As promised, here’s the second instalment of my Melbourne trip! I did see more of the tennis but failed to take many blog-worthy shots, since there are only so many you can get without a good zoom lens. I’m still kicking myself for not throwing an extra one in my luggage… Anyway, when my relatives and I weren’t getting tennis-ed out we did a lot of exploring of the area, the shopping and the food. Granted we didn’t eat out for every meal and took advantage of the food court at Southgate (free wifi and all), but we definitely indulged quite a bit!
We had breakfast at Cafe Vicolino before the tennis, this time to see the daytime matches. One thing I’ll definitely miss about Melbourne is the sheer choice available in terms of cafes, something that Sydney lacks! I may be biased after living here for so long, but Sydney seriously needs some laneways of its own rather than having hidden gems in random suburbs. Anyway, I had the deluxe breakfast which involved poached eggs, swiss cheese, bacon, avocado and sourdough bread.
After seeing three consecutive matches we were exhausted, but that didn’t stop us from getting French crepes at a vendor on Swanston Street. My cousin wouldn’t stop going on about it and rightly so, since they tasted amazing! Apparently the people working there really were French, so that’s probably the closest I’ll be getting to the real deal until I visit Paris. Anyway, I went with the safe option and got Nutella with flaked almonds, not like you can tell from the picture. It was piping hot and would be the perfect thing on a cold day, although I’d still gladly eat them all year round!
A couple of the pianos around the city. They really made me wish I didn’t give up on learning how to play all those years ago!
We kept passing those outdoor tables in the middle of Degraves Street but never actually sat down there, so on our last day we decided to try out The Quarter. Everyone got the halloumi eggs, which was basically poached eggs, grilled halloumi and pesto all on a slice of sourdough. I think I consumed more poached eggs during this trip than I usually do in a year, not that I’m complaining! Anyway, I also got my go-to chai latte since I don’t typically drink coffee. For once it wasn’t too sweet and even came with a tiny cookie on the side!
In a typical touristy fashion, I couldn’t help taking pictures of shop displays… a lot of them, actually. I absolutely loved browsing Signed and Numbered (right), which stocks prints from Australian artists like Kelly Smith, Miso, Ghostpatrol, and Catherine Campbell just to name a few. I seriously would’ve taken some home if I wasn’t paranoid about it getting crushed on the trip home! Maybe next time, after I also free up some wall space in my room.
Retro Star Vintage was tucked away in Nicholas Building on Swanston Street, although I probably never would have found it if I was wandering around on my own! My cousin mentioned it was what she imagined vintage stores in midwest America to look like, and I have to agree. While I wasn’t really into the styles it was certainly an experience, and the decor definitely gave me some kitschy seventies vibes!
We stopped by Cumulus Inc for drinks, and I got their home brewed lemonade. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was incredibly sour! I feel like it’d be a good thing to have with your breakfast, since the lemon was so invigorating and would probably perk you up for the rest of the day. Anyway, apparently this place is too cool to do sugar because neither our lemonade nor iced coffee had any. It was still quite tasty, though! Other people around us were still having breakfast at midday, so that might be a good idea if I ever come back.
More photogenic shop windows, this time outside Hopetoun Tearoom. I’m a sucker for high tea and seriously wish I saw this place earlier, but unfortunately it looked packed and we wouldn’t have had time before our flight anyway! It’s definitely going on my bucket list though, especially since the interiors looked incredible.
Aaand then I went home. Did I see everything I wanted to? No way. However ‘next time’ was a recurring theme throughout the trip, so no doubt I’ll be back again soon. Who knows, I may even find myself living here in ten years if Sydney’s just not doing it for me… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and have a great week!
