Melbourne in August

There was something about Melbourne that we really loved. We were there for 6 days just one week after we first set foot in the land down under and it was love at first sight. It could be the simple life, or the accessibility to the city from where our cousin lived, or the street layout - being grid-like very much similar to what we're used to in Manila, or maybe the friendliness of people we bumped into in our strolls or tram-rides, or the fashion, or the markets, or (okay just in case you are reading) Shaun's home-cooked meals.

Almost three years later, we were back to what we called the Little Italy of Australia. We never thought it would take us that long really BUT this time it was bitterly cold. It was almost always wet and always freezing. What kept us warm was the hospitality of our cousins (both of them are now based in Melbourne) and our friends.

I loved Natasha's and Dylan's house - it's an old house with a modern interior, very homely, very tidy, a place one would always want to go home to. It can just be 3 stops from Melbourne Central (read shopping), very convenient indeed! Shaun's was not bad, forget about tidiness, but the new telly kept us entertained. We watched two-half movies on the big screen in his very comfortable lounge (seriously Shaun you don't need a new one) while feasting on baked oysters c/o hubby, baked salmon fillet over a glass of Sauv Blanc c/o the cousin and strawberries and cream c/o moi.

Our couple friends' place was very close to the upscale tourist shopping area, Chapel Street, so we had the chance to stroll along the shops while attempting to look for a good buy - but hubby said they were way too fashionable for his taste.  We did enjoy a very tasty brunch while catching up on our life stories and savoured on our afternoon chocolate indulgence. The dinner in Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant was scrumptious and as if the afternoon chocolate wasn't enough, the sticky date pudding was divine.  Just to clarify, we did a lot of walking in Chapel Street and Toorak Road and inside the Prahran Market and in the War Memorial in between these banquets.

It wasn't all about food for the weekend.  We had to do something new and despite the weather forecast we pursued the Great Ocean Road.  It was a beautiful first half of the day with magnificent views of the Bass Strait until we got to the climax of the trip, the Twelve Apostles where it started to pour ice-cold rain.

Loved every bit of that weekend, scenic, relaxing - got the well-deserved rest we wanted, fruitful - rewarded ourselves with a few good buys from the little mulah we budgeted for the trip and gastronomically-challenged (as a friend would put it). We would not have wanted it any other way.