Melbourne!

I had a really enjoyable time here the past four days. It was nice enough just waking up in the same place a few days in a row, but even better that it was in a comfortable apartment in the very center of a really amazing city. Many thanks to my friend Will (an old high school friend studying abroad) for being a fantastic host.

Melbourne itself is noticeably shorter than a lot of other major cities I've been to, at least in the US. A few small skyscrapers were sprinkled around the downtown area, but otherwise it's more sprawling than anything. It's known for having the most cafes per square mile of anywhere else in the world, and no, there are NO Starbucks.

With the cafes and Melbourne's culturally explosive nature, I could've eaten out at a different nationality's cafe or restaurant three meals a day and still wouldn't have felt like I had experienced a significant portion of what the city has to offer. Of course, I would be completely broke, but I was lucky enough to be included in a few unforgettable meals. The second night, Will's friend had a groupon deal for 4 at a grill-it-yourself Korean barbeque. We had a 5-course meal including vegetables, rice and egg dishes, a giant plate of different meats, and dessert. I ate two entire octopi and probably left the restaurant five pounds heavier.

The last night, we cashed in on a dinner on Melbourne's famous restaurant tram that Will had won with another friend. This one was a very fancy all-inclusive, open-bar, three-course meal on a little tram car as it sped around the city. Much steak and wine were had.

Other unique attractions I got to see included:
-The tiny blue penguins inhabiting the rocks at St Kilda
-Incredible royal botanic gardens
-A rooftop bar (unfortunately closed)
-Impressive street art-legal graffiti-covered side streets
-a great city market

I took a lot of photos with my actual camera, so I can't quite get them here now, but you get the point.