After two wonderful weeks in NZ it was time to pop over to Melbourne to say hi to some of my friends and also go to a wedding. I arrived at the airport and while checking in discovered JetStar doesn’t allow more than 7 kg total for carryon luggage (I thought it was 7 kg per bag). Fortunately I was allowed a free checked bag. After a smooth flight - but not so smooth landing - I was back in one of my favorite cities. It’s weird being back in a place you think you might never see again. Seeing the same sights with different eyes as, like everyone else, I have changed in the time since I was last here. The one thing that you can be guaranteed though is that in the summer Melbourne will be hot…very hot. I got off a bus at Southern Cross Station and wanted to walk to the other side of the CBD to a barber that had gotten good reviews. After a couple of blocks I realized walking may not have been the best idea. I was sweating profusely by the time I got there after what actually was a thirty minute walk. The barber asked what I was doing there, I told him I wanted a haircut, he politely told me it was by appointment only. After making the decision to not get upset I walked a couple of streets down and found a barber that didn’t require appointments. I felt a little bad for him as by that point I was really pouring some sweat. 

I hopped on the train and switched at Richmond. While trying to figure out what train to board I saw the right one just pull out and so had to hang out for another ten minutes for the next one. I walk from Windsor to my friend’s place only to find he wasn’t home. No phone means no way to communicate. I wait for about half an hour and then, because Melbourne is bipolar when it comes to weather, it started pouring down rain. Fortunately there was a hospital across the way and I was able to hang out in the lobby like a homeless person with all my bags for a few minutes. I soon realized that my friend wasn’t coming home anytime soon so I used the hospital phone, after nicely asking the receptionist, to call my other friend. 

I walk back to the train station and get off at South Yarra. I drop off my bags, change clothes, and head over to try our yoga for the first time in my life. It was supposedly “Slow Flow”. For those who have never gone yoga - supposedly relaxing - is actually an hour long haze fest of holding positions and trying to bend the body in ways that don’t seem possible. At the end I was dying. At the same time it was quite refreshing and my body did feel great. We walked down the street and had our fill with some amazing Thai food. Then another friend came and picked me up and I stayed at him and his wife’s place for the night watching the cricket and drinking GBs. 

One of my favorite things is re-connecting with friends. It’s great having friends all over the world, but it’s really hard to stay in touch with them sometimes. I love just stopping by and even though it’s been a couple of years or more talking and laughing and having a good time like we had seen each other just yesterday. 

The next morning my friend who hadn’t been at home came and picked me up. It was great seeing him and his soon to be wife again. They are such a great couple and it always makes me happy to see friends get married. I immediately set out to meet up with Cassie for a day at the beach. We took a nice little tram ride through the city, piled into one of her friend’s Ford station wagons and headed southwest for Torquay. It was cloudy at first and we were a little worried about the weather for the day. By the time we got down to the beach outside of Torquay (Bells Beach) it was a beautiful, sunny day. We decided to pop down to Lorne and lay out on that beach instead. This was a wonderful strip of sand and where we ate lunch and set up camp there were really no other people. The water was freezing cold, but felt great after laying on the sand for a few minutes. Mostly we played some football, threw around the frisbee, and worked on all of our yoga skills. I didn’t ever do much more than dip my toes in the water because of how cold it was. 

I knew the sun was especially bad here if out for an extended period of time - especially considering I have little sun recently. Yet I was still lazy about sunscreen and may or may not have regretted that later that night. We finished off the day with burgers and ice cream (we are all American and that’s how we wrap up a long day at the beach). It was a long day, but a great one of making new friends, cruising down the Great Ocean Road, and just enjoying a lazy day of soaking up the sun. These types of days are some of my favorite memories.

Today was another scorcher. By the time I was out and about walking around it was already close to ninety degrees. By lunchtime it supposed to be above a hundred. I took advantage of the slightly cooler morning to see some of my favorite places. I walked by Flinders Street Station and Federation Square, across the river - where I saw the MCG not too far off and teams of rowers paddling - where I also saw a photo shoot of a man in a suit wearing thigh-high red leather boots (don’t ask). I never tire of walking through the gardens and parks of Melbourne. They are escapes from the noise and chaos of the city life. My real destination was the Shrine of Remembrance. It is possibly my favorite war memorial. It’s a large pyramid like structure at the end of a long parade deck not too far from the city center. There is a large ANZAC Day dawn ceremony each year with thousands attending. 

At each half hour they do a simulated Ray of Light ceremony (the real one is November 11th at 11 am). It’s a short discussion of why there is a shrine and who we are remembering. The ray of light passes over a stone that have the words: “Greater Love Hath No Man” inscribed on it. There is a power, a spirit of sacrifice, of endurance, that permeates the building. It’s hard to hold back the tears as I think of all those brave men who left dreams, who left loved ones, who left their lives behind to go to unknown lands and not come back. If there is one way we can give back we can always remember them and live lives worth of their sacrifice. 

I spent most of the rest of the day in the cool State Library of Victoria catching up on schoolwork and email. Even at 6 pm when I headed home it was amazingly hot outside. I was hanging up my laundry on the rack and doing my best to not sweat all over my clean clothes. It is amazing the difference between NZ weather and Melbourne. 

I do want to also say that as much as I don’t like public transportation, it is amazingly easy to use and very enjoyable in Melbourne. The buses and trams and trains are all under the same system. It is so simple to get anywhere in the city and not worry about having a car. I still prefer the freedom of having my own vehicle, but this public transportation more than makes it bearable to not have one.