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a bale, or a nest of turtles.
excellent, let me just reset my camera for disappointing and blurry.
we hadn't been in the butterfly room more than two minutes when one decided to perch on lauren's hand.
quick, smile before it flies away!
some of them let me get really close.
a well themed, and well signed area that we didn't come across until later in our visit. it definitely made me think that we'd been going on temporary paths set up for maintenance or something.
right before they were moving from one area to another.
i was seriously getting nervous that i was going to leave australia without seeing living koalas. crisis avoided. . . cutely.
after a while it became obvious that there was work being done to the normal paths and walkways of the zoo. our routes seemed a little rough from time to time. so i did a double or triple take to make sure we hadn't crossed a 'restricted' or 'zoo personnel' only sign as we walked through a gate and were suddenly among free roaming kangaroos, wallabies, and emus.
so those of you who know of a childhood encounter i had with a group of roosters might understand why i felt a little nervous walking around with emus on the loose.
a wallaby on the hunt for a snack.
these kangaroos had the right idea, laying about in the shade.
one of those things you might wanna book in advance. . . they have a program for several different animals, but since i've rarely been in a cage with any wild animals, my first choice was monkeys!
so many things run through your brain as you let these little guys run amok all over you.
-i hope it doesn't bite me.
-oh my gosh their hands and feet are soft!
-this is so cool!
-wow, they are lighter than i thought.
-where is that one going?
-this is so amazing!
-oh right, smile for the camera
-holy crap now i'm holding two!
-holy shit! i'm holding monkeys!
-wait, is he trying to peek down my shirt?
this was about the only shot they got of me and lauren both facing forward and smiling, but both the squirrel monkeys couldn't be bothered.
super cool 'sidewalk art' that was filled with points of light. just the type of thing you cross at night while trying to find a bite to eat.
it might be odd for you to find out that i didn't plan this trip to the hour. there were a couple of things i had to book in advance, but mostly i was just looking forward to hanging out with friends, eating, and shopping. i did all in abundance. so on a day with nothing to do i walked to federation square, then hopped a city bus tour.
federation square was a good meeting place- also good to pick up buses and trains. while waiting on another day we had noticed the extensive use of post-its in a building across the street from federation square. someone else used them to make a happy face.
another person with a post-it addiction.
hopped on my double decker city bus tour. i had already been shown around different parts of the city, so it was mostly a way to kill some time while lauren was at work, and to relax while getting out of the direct sun.
also had the top deck to myself for three quarters of the ride.
at one point we were hitting a lot of mid day traffic. it was hot, but i was in the breezy shade and there were practically no people around, so i decided to snooze while we were moving slowly. we had made another long pause and the area had taken on a distinctly farmish smell- unusual for the middle of a city, or so i thought till i looked up.
we were stuck behind these guys for about 30 minutes.
a bunch of the architecture had a new orleans feel to me (having never been to new orleans).
a view leaving lygon street (little italy) where lauren, camille, kirsty and i had dinner together my first night.
are you hungry? looking to bulk up for winter?- visit melbourne and have a lovely foodcation. love these small alleys filled with cafes and outdoor seating- somewhere in the mix was the breakfast bagel cafe that lauren introduced to me, so good i went twice.
it's everything i hoped for and more. got a personalized dog tag for glitchy, picked up some well priced souvenirs, got a thai shoulder massage, and an amazing lunch.
cute coffee shops and covered sitting area outside the deli hall.
stalls and stalls, rows and rows, aisles and aisles. when i got back later in the week i began to understand the need for all the space.
lots of fresh produce, famers market kind of faire, and the aisles of souvenirs. not a terribly busy day.
nothing prepared me for the queen victoria market deli hall. of all the food things i had missed most in korea, a solid deli with cheeses, meats, and picnic makings topped my list. mazzaro's italian market in florida- with it's cheese cellar is my next closest experience, and it doesn't hold a flame to the number and variety of delis here. just amazing.
there just seemed to be no end to the deliciousness laid before me. i made a sizable picnic from the greek deli- dolmas, stuffed dates, and something amazing wrapped in prosciutto.
first you read the sign, but now you have to say it outloud.
-yeah, just like the iconic 80's tv show. had to get some tea and a shopping tote from there.
later this evening (or possibly a different evening) we took in a movie. 'Tracks'- a true story about a girl traveling across the australian desert with only three camels and her dog. what i liked was that i got to see a little more of the australian country-side, since i was only going to be able to visit Melbourne in person.
a bathroom in federation square, melbourne.
interesting that i got the bathroom with the korean story.
flinders street station at night- waiting for our ghost tour to start. never actually had an encounter on a ghost tour, but they are an entertaining way of learning more about a city.
listening to tales of murder and ghosts while walking down some streets in melbourne well known for their graffiti.
i'm a fan of how a city can sparkle at night after a rain.
used to be called gun alley- the site of a gruesome murder in 1921. had heard all about it and made the connection after touring the old melbourne gaol.
lauren gives the dowsing rods a try while on pink street.
had nothing to do with the ghost tour- i just liked the look of this window.
back inside the melbourne central shopping centre at night looking up coop's shot tower.
this is the map lauren drew for me so i would be able to find my way from her sister's place to the city trains. before i caught sight of it i wasn't sure if 'depressing park' was a name or a description.
only made more pathetic with a sad looking lauren.
yet another example of vagueness which began as a joke during the moomba festival. "city" - of course it means melbourne, but. . .
also had the top deck to myself for three quarters of the ride.
