Saturday, April 15: Up at 5am, we were ready to leave by 6:15. Rick hauled the packs down to the lobby only to find no one manning reception. We had our cell phone to call a cab; what we wanted was our A$20 key deposit back. A note on the reception desk indicated "room 11" was the place to go in an "emergency". The coughing and snorting that emanated from behind the door seemed to be a pretty clear indication that the man in room 11 wasn't too happy about the early wake up call, but he did return our 20 dollars. Not wanting to take any chances with missing our train, Rick called two cab companies. Before either of them showed up at the hotel, another cruised by. "A bird in the hand.....", you know. We loaded the trunk and headed for the train station. The driver was Chinese and had been in Australia for 18 years. It's still seems unusual to us to hear an Asian person speaking with an Aussie accent. He was quite friendly, with a good sense of humor, helped us with our packs, and received a nice tip for his efforts. We made it to the train station with plenty of time to spare.

We waited a bit for the train to Melbourne (in the state of Victoria). There was ample room at the end of each car for carry on luggage and the seats provided plenty of leg room and large windows. Once underway, we were greeted with the surprise announcement that because of track construction between Cootamundra and Wagga Wagga (pronounced Wawgga Wawgga), we would be getting off at the former and be coached (bused) to Melbourne. Needless to say we weren't too happy about this for several reasons: we were looking forward to the comfort and relaxation of a 10 hour train trip (we'd paid for a first class seat) and we'd be getting to Melbourne at least an hour later than planned. But, you gotta be flexible when you travel.

At about 10:00 the announcement was made that "morning tea" would be served. This consists of hot scones with jam and clotted cream along with hot tea. The train attendant handed out "reservation tickets" to those who wanted to order. About 15 minutes later, it was announced that tea was ready. Rory collected our order from the buffet car. The scones have the texture of biscuits and the jam added just the right flavor; neither of us used the cream. We enjoyed our 5 hours on the train and made the most of the tedious bus ride. At least we got to see two movies on the bus: "A Knight's Tale" and (an oldie) "Sommersby". Since we were being met in Melbourne by Geoff and Lorraine (who owned the B&B we had booked), we thought it would be good to give them a "heads up" call about the change in plans. What did we ever do before cell phones?

Geoff is easy to recognize with his snowy white beard and Rick spotted him even before the bus pulled up to the gate. After hugs all around, we loaded up their car and drove to the "Inner City Warehouse B&B" on Brunswick Rd, just northwest of the city center. (I'd provide a link, but Geoff and Lorraine have sold it and the new owner won't be renting out the apartment.) What a wonderful change from the "cubicle" in Sydney. Rick had seen photos before booking and their place was everything we expected and more. Geoff and Lorraine live on the upper two floors and the lower floor is a fully equipped apartment--and I mean fully equipped. We had a kitchen, washer & dryer, living room, two bedrooms and the bathroom had two showers!! Geoff is a design engineer and he designed the place. It's very contemporary and open and we were so impressed we threatened not to leave. After getting settled, we were off with Geoff and Lorraine on a night tour of Melbourne. They suggested a stop for coffee or a drink at the Young & Jackson Pub. This place is noted for a large victorian painting of a nude woman in Chloe's bar. We drove around a bit looking for a place to park, and, just as we found one, the rains came. No Chloe's bar for us tonight; but the drinks were every bit as good back at Geoff and Lorraine's. We sat up talking until after midnight. After two cups of coffee, Rick finally fell asleep by 2am--Rory was long gone by then.

Sunday, April 16: Needless to say we weren't in much of a hurry this morning. Rory slept in; Rick tried in vain to get our laptop connected to the internet, succeeding only in making things worse! We did some laundry and had some breakfast. By the time we got going it was after noon. It's cloudy and raw out today. Geoff and Lorraine were off to visit family for Easter, so we set out on our own. Since it's Sunday, all-day tram tickets are only A$2.50--a bargain considering that tomorrow they'll cost us 6.10!! First stop: Victoria Market, a real market for fresh meat, fish, vegetables, etc; not to mention the huge flea market (at least as big as Paddy's in Sydney). We did make a couple of minor purchases: some socks for Rory and a kilo (about 2 1/2 pounds) of sunflower seeds in case we should encounter any hungry birds in the next several years or so. Again, no real bargains here although Rick did consider buying an Australian wool sweater (even going so far as to try several on). Since we are now on a "fixed income", we decided to exercise some restraint early on (and they didn't seem to want to come down on the price). Of course, we did learn that the market would be open again on Tuesday. Before leaving, Rick bought a brat (bratwurst) with mustard and sauerkraut; one of his favorite indulgences-reminds him of baseball games. Rory settled for a big bowl of minestrone soup and a glass of wine. Again, exhibiting the maximum in self control, Rick controlled the urge for another brat.

By now it's almost 3pm and we really haven't seen anything yet. We hopped (seems to be a lot of "hopping" in this country) back onto the tram heading for Melbourne CBD (central business district). We walked from Flinders Street Station east (I think) to Federation Square. Even though it's Easter Sunday, there are a lot of people downtown. Federation Square is dominated by what looks like a large abstract shaped tin colored building. This houses offices, retail shops and the Ian Potter Gallery. At the latter, we were specifically interested to see the exhibition of contemporary native Australian art. It was impressive, but we would have liked to know more about what the art depicted rather than just who the artist was and what materials were used to create it. We spent about 45 minutes here then continued our walk around the CBD. Not many shops were open, but we enjoyed the variety of architecture, and got comfortable with wandering the area. The thought struck us that we had another opportunity to see the painting at Young & Jackson under the guise of stopping for a beer before heading back to Brunswick Road. On the walk to Y&J, we noticed a crowd and expected to find a street entertainer. What we found was a chess match being played with giant pieces on a board built into the sidewalk. We watched, trying to anticipate each player's moves, until the game ended with "white" victorious. We had our beer, took a picture of the painting, and caught the tram back to Brunswick Road.

Bridie O'Reilly's Pub is on the corner of Brunswick and Sydney Roads. Their menu looked good, and they had Toohey's Old Black Ale on draft. What seemed like a good place for dinner, turned out to be more than we expected. The food and beer were great, the bonus: Alex and Paul, the Boracca Brothers. They didn't look much like brothers but did look (and sound) like guitarists and singers. Their repertoire included mostly pop songs from the 60s and 70s (Eagles, Beatles, America, Doobie Brothers--you get my drift). They did a passable rendition of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". J. Frank Wilson's "Last Kiss" (a "tragedy" oldie from the 50s) was a bit out of character but no less enjoyable. They entertained us and the other patrons till about 8:30.

It had been pretty chilly all day (hence the earlier temptation of the sweater) so we walked back to the B&B as quickly as we could, arriving only a few minutes after Geoff and Lorraine. We visited for a while and Lorraine offered a tour of a local labyrinth in the morning (they are members of the Labyrinth Society). We were happy to accept the offer of a guided tour.

Monday, April 17: Happy Income Tax Day!! Rick was up early updating our journal (that no one but us will see until July....) with the past three days of notes; checking email; and, of course, his fantasy baseball team's status. Rory slept in. By the time we got going it was after 11:00. Lorraine and Geoff took us to a wooded park (Wilson's Preserve) in the town of Banyule to hear the bell birds. These little greenish birds, a bit smaller than our sparrows, make resonating sounds just like tinkling of small bells. The sound is remarkably crisp and clear, Lorraine had never seen one, but it is autumn here and there were dozens of them flitting around in certain trees feasting on small ripe berries. We walked a bit through the park, spotting several different kinds of birds, including a kuckaburra (but we didn't hear his call). From Banyule we drove to another park to see the labyrinth. Shortly after we started walking along the path toward the labyrinth, Lorraine spotted a blue-tongued lizard; about 10 inches long, sunning itself against the base of a tree and facing away from us. When we tried to get him to turn around and show us his tongue, he darted into the deep grass. A bit further on we came upon the labyrinth. This one was Celtic in design, built with square stones. If you didn't know where to look for it, you wouldn't see it. The labyrinth's paths had become overgrown with weeds since Geoff and Lorraine had last been there, but we all walked it anyway. Labyrinths differ from mazes in that labyrinths have a single path from the start to the center, with no dead ends. In other words, you can't get lost in a labyrinth. The walk to the center of the labyrinth and back out requires some degree of focus as the path constantly turns and Rory found it to be meditative and peaceful.

Geoff suggested we stop for morning tea, but since it was already almost 1pm, we agreed that lunch would be a better idea. They suggested we go to the Fairfield Park Boathouse--a restaurant and recreational area along the Yarra River in a beautiful wooded setting. We ate and watched the birds and the boaters (canoes, kayaks, rowboats) until it started to get overcast and a bit chilly. The forecast calls for rain tomorrow, but we assured them that it doesn't rain on us when we're traveling.

They left us off in the city so we could sightsee. We took the City Circle Tram, which true to it's name, makes a circle route around the CBD, providing commentary about the sites it passes. This is a free tourist service--what a country!!! After walking the city a bit, we decided that since we'd eaten lunch late (and large), we would buy some fruit, cheese, bread, and wine and take it back to the apartment for a light dinner. On arriving at the apartment,Lorraine asked if we received her message. The mobile phone works well... when it is on. She and Geoff had a friend coming to visit and stay the night. They met Nhys through the Labyrinth Society. They were grilling out for dinner and invited us to join them. So much for our idea of a light dinner... Afterward we played a board game that Nhys had invented, that helps you examine personal issues (or "journeys") and gain insight into life events (past or future). It was a lot of fun and an interesting way to learn more about new friends as well as ourselves. While we were playing, the wind came up. It got extremely gusty and just as we were all ready to retire, the power went out. Just like home!!

Tuesday, April 18: The power came back on during the night. The wind had blown out the forecasted bad weather and we awoke to a sunny and warm day (just as we had predicted--no rain). Lorraine and Geoff have another place in San Remo near Phillip Island, about 90 minutes southeast of Melbourne. Since we will have 5 days to get from Melbourne to Adelaide (by car), a distance of about 800 km, Lorraine suggested we might enjoy spending Thursday at San Remo to see the fairy penguin parade in the evening, then take the car ferry across Phillip Bay to the Great Ocean Road the next morning. Again, the flexibility we've built into our trip has allowed us to take advantage of a special opportunity!

Our plan for today is to do some more sightseeing and another walking tour, with the goal of being out by 9am. No such luck--it was more like 10:30 by the time we got going. There is a tourist bus route around the city that allows you to get on and off wherever and as many times as you want. This is another free service provided by the city of Melbourne. (The same thing in Sydney costs A$36 per person!!) We found stop #4 in front of Melbourne University, waited for the next bus (they run every 15 minutes from 10am - 4pm) and off we went. The circuit takes 45-50 minutes, but we got off about half way through so we could stop at the Melbourne Visitor Center for brochures. Rick wanted to visit the Shrine of Remembrance, dedicated to Australia's casualties of war from WW I to the present. From the visitor center we walked across the bridge over the Yarra River along St. Kilda Road, with King's Domain (another expansive park) on our left. Our "trek" to the Shrine was worth it. We agreed it was one of the most inspiring memorials we'd ever visited--it is difficult to describe. They seem to have thought of everything: a reception area for viewing a short video about the Shrine, an extensive display of medals (thousands), a sanctuary, an eternal flame, gardens, and a balcony from which you can get a perspective of the entire site. We got back on the free bus with the idea we'd get off somewhere and have lunch (it was already 2pm), but even with all the restaurants and cafes, nothing seemed to appeal to us. Since we would be meeting Rick's former Gartner colleagues for dinner, we decided to go back to the apartment for munchies and take a rest.

Dinner was at the Provincial Cafe on Brunswick St. about 15 minutes away by car, or an hour if you let Rick figure out the tram routes. Actually, only about 1/2 hour, unless you don't notice that a portion of your proposed route has no tram tracks and requires a 30 minute walk!! But we arrived on the dot at 6pm. Vicki and Jenneatte were already there and Andy and his wife Janice joined us a few minutes later. It took no time for them to make Rory feel like an old friend. After drinks at the bar, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner, plenty of good Aussie wine and especially, each other's company. It was great to see the Gartner Melbourne contingent again--we hope they'll come visit us the next time they're in the States. Jenn drove us back to the apartment and another great day in Oz came to an end.

Wednesday, April 19th: The weather continues to be sunny and mild; but today is very windy. Rory caught up on laundry while Rick headed out to the local YHA (Youth Hostel Association) Hostel to get a directory of YHA hostels around Australia--since our laptop (in its present state) isn't going to help us out. For our last day in Melbourne, we decided to visit the Zoo. It's only a 20 minute walk from the apartment. We followed the path along the tram tracks and (literally) through a golf course. The fee was A$21 per person (A$9 less than Toranga in Sydney). The zoo is well laid-out and Rory thinks it's the best designed landscaping she's ever seen in a zoo. We visited the Aussie animals first: emus, some roos, a couple of koalas and one lazy wombat. We're looking forward to seeing some of these in the wild on Kangaroo Island and perhaps in Western Australia. We spent the afternoon wandering the zoo grounds and taking photos. They have a wonderful "open flight" aviary, much to Rory's delight. Just before closing time (5pm) we walked back to the apartment for a glass of wine and to chat up Geoff and Lorraine. We suggested we all go up to Bridie's for dinner and they agreed. Upon returning, Geoff carefully marked maps for our journey tomorrow to their place in San Remo. We will miss their company very much and hope they will visit us in the States when they come to see their daughter in Washington, DC.

Impressions of Melbourne: The best tram system; very easy to get around; slower pace than Sydney; more great people (friendly, helpful and generous); excellent park and recreation facilities. We did fewer typically "tourist" things here; thanks to Geoff and Lorraine.