(Australia) Thursday, March 25th

Thursday, March 25^th

Well this was another black t-shirt day as we’ve started called our days (HOT!)  We get up every morning, look at the cloudless sky, check the temperature, then rummage in our luggage for a short sleeve shirt.  Of the only 3 short sleeve shirts I brought, 2 are black. 

It was fun to talk to Jennifer by Skype this morning.  We were checking our email at breakfast and the computer “rang.”  Jennifer was “calling” and we got to video chat with her for a few minutes.  It was so much fun that I “called” Simone and got to talk with her also.  Isn’t technology wonderful?   

I’m not sure if Mark is trying to kill me at a young age, but other than sitting for lunch, we walked for about 6 hours.  Fortunately we are back at the place we are staying with our feet propped up and a glass of wine for a little while before we go to dinner. 

A few months ago we met a couple that are Americorps working for Habitat, Bridget and Paul.  Bridget is from Australia and when we mentioned that we were planning a trip here, she and Paul gave us a lot of information and actually helped us fine tune our itinerary.  Her parents live in Melbourne and they have an extra room that they use as a bed and breakfast and that is where we are staying.  They live in a beautiful restored Victorian row house about a 20-30 minute walk from the downtown/tourist area and directly across the street from the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is where they are playing the opening game of the AFL season tonight.  Their house was built in the 1880’s and although probably refurbished at some other time, they spent 2 years in the 90’s restoring it.  A couple of years ago they gutted the back, added a new kitchen and added a additional bedroom, bath and kitchenette over the garage which is where we are staying. 

 

Bridget’s mom, Diedre, had gotten a lot of information and maps for us and we set out early to explore the city this morning.  One of the areas we walked around today was a residential area of beautiful Victorian homes, mansions, and rows of terraced houses.  One of the most interesting buildings was an 1880’s Presbyterian church that was converted into apartments in the 1980’s after a fire. It was a really a neat looking building. 

 We also spent a lot of time in the “lanes” today.  Diedre said Melbourne (pronounced Mel-bin – no r) is known for it’s lanes.  Where as Sydney is known for it’s harbor and the water, Melbourne is known for lanes.  They were originally like alleys, used to service sewerage collections for buildings.  Now many of them have been turned into quaint streets – fully of outdoor restaurants and shops.  A lot have been enclosed with a glass roof and look more like an arcade.  At lunchtime they were packed with people – it’s a very popular place to meet for lunch and many had the gas outdoor heaters hanging from the walls, so they must be popular places for dinner also.  (Not that the heaters are going to be used tonight!) 

I think I wrote earlier that there are a lot of McDonalds and McCafes in Australia.  We walked passed one today and saw touch screen order kiosks through the window.  We had to go take a picture and “watch” someone order.  I have no idea if they have these other places in the world, but it sure looked convenient.  You place your order by touching a picture of what you want from a menu on the screen.  Then when finished, you swipe your debit or credit card to pay.  A few minutes later your name/number is called and you go up to the counter to pick up your order.  (No doubt this would be a wonderful addition for Burger King in BR since none of the order takers can ever get an order correct.)   Mark checked the prices out and a Big Mac is$4.50 and a McAngus Beef Burger is $6.50!

I saw a funny little paragraph on the front page of the Melbourne newspaper (The Age) today and wanted to share it:

 Odd Spot:  A New York bakery is targeting blokes by producing manyly cupcakes.  The cupcakes feature icing finishes such as camouflage, woodgrain and houndstooth.  Flavours include run and Coke, and the Home Run: peanut butter, banana cream and bacon crumbs. 

 One other funny thing we’ve noticed – all of the toilets have 2 buttons for flushing.  One is for light flushing (low volume of water used) and the other is for heavy flushing (large volume of water used.)  That’s all I’ll say on the subject!

 

 

Feet are rested, wine is finished and it’s time to go find dinner.

We’re praying for an Arctic shift in the weather so I’ll get to wear blue tomorrow!  I don’t have high hopes at this point, but one can always hope. 

Love you all.