Thank you, Sandy!
Trip Start
Feb 16, 2008
1
8
33
Trip End
Jul 22, 2008
Melbourne,
Australia
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday morning, I left for Melbourne at 6am. Sandy picked me up from the airport EARLY and we drove to her house in Coburg, a suburb of Melbourne. She had picked up every tourist pamphlet in Melbourne. We had some tea and chatted, then hopped on bikes and went for a quick bike ride to the market. She picked up all kinds of food for me for my days there. Then we were off...biked through some of the parks, up and down hills, to this lovely little organic community center farm called Ceres, which was actually just written up in The Australian Weekend Magazine! We parked the bikes, wandered around talking. We stopped and got coffees and talked some more
Black swans in Melbourne
. She made me realize so many things. I have a better understanding of some of my stuff, my challenges, my struggles, etc. As much as traveling can be exciting, interesting, it can also be very lonely at times. I know I am incredibly fortunate to be doing what I'm doing, but sometimes I get sad, lonely and homesick. Sandy was like therapy. She made everything I was thinking and feeling seem ok and part of the process that I voluntarily put myself into... I feel so very blessed to have met her! I could go on and on...After our little coffee, we ventured into Melbourne. It's a neat city and we were EVERYWHERE!! Very very different from Sydney. We saw parks, gardens, ponds, Federation Square, the river, lots of buildings, and then we came upon the "Slow Food Festival" which was so very interesting. If you get the chance, google "slow food". It's making it's way to the US, slowly of course, via San Francisco, of course. Basically, it's an alternative to fast food. It's organic and it's a very interesting movement. We tried some really yummy stuff and talked some more.
That evening, we watched a little cricket with Sandy's partner Howard, which was fun to compare cricket with baseball.
Monday, I set off for Melbourne on my own
Ceres with Sandy
. I was still a little tired, so moving slowly. I was getting ready to leave and realized I'd lost my journal. I tore everything apart looking for it. What's funny, besides the journal being a gift from my mom with a nice note on the inside, and having some photos (one of my boy Brett Favre, of course!), quotes, email addresses and phone numbers, I didn't write much in it. I wasn't so upset about losing it, as it's just stuff. I was more upset that I lost it because I don't lose stuff. I have a really tight relationship with St. Anthony, actually. I've learned to be look behind me before I leave somewhere, I know where things are... I realized I left it at the airport, when I went to call Sandy. I called the airport. It's no where. It was driving me crazy that I lost it! Then, again, I realized, ok, it's gone. I gotta let it go. Learn from it and let it go. So much of this stuff, I hope to let go of and leave in the ocean. Once I finally made it to Melbourne, I was in sort of a daze and ended up wandering around aimlessly. I found a park and took a nap under a tree. It was really nice. Sandy and I saw SO MUCH the day before, that i didn't mind just chilling out. I happened upon the Melbourne Museum in a pretty goofy Anne mood. There are lots animals that have been stuffed for your viewing pleasure, in the Melbourne Museum. I took a photo of a Tassie Devil, Bill...There were dinos, and then a very interesting exhibit on the human body and the human mind. I left as it was closing and went to Fitzroy Garden, which is enchanted with fairies and the perfect place for anyone with an imagination or in a goofy mood (me).
Once i returned to Sandy's, we had a nice dinner and then a some very interesting conversations about politics - Aussie and American, with Howard. I love this stuff. I love learning about other places and love learning about what people think of America, especially right now. There's so much going on...
Comments
Melbourne envy!
g'day Anne! reading your post is the next best thing to being there. SO very glad you got to hang out with Sandy, and so very envious! I haven't even met Howard yet!!! My pennies are plunking into the jar... how many for a return ticket?! Cheers! Barb