to my apartment to get enough rest for my next day of flying adventure.
Goodbye Melbourne –
Woke up all refreshed and relaxed. Packed my bags. Went to the nearby cafe to have brunch. Came back to the apartment to pick up my bags and head out to the airport using the airport shuttle, which was much cheaper alternative than taking Uber.
The check-in and security process was super fast and I was at my gate in no time. As I sat at the gate waiting to board my flight, I realized how blessed I was to have spent my Birthday with my good friend, Alice and got to explore Melbourne. I can’t believe that I was heading back to America, not directly home bound but I would be on American soil in the next 14 hours. Whoa! It was getting real, I would be back home for the Holidays!
