Our last day in Melbourne. We took it easy in the morning and I must confess, we ate Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast. McDonald’s and Burger King (called Hungry Jack here), and KFC, you expect. Krispy Kreme, not at all, and interestingly, they seem to all be located inside 7-11’s which are on about every corner. Since we haven’t seen this in other places, we don’t know if we’ll find the same thing in Sydney or not. Melbourne declares itself to be the most liveable city in Australia (actually in the world), taking pride in their green spaces, sports, culinary offerings, wine, etc., and it has been a fun place to visit. We made today for leisure, a stroll through two of the city’s side-by-side gardens with beautiful landscaping and the cottage that explorer Captain James Cook grew up in. Back in 1934, a gentleman heard the cottage was for sale in England, bought it, had it disassembled, shipped to Australia, and reassembled in Fitzroy Park. We appreciated the logistics of the effort as much as the history. We then walked up to the historic Exhibition Hall that was actually closed for a special graduation ceremony, although we did get a look at the building and a quick peek inside one part of it. The tram again to the waterfront and lunch at a different café, with a cruise “up river” on the Yarra as the final activity before going in to check on the status of the cricket match. Hubby is getting into it and even though England had pulled ahead, there were days yet to play, so “no worries” as they say here.
A word about immigration. Notwithstanding sending prisoners from England, there has been tremendous “normal” immigration into Australia, especially when gold was discovered, and then again after WW II when the aftermath of the war left Europe struggling for goods and services. It is said that Melbourne has the largest concentration of Italians outside of Italy, as well as many Greeks, Chinese, and other ethnic groups. We had made reservations at Tutto Bene when we saw that their menu had a section devoted to risotto. Although it was cooler with a brisk breeze, the outdoor sections of the restaurants had their heaters going and I had a wrap, so we dined al fresco with a great view of the river. The meal was excellent as we shared a salad. Duck and porcini mushroom risotto for my husband, spaghetti with lobster, roasted red peppers, and as it turned out, hot peppers for me for a bit spicier taste than I was expecting. It was beautifully balanced and there was no way we had room for dessert. Double espresso and cappuccino was all we could manage. That and a whiskey at the hotel bar was a lovely way to end that leg of our trip.
