Cheri's Cards: Australia Trip 2014

I have had lots of requests for pictures from our trip this past spring to Australia. I did manage to get a lot of them up on my Facebook page while we were there...but they did not include much detail. As I get time I will go through the days here - and give you a little bit behind the pictures. If you ever take a dream trip - this is one I would consider...of course I am biased as we have so many happy memories of living there - it's where my husband and I met and where our daughter was born. We still have so many wonderful friends and family there - so we had the sites to see and memories to make. I have included links - if you want to learn more!

The first half our trip was in Melbourne. Melbourne is the capitol of Victoria and located in the lower southeast corner of the country. If you lay the map of the US on the map of Australia - the land mass is very similar in size and shape. The population is over 4 million and it always places in polls of the most liveable cities....and also as one of the most expensive.

We arrived on Saturday - with missed flights, lost luggage, lost passport, holdups in customs....you know, just how you like to conclude a 3p hour trip...... It was raining. I don't have many pictures from that day. We spent it with friends - catching up and eating out. So the "picture tour" will start with day two!

It was a glorious Sunday afternoon - Mother's Day. We were staying out in the country. So we opted to drive part way - park near where we used to live (and where we would be staying the next day) and take the tram into the city. Outside of Europe, Melbourne has the largest tram system in the world. We parked near a little park that was one of a few that I would take a daily walk with Karisa when she was a newborn.

We headed to Lygon Street - lots of past memories there - many of which center around food and coffee. Once upon a time it was all nearly Italian - but many other ethnic places have since sprung up. I didn't have to Yelp where we would eat, we knew exactly what we wanted......Souvlaki and Gelotti. And, we knew right were we wanted to go to get it. It did not disappoint!

From there we walked to the Victoria Markets. The place was positively bustling. They didn't used to be open on Sundays (but then again when we moved - nothing was open on Sundays). I know we literally had just ate........but what are you to do.....so little time and so many things to eat!

The markets during the week have lots of meat, fruits and veg (that is aussie for vegetable, lol - they abbreviate a lot of words). There are lots of stands that used to be Aussie tourist stuff - and there still are - but there is a lot of flea market kind of things as well. We just wanted to sight see.....and get some donuts.

First Karisa wanted to try the potato thingies....not sure what they are called - but it did remind me of the Indiana State fair, where any food can be sold on a stick. These are spiral cut potatoes, dipped in bater and then deep fried. Delish. And, next on our list was doughnuts. American doughnuts. You might wonder why we would fly half way round the world to eat American donuts.....Well, when Karisa was little we had them - with Sam - and the two of them have been obsessing over them for a decade. So there. We had them. BUT - let me add - we have seen a lot of America - and I have yet to spot these hot jam donuts anywhere here. Kind of like the Aussie dishes they serve at Outback here....

We hopped another tram to the Melbourne CBD (central business district - "downtown" if you are Hoosier.

The city is on the Yarra River. And it is beautiful.

We did a touristy trip around to see all the sights....the Sunday Market at the Arts Center, Federation Square, the Yarra, Collins Street, Flinders Street Station. I did not get any good pictures of the many laneways - it was autumn and the sun set early.