It's a miracle - I'm finally here!! This may be a pretty long entry so make yourselves comfortable. I've only been in Australia for less than 24 hrs.; but I've seen a lot!
Let's start with the flight over...
The leg from Charlotte to San Fran was the worst. There was literally no air on the plane and I was stuck next to a woman who was easily 250lbs. (that may be a slight exaggeration)....regardless, she did not understand the unspoken rule of the arm rest being the barrier into my own 'personal space.' So, after 5 hours of being in a sweaty 3'x3' cube, I was praying that the rest of my journey would be different. Fortunately, during the 14 hour leg from San Fran to Sydney I had the row all to myself. Definitely a game changer. I took a couple Tylonol PM, put on my pink fuzzy neck pillow and eye mask and snoozed for a good part of the trip. When I arrived in Sydney, I had about an hour and a half before my flight left for Melbourne. To pass the time I got a coffee, went to the bathroom (scared myself when I looked in the mirror to see how truly appalling and dirty I look after 20 hours on a plane), made a few impulse purchases at the MAC counter in the airport. For the record, the lady that checked me out was NOT very friendly and I am convinced she was evaluating my appearance and deciding whether I was homeless and using a stolen credit card. Anyhow, the last leg was quick, but I was just incredibly anxious to just be there and see John Paul. Before I left San Fran, we had to designate a "rendevouz spot" since my phone doesn't work outside the US. John Paul said that he would be at the news stand wearing his orange Timex hat. I said that I would be the one in my pajamas. Luckily it worked and I spotted him right away when I got through customs. We headed back to our apartment/hotel room so I could get cleaned up before we grabbed some lunch.
The place we are staying is very close to Chapel Street, which is a great part of town - lots of shopping, restaurants, bars, etc. We got lunch at an Irish Pub....the food & beer was good, but it was really just a great opportunity to look around an people watch. Here is what I observed.
Shopping: There are TONS of boutiques lining the streets. Most of them seem to carry similar stuff - very bohemian, casual, and a little more 'showy'. I think most of the shops are excusive to Melbourne; but I did spy a French Connection and a Steve Madden. Most of the women I've seen dress very similar - sun dresses, gladiator sandals, leggings, and LOTS of jean shorts. I don't know what these people do for a living, but they have a very lax dress code. I have a feeling if I asked someone if there was a Banana Republic close by they would look at me like I had 3 heads. The way the guys dress is pretty terrible....but amusing to look at. I've never seen more tank tops and stunner shades in my life. Don't worry, I'll be taking pictures and posting ASAP.
Ok, next thing to report - grocery shopping. We went to the local supermarket (called Coles) to pick up a few things for the place. Apparently you have to pay to get a shopping cart. John Paul and I were completely puzzled and finally a nice bag boy came over and let us have one for FREE! Obviously we have already reached 'local celebrity status' and get preferential treatment. Anyhow, since we are 1) immature and 2) marketing/packaging geeks we had a blast looking at all of the different products. When a lot of people weren't around, I snapped a few pictures of some things that we thought were funny. (I'll post some on this entry.)
Lastly, we had dinner with one of John Pauls co-workers, his wife, and their 2 girls. The dinner and company were wonderful....but the highlight of the evening was trying VEGEMITE. I'm not even going to post my opinion on this delicacy. Just plan on trying it for yourself when we bring jars of it back to the States with us in a few weeks!
Ok, we are heading out with a real estate agent this morning, so I've got to get ready. Wish us luck finding our new home!!!
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