Melbourne is not like Sydney in that it really doesn't have any big landmarks. What really defines Melbourne is the people, the culture, the way of life. To help us understand that, Amanda arranged for a "Lanes and Arcades" walking tour of the center of Melbourne. during this 4-hour tour, we saw amazing street art painted on the walls of the various lanes. In those lanes were shops, cafes, bars and lots of activity.
We also saw several arcades -- shopping areas -- in cool, historic buildings. The shops were interesting and fun. Some were cute and funky, some snobby and expensive... all were very interesting.
We stopped for morning tea at a chocolate and coffee shop were we sampled hazelnut chocolate truffles and had a mocha hot chocolate. Yum. It was nice and cool in there, which was especially welcome since the temperature had started to climb to it's eventual high of 104. (This is the only really hot day in the forecast, which makes me very happy.) After the choco-fest, we saw more art, more shopping, more cool buildings. We ended the tour with a delightful lunch in a cafe in one of the lanes... so nice.
After the tour, we took the tram back to Sth. Yarra to get ready for the evening's festivities. Finally, we would get to see Amanda's house! What a place... it looks like a feature from Dwell magazine. I can see why they really love it. It's so comfortable and efficient and has great spaces. We hung out for a while, while Henry whipped up some fabulous quadruple-chocolate shortbread with gold flakes on top. Then Henry fired up the barbie to grill the veggies.
He and Manda really put together a feast of grilled veggies (including corn!), cheeses, dips, flatbreads... wonderful. Even though we were stuffed, we hit the chocolate! The girls helped us eat some of Lindsay's chocolate shoe, and of course we feasted on that chocolate shortbread. I'll
In a chocolate haze, we settled in to watch The Sound of Music. The girls (and we adults) managed to stay awake for the entire movie, but none of us would make it to midnight. We wished each other a happy new year and headed to bed. I will post the photos tomorrow -- too tired now!
Happy New Year to all!
No comments:
Post a Comment