Bits and Pieces

View of Melbourne from Brighton

I don't have a lot to report this week. Class, went to the market, cooked, the usual. So I thought I'd post some random things about my life in Melbourne at the moment. It is nice to settle into a regular schedule and get into the groove here. Although settling in at Uni does mean I already have assignments and papers due.

Best juice and smoothies ever

I didn't ever post about the Brighton food festival I went to two weekends ago. It was a very cute small town thing, they had these colorful sheds the vendors set up at and the day was gorgeous. Brighton is about a 40 minute train ride from the city, so it was fun to get out of Melbourne for a bit. And there were great views of the city skyline.

One thing I love about Melbourne is that it has amazing food! I haven't eaten out a lot, but when I have, it's been great. Friends and I went to ths dumpling bar, HuTong after booking our hostel for Sydney, and the dumplings were delicious. So much great Asian food! And this juice bar. Basically every time I go into the central business district (CBD), I go to Tropicana Juice. It's amazing. And then there's Pie Face. Who knew the best thing to eat at 12am is a meat pie? They are wonderful.

Another great thing about Melbourne? It has all these neat alleys and laneways, little side streets crammed with cafes and shops. Every time I wander around, I find new ones. They give the city such a funky, intimate feel, even when you're right in the middle of the CBD. It's one of the things everyone tells you about Melbourne, but discovering it on your own is pretty cool.

I don't have a lot in terms of other news. Yesterday was St. Patrick's day, which they celebrate quite heavily here (the country was founded by British and Irish convicts, so, yeah). We went to Young and Jackson's, a famous old pub in the city, for the occasion. It was such a great mix of old and young people celebrating. I definitely got a little nostalgic for the green river at home and shamrock shakes.

A laneway of Lt. Collins

Next weekend I'm off to Sydney, which has completely gotten me jazzed about traveling. I'm all set to go to Tasmania over Easter break with my abroad program, but there are so many other places I want to go. We have a week off between the end of classes and finals, and I'm starting to plan a trip to New Zealand then. It's so exciting being able to travel to these amazing places, I really want to take advantage of it.

More exciting news next week, I promise!