We continue to love our time here in Melbourne! We enjoy the city but also love our little suburb. We’ve been slowly working our way through each restaurant, shop and dessert stop on the Main Street. The amount of joy we get from having so many wonderful spots within short walking distance is making us think long and hard about what we want life to look like after this trip.

On Wednesday afternoon we all went into the city centre to check out the famous Melbourne Central Clock and then to have dinner at and explore Queen Victoria Market. The clock plays a little song featuring Australian birds on the hour which was fun to witness. We also stopped by the amazing Lego store. I always like to check them out in different cities because they usually build some amazing creation that is meaningful to that city. Melbourne’s trams are iconic (and handy)!

After that we walked over to the market. Usually the market is only open in the morning and early afternoon, but in the summer they have an evening market on Wednesdays. It was amazing! A ton of different foods stalls, some artist booths (including a henna tattoo place where the girls went) and live music. I loved it! We also had a great time walking through the city, admiring the architecture.

On Thursday, after school was complete, Charlotte and I headed into the city to check out the Melbourne Museum, a natural and cultural history museum. I try to mix up “rest day”s and optional “exploring days” with mandatory activities so that everyone can get what they need. I was eager to see this museum, and Charlotte chose to come along, which was very nice! The museum was very informative and really well done. We also enjoyed walking around the nearby gardens. It was wonderful to spend some one-on-one time with Charlotte!

Then we took the train to Glenferrie to meet up with the others for dinner. We found a delicious Italian place that had a rooftop deck. Fun!

When we started planning our trip, we all put Australia on our list. It was a “must see” for all of us! Steffen’s request was that we come to Melbourne for the two weeks that the Australian Open takes place, so our time in Australia started on January 16, just as the AO started. Steffen went three times, once early on with a ground pass, once on a Saturday with his friend, Olivia and Hannah, and then a third time for the semi-finals. The Saturday match happened to be on a very hot day, so Luisa, Charlotte and I opted for a lovely day at the community pool. We all were very happy with our life choices that day!

Hannah had visited the Rod Laver Stadium before, in September 2009 when we came to celebrate our friends’ wedding. She’s grown a bit in the last 16+ years! 🙂

To round out our first week in Melbourne, we spent Sunday at a beautiful mall with never-ending stores and delicious food. The girls were in heaven! We made a rule before we entered that we would only buy food and things that can fit in the palm of your hand so the girls got some new jewelry, a few small crafts, and Olivia managed to find a small skirt! 🙂

More on Melbourne soon….