Australia

Melbourne

Bruce (my husband) and I flew into Melbourne and stayed at a hotel downtown where we flopped into bed.  It was a long flight, we were both tired and my ankles were swollen.  As soon as we had some sleep under our belts and food in our bellies, we were eager to explore.  The city of Melbourne was fun.  We found little shops and cafes down alleyways.  The people were friendly and spoke in their cool accents. I tasted Wallabee.  It doesn't taste like chicken.  There were parrots in the trees and tropical plants everywhere.

An alley cafe in Melbourne

The view from the cafe in Melbourne

                                                                             We went to Phillip Island.

Of course the ocean is always awe inspiring. It was sort of blustery and the sun was going down when we went to watch the penguins come in from the sea. The waves were dark and huge except for the striking white-cap at the top. These tiny Fairy Penguins (or called the Little Penguin) would suddenly appear and fight to get up on the beach so they could walk to their burrows.

We stayed at a hotel in Geelong for a week because Bruce had business there in this city.  The park (pictured on the right) is located across the street from that hotel.  It was very peaceful in the park and the hotel was quite nice.  I did some reading and writing during this time.  Sometimes when we travel we are driven to go, go, go...  It's nice to take a break and breathe in the new surroundings.  Once Bruce was finished with his work, I was ready to go again.

I was amazed to see a flock of parrots in someone's yard feeding on something.  We saw brightly colored parrots now and then throughout the trip--the kind we find in our pet stores.  One day when we were having lunch in a little cafe, we saw a flock of cockatoos in a tree. 

            We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast near Apollo Bay.  This is the drive from their home.

                                          The Twelve Apostles off of Great Ocean Road

Taken off Great Ocean Road