So! This post marks the last of my roommate vacations with the lovely, and always adventurous, Miss Elisabet Osk Gudmundsdottir. Our last trek was to Melbourne, Victoria. The city itself is know for its food, coffee, obscure night life, and fashion. And, it did not disappoint!!The trip started with a very early wake up call! Our flight left Gold Coast at 6:00am, and our coach to the airport was coming to pick us up at 3:50am. The day beforehand we had planned to go to bed early, but instead saw a Masters of Hollywood showing of The Great Escape. Some things you can't say no to. The airport was pretty uneventful, and we made it through security by about 4:45. By this time we were STARVING, but I guess the food stores don't open until 5. It was a very long 15 minutes. Once we were on the flight, we settled in for a long nap. Elisabet and I were assigned seats across the aisle from each other, but Elisabet ended up getting an entire row of seats to herself!! By the time I had figured this out, I was half asleep, so I decided to just stay where I was. 2 hours later, and plenty of open mouthed napping, we landed at the
Melbourne Airport.
We are clearly not destined for the amazing race, as we walked around the entire departures area of the airport before we realized that shuttles and cabs are located an entire floor below. Whoops! A short bus ride into the city and then we were there! We only had backpacks for luggage, because we're low maintenance like that, so we decided to just wander around the city, eyeing the sights, things to do our following days, and scope out some delicious eateries. Our first stop was Chinatown, then over to Federation Square. Close to there, we found an amazing cupcake store, and had our first taste of Melbourne. Melbourne is famous for its little alleyway restaurants. We wandered in and out of alley after alley trying to find a place that really spoke to us. We were looking to be inspired... by lunch. Finally, we went to a really great little Thai Place, where we could sit out in the sun, enjoy a nice vacation beer, and eat some really excellent food. Seriously, I will talk about how good the food was in Melbourne multiple times. Prepare for it.
After lunch, it was finally time for us to check into the hotel!! This was pretty exciting for us. People who follow my blog know that I have stayed with Elisabet in: a camper van, a hostel, a boat, a friend's home, the village, BUT we had not yet stayed in a nice hotel. We found this great deal online that included our flights and a stay in a 4.5 star hotel. We were so excited when we discovered we got free robes, a rain shower, Elisabet's name on the TV thanking us for our stay, the option of room service (which we didn't use, but still!). We settled into our robes and rested our weary feet for a bit.
We had a really great dinner at a pop up bar, Babushka. This is a marketing ploy to advertise a new vodka, and the restaurant will only exist for 6 months, as long as the vodka promotion goes on. Their menu is potato based (to match the vodka, which is also potato based). Our food was really great, we each had some of their famous chips, and burgers. I had mini burgers with the most buttery, delicious buns, and homemade aioli, and Elisabet got chicken parm burgers. We also tried their goat cheese, potato, and rosemary pizza. Delicious!
Friday was our big tour of the Carlton Brewery. Beforehand, we headed out to the Bridge Street shopping distract, which was just up from our hotel. This was mostly so I could purchase a pair of closed toed shoes, because I needed some for the tour! Whoops! Once we got the shoes, we headed into the CBD to get some lunch! Delicious again, panini's from a sidewalk cafe. The brewery tour was pretty informative, and watching the bottles on the line was a little hypnotic. At the end of the tour, we each got to pick 4 beers to try. I tried Carlton Dry, Carlton Black, Fosters (my first taste of this iconic Australian Beer!) and Cascade Light. After the
tasting, the tour guides wheeled out a bunch of costumes, and Elisabet and I went to town. They also said we could pull our own beers. So I asked "Can I pour my own beer wearing the beer costume?" And, as you can see, that is exactly what happened (and the beer was Victoria Bitter, in case anyone is wondering). Elisabet got to pour her own cider, and like many things we undertake, proved to be much more adept at it than I am. We headed back into the CBD for a little snack, and then back to the hotel to relax a little before the night.
We decided to go to Mamasita's for dinner, and this was the best decision we made all trip. Seriously, I cannot stop singing the praises of this restaurant! The staff was amazing. So friendly, and funny! We got this waiter named Eddie, who promptly told us we HAD to try the street corn, because it was the best corn in the world. I can tell you that he was not kidding! This corn was one of the most amazing things I have ever eaten in my life. I will dream about this corn. This is the corn they serve in heaven. The rest of the food did not disappoint as well. Quesadillas with the freshest ingredients I have ever tasted, handmade salsa and guacamole, and the most delicious take on an apple fritter! It was fantastic. Our excellent waiter also provided us some guidance to tackle the maze of Melbourne nightlife. His first stop on our list? Madame Brussels.
Madame Brussels is a lounge that is set up like an English garden party. The floor is artificial grass, the furniture is antique and cosy, and the drinks are tea based. We had an earl grey peach iced tea drink that was "splendid." After that we headed to the Carlton Club, an indie-ish bar that plays more 90's or alternative music (think Phoenix) than top 40. The place is full of quirky charm, included a huge giraffe, and ostrich wearing multiple pearl necklaces. We ended up sitting on the rooftop patio, and had a really great night.
We were up and out of the hotel by 10:45, not wanting to squander any of our last day in Melbourne. We took the tram (such better public transportation than Gold Coast) to the train station and got a locker for our backpacks.
Then we had a small breakfast, and met up with our next tour: a Chocolate Walking tour of Melbourne. I'm not lying when I say we only take tours about food and drinks... The guide was so adorable, and a true chocoholic (maybe a future career Steph?). We got to see a lot of older, art deco Melbourne buildings and eat some truly delicious treats. We had truffles, macaroons, liquid chocolate, hazelnut chocolate, pralines, ice cream, muffins, and at one of our last stops we got the ever popular Lindt chocolate balls. The funny thing about this Lindt staple? In Canada we only have around 4 flavours, but here they had 16. Flavours I hadn't seen before? Peanut Butter, Raspberry, Orange, Peppermint, and a whole handful of others! After the tour, we headed into the shopping area to look around a little more before we had to hit the airport.
So, now I'm home, and very tired from our whirlwind weekend away. I can't believe my last trip before the family comes has passed by now! There are still plenty of things Elisabet and I want to do in Gold Coast before she heads back to Iceland for Christmas, but I just can't believe how quickly time is going by!
I know it's been forever since I posted, and for that I am sorry! I have been really under it lately with assignments. For the most part, I have been just living regular day to day life, a few trips to the beach here and there, doing homework, practicing some experimental cooking, you know, the usual.