Melbourne Part I

We decided to take the red-eye flight to Melbourne hoping that Asher will sleep on the 8 hour flight there. In the end it worked out pretty well, thank God! We let Asher have a run around at the airport to tire him a bit. He obviously didn't mind, in fact, he had fun looking at the colourful posters, studying the patterns on the carpets, and chasing girls!!!!!! This boy ah ;)

He eventually fell asleep, and we laid him in the much-too-small bassinet. Asher's too tall for it, and it was a good thing he curled his legs up, else he wouldn't fit into the bassinet. In fact, during the flight there was one point when he stuck his legs out, and almost his entire calf was dangling from it! His hands were also hanging out :) He may qualify by weight (only babies under 11kg are eligible to use it - Asher was only 9.2kg when we left), but by height he may not be able to use it the next time we fly!

We got there safe and sound around 8am Melbourne time (they are 3 hours ahead). Got to the apartment and decided to go for a walk and take in the city. We were actually tempted to take a nap cos we were all tired (way too early by Singapore time!), but we were getting peckish and there was a lunch spot we were planning to hit. Our apartment was right in the heart of the city, making it highly convenient for explorations on foot.

 Woo hoo!  We've arrived!







Our first impression of Melbourne was rather negative. The city seems rather unpolished. Not that it has to be spanking new or anything like that. It's just the way the shops screamed out their names, had giant posters yelling out sales, the unfinished, warehouse like quality of a lot of their shops...It seemed too in-your-face. Just an example, there was a shop whose name was 'Dirt Cheap Books'. Just saying it as it is, leaving nothing to the imagination.  Surely there could have been a nicer name?? It didn't seem like a very aesthetic city.

But at the end of our 3 days in Melbourne, after seeing the diversity of people living there, the vibrant food culture, and just soaking in the vibe which ebbs slowly to the surface, there was a decidedly cosmopolitan feel about the place, which though still unpolished, made us understand why people choose to move, work, and live in Melbourne.

I was very keen to explore their art museums, especially those displaying works from the indigenous aborigines, but we just didn't have time.  Besides visiting relatives, we were effectively operating on Singapore time for the first 2.5 days of our stay in Melbourne.  Because Melbourne is ahead of Singapore, Asher would only wake up around 1030am Melbourne time.  After breakfast and changing and all that, half the day would be gone.  But we didn't want to push him to wake sooner as we wanted him to adjust in his own time and get enough rest, particularly since he had just recovered from an illness back home.

 
Happily running around in his new cap


Anyway, some of the sights around the city:
  

The iconic Flinders Street Station

Federation Square

 Bird warching at Federation Square

 Central Place - an alley lined with interesting cafes

Trams running throughout the city

 

 Another old form of transport - the horse carriages

 Just one of Melbourne's famed graffiti-scapes

 Enjoying a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice :)

Queen Vic market was one of the places we really enjoyed.  It is really the place to buy your fresh food.  The fruits and veggies are so plump and fresh, the variety of seafood is amazing, the range of meat and prices offered were much better than in Singapore, and cheese selection was great, the bakeries and patisseries were lovely, and to top it all off, there were candy stores to tempt us!  We wished we had more time in Melbourne so that we could cook up a big feast to enjoy!  As a compromise we picked up some button mushrooms (look at the size of the mushrooms in the pic above!! Not the ones we got though.  Had already bought some by then), baby carrots, peaches, cherries, mangos, salmon, artisan breads, beautiful pastries and tarts, and a bagful of chocs.  

We had a healthy breakfast of fruit the next day, and Asher had a hearty mushroom chowder which he walloped in no time!  Nice to have a warm soup in cold weather :)

While at the market Asher napped in the trusty Ergo.  We had decided not to bring a pram and just rely on the Ergo baby carrier.  It is fantastic, and any mum with a kid who's getting too heavy for a sling should consider getting one!  I can walk hours carrying him and not feel tired!

We dubbed this photo "sweet dreams".  Look at the mass of candy behind him!!

 Besides food, though, we made a very important purchase at the market.  Tim Cahill is from Melbourne, and besides playing for the Australian national team, he is an attacking midfielder for Everton Football Club.  So we were delighted to find Everton jerseys in the market!  Both the home and away ones!!  It's not everyday you come across jerseys for this club, even in London!  Supporters of Everton tend to be..er..from a certain generation :)  But I suspect that Asher's generation might see a revival of Everton fans cos all the Daddies may influence their children  ;) 

Important education - "The Everton jersey is blue; Chang beer is their sponsor, see the 2 elephants?" 









Back to food.  Lunch on the first day was at Journal Canteen, an unassuming place that specialises in authentic Sicilian style Italian food.  It's hidden away in the CAE building in Flinders Lane, opposite the bustling Central Place alley, and occupying a formerly vacant first-floor classroom.  The food is simple, but very well prepared.  You are not offered a wide range of choices - just an antipasto, a pasta, three mains, and one dessert - but the limited variety is more than made up for by the use of the freshest ingredients of the day. 

We started with a heavenly antipasto which consisted of baked ricotta, pickled veggies, marinated veg and olives, zucchini frittata, grilled corn, pepperoni, and the most wonderful eggplant.  Seriously, it's the best eggplant I've had in my life!  People talk about eating something that bursts with flavour, but they probably didn't really mean it.  I mean it!  The eggplant looks so humble, just two slices sitting on a plate.  But, wow, they were incredible!  The flavours had developed in to the most wonderful mix of indescribable joy. 


The antipasto - An absolute must try if you visit Melbourne









We also ordered the Porchetta (roasted pork)  and Polpette (meatballs).  Both were beautiful dishes.  The Porchetta reminded me of Ibu Oka's Babi Guling from Ubut, Bali.  Although the spices used were different, it was also extremely moist and tender, juxtaposed with perfectly crispy pork skin.  The meatballs were done just right, and Jon and I were left wondering how we can re-create that dish back home. 

 

Dinner was Indian food from the popular Classic Curry, but that wasn't so much to our taste - didn't taste that authentic. 

Playing catching - Asher running away from Jon and giggling all the way down the corridor :)

Other random moments:

I just love this pic!

And this! "How do I get this thing off my head?"

Playing with Grandpa's iPhone.  Asher loves some of the baby apps :)  Anyway, this was also an interesting study of conditioning.  Grandpa thought that Asher was tapping the phone to hear the sounds the animals made, but actually initially, Asher was tapping the phone because each time he did so Grandpa would laugh!  He was conditioning Grandpa!  :) 

Turning to look at Grandpa when he tapped the phone.  

Ok, more to come.  Next up, family time!  Watch this space :)