Travelling Hopefully - Rain and Mist (aka Melbourne) Edition

So I did eventually get to Melbourne.  I flew for an hour and a half to encounter a 25 degree temperature difference.  I huddled and shivered my way over to the waiting car, apologised profusely and then huddled and shivered my way to an identical car which had the advantage of being driven by a friend of mine.

With him at the wheel I had an opportunity to see what the northern suburbs of Melbourne look like at night.  Dark!  That’s what they’ve like at night.  Well except for the street lights, the traffic lights, the headlights and the cheery glow emanating from the rude huts of the local peasantry.  OK it was pretty bright really but it would have been dark if all the lights had been turned off.  As we approached the house I was greeted by a cacophony of howls, barks and scrabbling.

“Dogs,” explained my friend.  I hadn’t actually thought it was his housemate but I suppose it was good to clear the air from the start.

Once inside with unpacking completed and the dogs reduced to only mild levels of hysteria we made our plans for the evening.  Cinnamon whisky was the first decision, bed was the second.  The next day Melbourne could reveal itself in all its glory.

The next day Melbourne revealed itself in all its glory which is to say it was cold, damp and overcast.  That changed later in the day, it started to rain as well.  I went back to bed.  When I arose later that day I had to accept that Melbourne had made its decision and I would just have to live with it.

Melbourne has (according to Melbourne) a vibrant cafe culture so we wandered along to Fitzroy where we could have breakfast and indulge in a little people watching.  Predominately we watched small numbers of people hastily scurrying about whatever tasks had driven them out of bed.  Once in the cafe I watched a waitress and a waiter flirt with my friend while they forgot my drinks order.  So far Melbourne seems a lot like Sydney.

In the afternoon I had been promised a treat.  My two hosts drove me out to the Dandenong Ranges for sightseeing and scones with jam and cream.  The Dandenongs are north of Melbourne and are small mountains or possibly vigorous hills.  They're wooded, lushly green and overall a visually appealing place to spend the afternoon.  We drove to a lookout where we gazed down on to occasional patches of Melbourne and large expanses of mist.  For this we paid seven dollars which was a high price to pay for mist but, we all agreed, perfectly acceptable since it permitted us to use their toilets.  After enjoying the view and the facilities we stopped off at a beautiful, unspoiled tourist trap and enjoyed the promised scones with jam and cream.  Once back at the house we decided that 10.30 was quite late enough to go to bed on a Saturday night.