Our first week in Melbourne has flown by. In thinking about how to best frame the whirlwind week, the first word that came to mind is connections. Connections to people, to experiences and to myself.
We saw quite a bit of Melbourne through the eyes of a tourist. We did an excellent free walking tour of the city in which we learned a lot about the history of the city, its beautiful street art and the stories behind many different neighborhoods and businesses. We also did a one-day tour of the breathtaking Great Ocean Road. As the name implies, it is a road stretching along beautiful ocean views and staggering cliffs. It reminded me of Highway 1 in California – a nice connection to home.
We were also lucky enough to experience the city as a local would as we befriended people who were living in the city long-term. We went to an Aussie Football game which was good fun – especially after we swallowed our pride and finally decided to ask someone to explain the point system to us. We cheered along with 60,000 other passionate fans while enjoying some stadium food and drink.
I was continually impressed with the food in Melbourne. More than once, I found myself stopping the conversation, to close my eyes and simply enjoy the taste of my meal. Reveling in connecting to my senses. Sweet pumpkin curry, pulled pork eggs benedict with apple cider hollandaise, incredibly fresh fish and chips right from the ocean… I could go on and on! At night we would check out a new neighborhood and the local bar scene, enjoying some live music or good atmosphere or would connect over dinner at a friends house, enjoying good company, good food and good wine.
I have truly enjoyed meeting some amazing like-minded people with whom deeper connections were built after only just meeting. Being able to make new friends over drinks, talk the night away and continue the conversation over breakfast while connecting over our shared beliefs and experiences is one of the joys of travelling that I’ve always loved and which I was lucky to experience multiple times in Melbourne.
I am feeling blissfully disconnected from “real life” – enjoying each day and the new experiences that it brings. That disconnection did get us in a little trouble this evening. We flew into the tiny Hobart airport in Tasmania, where we are spending the next few days. As I was “living in the now” so well, I forgot to figure out how to get from the airport to our hostel, assuming that the airport would have an open information desk (it didn’t) or that the airport would have free wifi so that we could figure it out ourselves (it didn’t). We found ourselves walking around a very empty airport laughing at the situation we got ourselves into. After asking around a bit we discovered we had just missed the last shuttle for the evening and had to shell out for an expensive cab ride – one of the last taxi’s waiting at the airport. Luckily, Brenda and I are compatible travel companions and were both able to laugh at the situation, knowing we’d eventually figure it out.
We are now in our hostel in Hobart, a quiet space that will be nice for both of us to recharge. As we sat in the lounge, we started talking to someone who after hearing where we were from, told us about his good friends who live in the San Francisco area and how they had met. It didn’t take me very long to figure out that he was talking about the legendary Branden Barber, my manager at Amazon Watch. I am in awe of how small the world can be and how many amazing people we are unknowingly connected to – it’s a beautiful thing that is highlighted when we have the freedom to travel and reconnect with ourselves and others.
P.S. Check out some of our photos in the gallery to the right!
