1 June: Melbourne (My Birthday)

Ah, the most important day of the year...my birthday! The big 23 and I'm in Melbourne sharing it with my boyfriend. Well, I miss everyone at home, but how many times do you get to say your birthday was in Australia? Unless you live there of course. Well, we didn't sleep in long in our hostel, because I get excited on my birthday. First, Shannon took me to the Queen Victoria Market, and it's the best place in the world! It's like a farmers market, deli, craft fair, cheap shopping centre, bakery and the best way to blow a day.


This is the entrance to the markets. It seems to go on forever with heaps of stalls. I got UGGs for my birthday from Shannon. Cheap UGGs, but the real ones. They look GREAT! Anyways, I went back every day, and wished I bought more. I should have gone souvenir shopping, but sorry, I haven't. I'm not even sure how I feel about that kitschy stuff anymore....

DUCKLINGS! Yes, they sold wildlife...including pigeons and budgies, which are the cutest little birds ever, but sooo noisy. I really think that market was the best part of Melbourne and our hostel was only blocks from it. After we did our morning shopping, we went to a park and feasted on my birthday lunch. We ate hummus, bread, turkey, cheese, mandarins and of course wine...all in the middle of the day in a lush green park. It was such a good meal.


We finished the meal off with a trip to the Melbourne Aquarium. It wasn't as exciting as I thought, but it was my birthday, so I enjoyed it. I bought my only present so far, a magnet for Grandma--one of the most important people in my life, so she deserved the first present.


So, the big excitment of the night was our walk to the MCG, the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. It's not cricket season, but it is Footy Season, AFL. The Australian rules football. A different sport indeed, I can't describe it to you, you just have to see it for yourself. But it was great and those were the teams that played, Collingwood won. Hometown win.


Look at the boys in action. With short shorts. The yellow ball is the footy ball. I don't remember what happened, but it was an exciting game.

As you can see, I fully support footie now and am enjoying my birthday heaps despite how cold it was at the MCG. I had just bought that hat at the QV market earlier that day and it really came in handy for that game. The markets are good for everything. And footy makes Aussie's drink, eat meat pies and scream A LOT.

We finished off the night with some gyros at an all night place called Stalagmite. It was heaps busy, but we ate and then headed out because it was after 11pm and we were buggered. What can I say? Jet lag!

Thus concludes my birthday....