Melbourne, Australia

Manohar and I arrived in Melbourne just in time for the October 2nd marathon. Although his training hadn’t gone to plan, he was looking forward to completing his 16th marathon. My training for the half marathon was waylaid by Covid (despite four vaccinations), so I switched to the 10K.

Over 30,000 people participated in the races this year. Besides the picture-perfect weather, the other fun part was that the finish line was inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground “MCG” stadium. Oh, the historic matches that have been played there! After I finished my 10K, I grabbed a cappuccino and found a place in the stadium with all of the other spectators watching their runners come in. And there was ample room — the stadium holds an astounding 100,000 people! That makes sense though considering the population of Melbourne is just over 5 million people. To give perspective, that’s one million more than Los Angeles. And Melbourne is growing. In fact, it is projected to overtake Sydney in population and become the largest Australian city within 8 short years.

The plan was to stay in Melbourne for two months, October and November. The springtime weather in October was cool and rainy, so we spent much of the first month getting settled in and finalizing travel plans for early next year. Then, four weeks into our stay, Manohar was called home to India for a family emergency. We cancelled our November outings, but also decided that I should stay put until he got to India to assess the situation. Long story short, I ended up spending the entire month of November in Melbourne on my own.

Studio, Sweet Studio

The style of homes in Melbourne was unlike any we had seen before. The majority of homes were built in the Victorian style with decorative bricks or shingles and ornate iron trimmings.

We adored our detached studio located in an inner-city suburb near the Central Business District “CBD” (downtown). We were nestled into a beautifully landscaped green space complete with a swimming pool, garden fresh vegetables, and our own private patio. We were truly blessed to have such lovely hosts. In addition to market outings, on occasion we were invited to dine with them on their patio al fresco.

And lest I forget the icing on the cake of our fabulous stay, the resident cavoodle (aka cavapoo) named Dashi. Dashi and I had an arrangement. When he appeared at our door wagging his tail, I got out the jar of peanut butter.

Wildlife

We did not get to see any kangaroos or koalas during this trip. But during the day we saw beautiful birds and every sunset we saw hundreds of flying foxes overhead in search of their evening meals. Technically bats, these giant furry creatures with a wingspan up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) have heads shaped like a fox. Also interesting, these bats do not use echolocation; they have large nocturnal eyes to find their fruit, flowers, and nectar.

Markets

I always love wandering around markets big and small — leaning toward small for their quieter, wholesome charm.

Together, Manohar and I visited both the Queen Victoria and South Melbourne Markets. These were sprawling markets with hundreds of — dare I say, repetitive stalls. We saw all the usual produce, clothing, and imported goods on display.

Conversely, one afternoon I took a scenic graffiti art tour walk through Fitzroy in search of the Rose Street Artists’ Market. It was a small-ish market with scores of young adults buying vintage clothing, jewelry, and ceramics. There was only a smattering of food options but the market is surrounded by hip-looking cafes. I couldn’t help but notice one place in particular, Lune Croissanterie. There was a line of people curling out the front door and around a city block waiting to get in. It must be good!

My favorite outdoor market was the Alphington Farmers Market. A small but robust neighborhood market with soul. It was a feast for the senses with multicultural delights from Nepal, Turkey, Sri Lanka, East Africa, to name a few. Also on offer, I saw freshly baked breads, pastries, savory pies, fresh fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese, honey, olive oils, a variety of meat pâtés and nuts. There were also long lines for coffee, and the most delicious fresh cold-pressed juice — served in a glass that you return to them when you are finished.

Moreover, lucky for me, I was introduced to the kangaroo paw plant. Named as such, because of the fuzzy, tubular flowers shaped like a kangaroo paw. The vendor was delightful — and from Canada. We had fun reminiscing “real” winters in our similar “up north” Canadian/Minnesotan accents (MinneSOOtan, dontcha know). In the end, and much to my surprise, my dear host purchased some kangaroo paw for our studio. I felt a little spoiled at this point. But, oh, they were so lovely and dramatic to look at every day.

Sustainability

Melbourne is serious about their commitment to sustainability. Small things we noticed included signs asking shoppers to bring their own bags and restaurants asking patrons to bring their own carry-out containers.

Then we heard about Good Edi, an edible coffee cup that was invented right here in Melbourne. It is vegan and made of oats and grains. I really wanted to try it, so we popped over to the Into Coffee, a zero waste café in the Fitzroy neighborhood. After a few sips of delicious coffee sourced from Industry Beans (we also buy direct from them for our coffee at home), then we were able to take a bite of the cup. It was nice, it tasted like a less-sweet, crunchy waffle cone. Plus, it was fun having a biscuit with my coffee!

The Into Coffee café is spacious yet warm and cozy. I wandered around to seek out their other product, sustainable bags they create from discarded items (e.g., theatre curtains, kites, milk cartons, furniture upholstery). They are called Into Carry. I met one of the lovely designers hard at work on a sewing machine to learn more about their company. They had a great idea to create a bag from airline tickets. And then Manohar had an idea to make a bag out of marathon ribbons and/or marathon bibs. Hopefully someday we can see this through fruition.

Dog Sitting in Docklands

Docklands, on the Yarra River, is a recently redeveloped dock area a stone’s throw from the CBD. The docks are surrounded by high rise apartments, office buildings, bars, and cafés. There is a marina, boats, and nice walkways for pedestrians.

We were fortunate to become familiar with this area thanks to a number of dog sits for a special little cavoodle (a very popular breed here) named Taco. Our first two visits were before Manohar left for India. The remaining stays were just Taco and me. Taco was the sweetest, most snuggly little friend and he helped the time pass when I was all alone. Thank you, Taco!

Just Living

When people ask us what we do every day, Manohar likes to say, “Just living.” It is so true. We clean the house, wash clothes, buy groceries, touch base with family and friends, swim laps, run trails, and attend yoga classes.

Naturally, we also spend a fair amount of time planning future travel which involves choosing destinations, finding flights, and booking accommodations. Then as each trip gets closer, we study maps to figure out how best to get from Point A to Point B. Will we walk or use a train, bus, tram, taxi, or ride-hailing app?

We appreciate this new form of “slow” travel. Back when our lives were in full swing working and raising a family, the best part of our fleeting vacations was when we had the chance to connect to the local people, culture, food, and art. Now we have all the time in the world for that.

Just living!

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