Arrival in Melbourne!

Living Room

Kitchen

G'day from Melbourne- I've had trouble accessing the blog but thanks to Mark, it worked this morning! We've arrived in Australia, the earth's flatest continent, and home to over 4,000 species of ants. (I learned this by watching a clever documentary about Oz on the flight). Our flight went well, and we both managed to sleep 5-6 hours. I watched two films I'd wanted to see for some time- "Little Miss Sunshine" (funny!) and "Notes on a Scandal" (dark and devastating!)...in Notes, Cate Blanchett's character speaks of "minding the gap- the difference between life as you dream it and life as it is" and it really struck me that I am, at the present time, experiencing life as I dreamt it and how fortunate we are to be here, in this beautiful place, taking in a different culture. The best moment in the flight- of course- was the moment of handing out the steamy towels, which occurred right before they served breakfast. I even woke Mark up so he wouldn't miss it- and I'm sure he was thankful eventually...

Sunday morning we arrived at our new home: 173 City Road, Apt.#285, the Southbank neighborhood in Melbourne. Our main tasks for the rest of the day were to unpack and stay awake to adjust to local time. Our place is comfortable, on the 28th floor with big windows and a balcony, and has just about everything we need (see photos above). We wandered down to the Southgate Arts & Leisure district, which is a 10 minute walk from our apartment. The first thing we saw was a crowd of people, families mainly, gathered around a tough-looking bald man directing a small black & white dog in a hot pink frilly skirt to walk around a line of young children. (Later we saw another performer dressed in an adult Barbie costume doing gymnastic tricks with a hula hoop to Madonna tunes)...We walked around the crowd and went inside a large food court to find some lunch. While waiting for our sandwiches, a man in an Easter bunny costume greeted children while Justin Timberlake's "Bringing Sexy Back" played loudly on the intercom system...very surreal. We retreated back outside with our food and sat on a bench overlooking the Yarra River, which runs east-west just underneath the CBD (central business district). After eating we strolled around the river (they have pedestrian/bike paths similiar to the Waterfront in Portland) and decided that we'd do some more unpacking after getting a few groceries. (First jar of Vegemite spotted in aisle four!) Sunday evening, we decided the best way to stay awake was to brave the Crown Entertainment Complex ("a gathering of shops, cafes, restaurants, Accommodation courts, cinemas, live shows, music venues and a casino all under one huge roof") down the street for dinner and a movie. Yes, we live down the street from the largest casino in Australia. I told Mark I may have to develop a gambling habit while he's working those long hours at the office......right.

The weather has been gorgeous since we arrived- in the 80's. It's hard to believe it's the beginning of Fall here. On Monday we had a delightful lunch with Mark's new supervisor and his family, then took a tram to the St. Kilda beach (about a 20 min ride) where families, sunbathers and happy dogs were enjoying the last of the summer season. I saw some miniature fish swimming in the ocean and some dead jellyfish floating along the shoreline. (See photos). We came back warm and happy and went for an evening walk along the Yarra River (well, we were actually in search of a Target store but never found it).

Tuesday was Mark's first day at work- he can tram it there or have a 20 minute walk. The office is small, about 30 people, but an environment resembling what he's used to. (I'll let him write more if he wants). Meanwhile yesterday, I spent about five hours wandering about the downtown area which is a major shopper's paradise. I found the Target and saw a couple of Starbucks but also passed by an old post office and St. Paul's Cathedral, a stunning church on Swanston and Flinders streets. I came home and studied the rest of the day as I have a lot of catching up to do with my classes. It's so good to be here despite already missing everybody at home.