Frankston, South Yarra, Melbourne
World Trip Two
Monday, May 4, 2009: Pearcedale-Frankston-Seaford, Australia
The Frankston-Seaford beach.
We spent a relaxing day at John and Di's home. Our only activity was a three-mile walk from the Frankston pier to the Seaford pier along the beach. It was a cloudy, rain-threatening sky, which never dropped a single drop but added to the beauty of the walk.
The beach between the two towns was completely empty of people, giving us a sense of solitude. The yellow sand made the walk more difficult but certainly worth it.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009: Pearcedale, Australia
John making a rather funny joke.
We downsized our rental car from the big station wagon we needed to make the trip to the Snowy Mountains to a much smaller vehicle that will work better when we relocate to Melbourne on Thursday. The great thing about renting a car is you can just change it when it gets dirty; it saves that entire car washing hassle.
After this and a few other morning tasks, Julia and I paid a visit to my Dad and Verna. Verna had made scones and served them with clotted cream, jam, and tea. This was very yummy, but once again, we blew our calorie intake for the day. Thanks for giving us a great time, Verna and Dad.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009: Pearcedale, Australia
A happy wine taster.
The Mornington Peninsula is where my family lives and where I spent most of my childhood. But I had no idea that it is now home to more than 60 wineries. Given this new revelation, I asked Lawrence if he would guide us on a wine-tasting tour. He agreed, and so we spent the day tasting local wines and eating delicious food.
Julia was our designated driver once again, which made driving ourselves around to each winery possible. All of the Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, and Sémillon wines we sampled were excellent. What a wonderful way to spend a day.
In the evening, we had a family dinner with John, Di, Lawrence, Verna, and my Dad. It will be the last time Julia and I will see Dad and Verna on this trip, which was sad. Saying goodbye was difficult, so we settled for "au revoir" instead.
Thursday, May 7, 2009: Pearcedale-South Yarra, Australia
A happy window shopper.
We said goodbye to John and Di and headed to our new home, for a week, in South Yarra. We drove via the beach road so we could get views of Port Phillip Bay along our way. Stopping at St. Kilda Beach, we took a walk out to the end of the pier. After a bite to eat, we continued our walk to Luna Park and then on to the cake shops in Acland Street.
We would have loved to have sampled one of the culinary masterpieces, but we are both trying to manage our calories, so we were restricted to looking. There used to be a pastry shop every second shop when I lived in Melbourne, but we found only four shops today. I guess the bottom has fallen out of the pastry market too.
Luna Park.
We eventually arrived at our new abode on Darling Street in South Yarra. I used to live in South Yarra, and it is a trendy inner suburb of Melbourne full of hair salons, restaurants, and clothing stores.
There is great public transport to the city, and we are very close to the Botanical Gardens, so we will not need to use the car much while we are here. Julia and I were both in bad need of a haircut, so that was the first order of business, followed by the consumption of sushi.
Melbourne Video
Friday, May 8, 2009: South Yarra, Australia
The Music Bowl.
We walked into the city from South Yarra via the magnificent Melbourne Botanical Gardens. The weather was still cloudy but not raining or very cold. The park route is a great way to get to the city. It surrounded us with birds, trees, plants, and grassy expanses of all kinds. We walked past the Music Bowl, which is an outdoor entertainment facility in the park, and then eventually popped up in South Bank.
This is the part of town where many of the performing arts theaters are. The area also hosts the National Arts Gallery, the Crown Casino, and many restaurants and coffee shops, all set alongside the lovely Yarra River.