Melbourne, Day 2

We started out this morning on the train.  The public transportation is quite good here.  Between the trains and the trams, you really can't go wrong.  We took the tram down to the city to have breakfast at Journal. Small local spot sort of inside the public library.  Breads, fresh juices and coffee.  Some of us have white nectarines sliced in thick yogurt and honey which were delicious.  Had a fruit bun and fruit toast on the side to check it out.  Think cinnamon toast with more dried fruits than just raisins.  Delicious.  You can see that breakfast was a bit hit. 

After breakfast, we walked over the bridge to the Australian Center for Contemporary Art.  The most impressive thing about the museum was the building.  As we walked up to the building, Emily commented that it looked like the architect was by Richard Serra, the artist.  I couldn't agree more.  A very cool large brown steel building that has movement.  Inside, there are two exhibits.  The building really isn't big enough to house a permanent exhibit so the exhibits just continue to change.  Nothing really worth writing home about but worth a trip to see the building.

We left and grabbed the tram down to St. Kilda's.  We had planned on riding bikes that afternoon but it was about 90 degrees outside and I was a little concerned about everyone navigating the streets, so we passed.  We walked over to Luna Park which is a small kid friendly amusement park.   Jessica, Emily and I had to take a least one ride.  The biggest roller coaster was under repair so we opted for the ferris wheel.  Nice views from above. 

We walked down the main drag in St. Kilda's after the park.  Very crowded beach street with many bakeries.  Entered each one for a smell and a look and a bit of reprieve from the heat (they all have air-conditioning).  Decided that we would walk down to the beach and have lunch at the Stokehouse.  We sat outside and had some salads and enjoyed the breeze. 

We found our way back to the tram and the boys went on back to the hotel and I went shopping with the girls.  Two great stores which were a big hit.  Alice Euphemia and Fat.  In between the clothes we picked up some chocolates from the Haighs and KokoBlack.  At this point, I was shattered.  We got back to the hotel, quickly showered and went out to dinner.

We had dinner at Fifteen, Jamie Oliver's new place.  Fifteen is located downtown on a very Italian looking street, I could have closed my eyes and been in Rome.  The restaurant is small and hipster in vibe in a basement.  The food is okay and really nothing to write home about.  Interesting small menu and creative but nothing that great.  Lots of garlic which is always a drag.  We ordered a bowl of lemons to eat for dessert.  Our waitress wanted to know if that was an American tradition. We got a kick out of that.  It is our tradition when we get socked with a garlic meal.  Not going into what we ate here because it isn't worth the details.

Today, we are off to the Yarra Valley wine area.