Walking Tour and . . . an Australian Gaol

 

Melbourne is a large bustling city, full of underground places that are easy to miss at a glance. We took a walking tour of the city in order to get more of an insiders view. 

 

                    We were able to learn a little more history about the buildings, and funny antics about scandalous paintings and other such things you wouldn't normally hear about.

The city reminds me very much of Austin. It is very big on supporting local businesses and artists. We were taken to some interesting places off the beaten path to see these local artists and other architectural gems.

We were also taken to some rather unique and very local shopping districts that were easy to pass by. It was a fun way to spend a few hours viewing such a large city. They certain love their coffee shops and outdoor cafes. I can't say that I blame them. They also love to show off their graffiti alley. Some of it is pretty amazing.

We spent the second part of the day at the local gaol. It was surprisingly fascinating. Of course it was a little creepy too. Every room you wander through had pictures and the story of one of the inmates incarcerated. I certainly wouldn't want to spend any length of time in such tiny cells.
 For an extra fee, and on certain evenings, you can do a haunted jail tour. Essentially a tour guide tells ghost stories, trying to scare you to death. The idea of paying someone to scare me has never made much sense. I opted out of that. Plus we weren't there the night it was offered.
The other night tour you could do was to be locked in one of the cell rooms, in the dark, for an hour.

While locked in the dark, you listen to all the strange and uncomfortable sounds that would go on in such a place. Again, I was not tempted. A regular boring day tour was interesting enough for me.



The other aspect of the tour was to get booked, finger printed, and locked away in a separate 30 minutes tour. I haven't been locked up in an overseas jail before, and decided it might be time.

They give you a card with a name, and details of the what, where, when, and how of your arrest. I was arrested in the park for stalking. It was a beautiful day to do it after all.


They separate the males and the females, and lock you in a cell room for about 5 pictures. Then you're allowed out to take pictures and such.
This area of the jail included   an exercise room, padded cell, and of course an area to take your mug shot.

The officer booking us was about 5 feet tall, and had so much sass and personality we laughed the whole time. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon.

My Australian Food Experience

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I love food.

I do.

Especially really really good food. Part of why I love traveling so much is the food I get to experience.

Why is it so good?

Because it's all fresh. Fruits and veggies are picked from the tree/ garden when they are ripe and eaten that very day. Or within a few days at least.

While in Australia, I decided to copy a friend of mine and take a picture of all the food I ate. I didn't eat anything the entire trip that I didn't like. Maybe I'm just not that picky of an eater, or maybe the food was just that good.

Be prepared to get hungry.

This particular meal was a lunch snack at the hotel. Green salad with a fabulous vinaigrette, roasted bell peppers and eggplant in the bottom right corner. The top right corner was an amazing focaccia type bread with the best hummus I've ever had. Bottom left is sliced ham and turkey. Just a little snack at the hotel - in our private restaurant.

    Just some different kinds of hummus and water crackers. So tasty.

 I was daring and went for the duck with raspberry sauce. It's pretty good, but very rich. Almost too rich.

Texas has had an effect on me. Steak with asparagus, tomato, and potato. Really, how is that ever a bad idea?

Cheese and crackers with jam, nuts and dried fruit. Also had some raisin bread slices. This is the good cheese too.

Dessert. Always say yes. On the left is a sticky toffee pudding with a chocolate caramel sauce. Best. Thing. Ever. Middle is some REAL whipped cream and strawberries. On the right was some kind of vanilla custard/ pudding with a strawberry sauce. Holy happy taste buds. I was so full.

Just our daily continental breakfast at the hotel. Goblet of fresh fruit at the top left. Top right would be some yogurt with some dried fruit/ nut/ granola. Then you have your basic ham, eggs, sausage, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, and yes - fresh raspberry jam.

Plain old sandwiches with fresh sliced fruit. Then our guide made lemon tea from the lemon leaves he pulled off the trees around us. Who lives like this?

This is what was served daily at our private restaurant in the hotel. They had heavy appetizer type things all day long. This particular snapshot is at breakfast time. Got your goblets of yogurt and fruit, along with cold meats and a variety of cereals. There was always a wide selection of bread and pastries, along with home made jams and fresh cheeses. Then there was the hot stuff - eggs, sausage, ham, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Or you could order omelets from the menu. Not a bad deal.

 At lunch they had salads, bread, cold meats stuff like that.

Every night dinner was a different flavor. One night was Indian, so there was curried chicken, shrimp, pan bread, hummus, etc.

Another night went more Mediterranean. There were roasted lamb skewers, meatballs, variety of salads, grilled vegetables, breads, cheeses, lemon shrimp, etc. Usually a pleasant surprise. We were never hungry.

                      Fresh rainbow trout and "chips."

This was the display window at a tea shop. The line was out the door and around the corner. Can you blame them?

    Real Belgian hot chocolate about to be poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. GENIUS.

 

                           Swordfish and fresh greens. Amazing.

 This is a mini pot pie. This one was beef and veggies. For an extra two dollars you get peas and mash - mashed potatoes, peas and gravy draped on top. So good in my already full stomach.

      Breakfast omelet with some hash browns and side of spinach.   

         Just a plane old salad. with a blog of fresh mozzarella cheese on top.

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This is the best waffle I've ever had in my life! Had a subtle hint of vanilla, and was twice as puffy as any waffle I've ever seen. Perfectly crisp with real maple syrup.

                        I thought this sign was amazing. Isn't it?

 

 
 
 
 

The Great Ocean Road

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The Great Ocean Road is a beautiful drive along the coast of Australia, passing through some absolutely beautiful bays and views of that bright blue water.

* We stopped for a few minutes here and there at some rather famous surfing areas, though the weather was quite changeable and not many surfers were around. Still, the view was spectacular.

 Among the great water views, we did make a quick stop in a little bay area that was infested with these beautiful, brightly colored birds.

If you paid a few dollars for some birdseed, these bright little creatures showed no fear and  were quick to jump into your hand, or on your head and shoulders. In my case, one landed on my umbrella.

 

Another quick stop to the rain forest. Yes, Australia has a rainforest. Another check on my bucket list to cross off. The trees were huge, and the ferns were amazing. Definitely unlike anything I've ever seen before.

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Pretty fantastic, and of course the pictures just don't seem to do it justice. Yes, those ferns are much bigger than my 6ft tall.                                                     




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By now, the day tour is only about half over. The highlight of the Great Ocean Road is the natural formation called the 12 Apostles. At this point, there are only about 8 actually standing, but these natural forming rocks are pretty incredible and fun to see. The water is very choppy, and the wind never ceases to blow, so it's easy to see how these formations can appear as often as they do along the coast. This area is also fairly famous for being the cause of a lot of shipwrecks.



It was here that we took a helicopter ride over the coast. Do you hate me yet? It was fantastic! The not so fun part was the very attractive Australian man who had to take our weight before we could get on. Not feeling great about myself having just eaten a really meaty sandwich in this moment. What can you do?












It was only about a 15 minute ride from take off to landing, but oh so much fun. Each helicopter fit about 6 people plus the pilot, and they had about 3 helicopters running. If I every strike it rich, a helicopter will go on my must have list.

From here, we hit one more beautiful and treacherous bay called Loch Ard Gorge. A ship wrecked here leaving only 2 survivors. A very tragic and dangerous part of the ocean.

It was also here, that one of my awesomely bad movies was filmed. The movie name is The Pirate Movie. Not only was it filmed in this little cove, but it also had a musical dancing number with umbrellas.

 

I happened to have an umbrella with me. I couldn't resist doing a few poses. I felt like an idiot the entire time, but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't. I'm a true nerd at heart. What makes me feel better is knowing that if a certain person or two had been there with me, they would have been doing the same thing with me. That's a true friend.

 

 

One last stop to one more bay and our long day along the coast was at an end. Frolicking along the coast sure does get exhausting.