Gone to Melbourne in My Mind

 

When I visited Melbourne in 2018, I looked out of my

 hotel window one morning and this was what I saw. 

It was cold and snowy in Manhattan today and my mind turned to my 2018 trip to Australia. I was going to post pictures from different places I visited, but I didn't get beyond my first stop in Melbourne. What a beautiful city! When I first started planning the trip, I didn't know very much about Melbourne, but it was a perfect introduction to Australia and I am so glad that I spent a few days there recovering from jet lag, before joining the more hectic tour  of Australia.    

The Australian Open was going on during my visit to Melbourne and this viewing area in Federation Square, a wonderful area of museums, cafes and this fabulous area fitted with grass and chairs for tennis viewing, was just a few blocks from where I was staying. The temperature was remarkably moderate for January, which is summer in Australia, and I visited here several times. 

An alley way near my hotel with wild and wacky street art

My visit to Melbourne was made especially meaningful because I had the opportunity to visit my blog buddy, Little Wren, while I was there. Wren isn't in Melbourne very often, but our visits coincided and we had a wonderful visit together. We chatted, book shopped and had lunch in one of Wren's favorite places, Chicken or the Egg. This beautiful bowl was as delicious as it looked. 

No surprise, but I drank coffee all over Australia, and this beautiful flat white (espresso with steamed milk) caught my heart on my first full day in Melbourne. It was the first of quite a few that I would drink in Australia, a country that knows how to make a very good cup of coffee. 

January 26 is Australia Day, the Australian National holiday, and though it's well over in Melbourne, we still have a little more time to give a cheer for Australia. I'm not planning any major trips these days, but if and when travel becomes feasible, I'd love a return trip. 

Though I was primed for major snow this morning and had no intention of going out, the  snow pretty much fizzled away by the afternoon. After a very leisurely morning and another episode of Bridgerton, I got myself out for a trip to the drugstore and a walk in the neighborhood. I spent some time prepping in the kitchen while listening to an audiobook, my new pastime. Right now I'm enjoying "The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor," by Justice Sotomayor. Read by the Justice, it's an adaptation from her memoir for young people. I'm finding audiobooks are great company when I'm working in the kitchen and I'm really enjoying her stories of growing up in the Bronx. What are you reading/listening to?

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cozy.