Going to the Chapel

One of the best ways to explore somewhere new is to go for a run, and that’s what I wanted to do this morning, before heading off for a packed day.

I got up just as dawn hit the Melbourne Skyline, and set off down Swanston Street. The city was quiet, peaceful. The only other people out on the streets were those who were still out from the night before; I passed several people surrounded by empty alcohol bottles.

I ran past Melbourne Town Hall, St Paul’s Cathedral, and was stunned when I found myself near Federation Square and the Flinders Street train station. These were the places that I had been told to catch a tram to. I hadn’t even been running for 5 minutes! I was amazed that there were so many places nearby, just a stone’s throw from my hotel.

As I crossed the bridge, I looked down on the Yarra River, and out to the MCG. I was going to be taking a trip to the MCG today, and getting a sneak preview on foot was pretty awesome. I ran past the Alexandra Gardens and the Queen Victoria Gardens, as well as the Victorian College of the Arts and the NGV. All were stunning in the crisp, cool morning.

I could’ve easily kept on running. The roads in Melbourne are flat, unlike Auckland which has the privilege of being built on 40 volcanoes. Though of course, however far you run in one direction, you need to run back, so before I ran all the way to St Kilda, I made the turn and headed back to the hotel. Just as well, I built up a small amount of puff on the way back. Nonetheless, nowhere near as taxing as my runs at home.

After a shower and a… very nutritious breakfast of a chocolate biscuit (look, it’s the only food I had at this time, all right?) I quickly headed up to Queen Victoria markets to get some food. I mean really, the chocolate biscuits were all that I had. Take a look at my fridge!

The markets were nowhere near as jam packed as they were yesterday, as I timed myself to stroll on in 15 minutes after they had opened. It was good timing, as most of the stalls had opened up. I had my shopping list, and got everything on it. I got a piece of Tasmanian salmon (which will be my dinner for tonight), some fillets of Dory, some marinated chicken breasts, some broccoli, carrots, lemons, limes, a slab of Turkish bread, and just for good measure, a gingerbread loaf. All I need now is some milk and cereal and I am sorted for food.

I dumped all of my groceries at the hotel, and admired my newly stocked fridge.

It was nice to be able to look into it and see all of the produce, just waiting there to be tucked in ito.

It would have to wait until the evening, though.

I went and took my first look at Melbourne’s train network. I bought a day pass and got on a train from Melbourne Central to Jolimont, and took a short stroll over to the MCG.

I was in awe by the sheer size of the stadium, and took in all of the statues, giving tribute to the Victorian sporting legends.

Despite being a sunny day, it was not a good time for me to rock up at the MCG.

My initial plans had been to check out the National Sports Museum that is there at the MCG, yet the AFL had other plans. The Hawthorne Hawks and Richmond Tigers were playing at the MCG, and getting into the stadium as a member of the public was nigh on impossible. I made a note to come back again another day.

As I began walking over to the Richmond Train Station, I passed many caravans selling greasy food to the AFL game crowd. Remember that all I had eaten by this stage was a single chocolate biscuit, so I was getting pretty hungry. I made a resolution that I would not succumb to the call of the caravans enticing me with hot dogs, fish and chips and burgers, and that instead, I would sit down to a café meal on Chapel Street.

A quick train ride from Richmond to Prahan, and I was on Chapel Street.

The way I see Chapel Street is of a street which is having a bit of an identity crisis. There are elegant boutiques that line the length of the street in amongst run down stores. Add to that the abundance of stunning cafes as well as the rather haggard youth that seem to wander about the streets, and you end up with me describing it as K-Road meets Remuera meets High Street meets South Auckland. To which every Aucklander goes “WHAT?!”

After a bit of wandering, and resisting temptation of barging into the first café I saw, I stumbled upon a nice looking café called The Merino Club.

I walked in, and a waitress promptly greeted me and asked me if I wanted a table. A quick glance around had me deciding that, yes, I indeed wanted a table. I sat down and briefly glanced over their menu. There salads, pastas, sandwiches, though I flipped over to the breakfast menu. It was nearing midday at this point, yet despite this, I wanted something breakfast-ish.

Before I had decided on what I wanted, the waitress asked me if I wanted a drink.

“Yes I’ll have a tri… err… a skinny mocha, thanks.”

Thank goodness for blogging. If it weren’t for my perusing on Skinny Latte, I wouldn’t have realised that specifying low fat milk in Australia is via the ‘skinny’ term rather than in New Zealand where you say ‘trim’. Well, I can’t let Philippa take all the credit for that either - Amanda, when she came to New Zealand, giggled when Lee ordered a ‘trim’ chai latte, and said that she was glad that she’d hear Lee order her drink first as in Australia they call it skinny. It’s all about the branding, I guess - In New Zealand, the main brand of milk’s low fat product is called ‘Trim’ and ‘Supertrim’, and I presume in Australia, it’d be the same thing. I guess I’ll find out when I go to buy the milk when I’m back in the CBD.

I placed my order for a big breakfast. A delectable sounding assortment of eggs, bacon, sausages, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, hash brown and toast. Hey, I was eating for two meals here. And I HAD gone for a run in the morning. And I had Subway for dinner last night! Come on, people, this was my first PROPER meal in Melbourne!

And it was delicious - though I nearly burned my mouth on the super fresh hash brown. But damn, that hash brown, NOM. If ever you’re in Chapel Street, go to Merino Club and have a hash brown. I swear, while everything on my plate was amazing, that hash brown was the highlight. Oh and the coffee. The coffee was fabulous. A mocha, made with actual chocolate flakes rather than cocoa powder. Oh boy, the difference is monumental. Auckland cafes, take note!

I went searching the streets for a good deal, though everything was out of my price league. I did, though make a stop into Chapel Street Bazaar, an antique and second hand dealer which is chock full of incredible nick nacks and vintage items. The jewellery, oh man. Cranky, I did it for you!

I did leave Chapel Street with one thing other than a full belly. I stopped off into my first chocolateir, and bought a small box with a sample of truffles. In Auckland, there are only three places where you can get fantastic chocolate - Parnell, Sylvia Park, and Devonport. In Melbourne, top quality and adventurous chocolate is everywhere; having already been drawn into the famous Max Brenner store in Melbourne Central (I left though when the store girl kept ignoring me. I’ll be back though, I’m sure.)

From there, I had planned to get onto a tram to go to St Kilda. Having never used a tram before, I gathered up the courage to ask a guy waiting at the tram stop how the trams worked, which one was going to St Kilda, and how did you pay. (Even though I’d bought a day pass for the trains, I wasn’t sure if like Auckland, that the modes of transport were different). The conversation with the guy was bizarre.

Him	Haven’t you caught a tram before?
Marshmallow	No, I haven’t
Him	How can you have not caught a tram before?
Marshmallow	Oh you see, I’m from out of town, I only landed in the country yesterday
Him	Oh, okay. *goes quiet*
Marshmallow	…
Marshmallow	…
Marshmallow	:-/

The tram arrived and I got on. I thought I’d ask the driver for help. Queue another bizarre conversation.

Marshmallow	Hi, does this tram go to St Kilda
Driver	*taps ferociously on sign that says ‘Do not speak to the driver’*
Marshmallow	But I’m a tourist, I have no idea where to go
Driver	*angrily* Read the sign!
Marshmallow	…

I quietly sat down on the tram, hoping that I’d gotten on the right one. I guess I’d find out.

As the tram went along, I got a sinking feeling that I had, indeed gotten on the wrong one. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it just didn’t feel right. I seemed to have an idea in my head of which direction we should have been going in to reach St Kilda, and the travel on the tram didn’t seem to match up to it.

So when I saw a stop for Bridge Road, Richmond, I got off straight away. It wasn’t St Kilda, but it was one of my desired destinations. A road full of factory outlet stores? Sounds like the shopping win!

I walked off in the wrong direction down Bridge Road, where there were no outlet stores, just cafes upon cafes upon cafes. However, I happened upon another gorgeous little chocolateir, and bought another small selection of truffles.

Haw haw! I shall leave my mark on Melbourne with a chocolate purchase wherever I go, yip yip!

When I turned around and made it back to the factory outlet stores, I began to get excited. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been. Every store was a disappointment. I would walk in, and there would be no styles I liked, or styles I liked with no sizes, or a style I liked in my size that was exactly the same as something I had at home. It was more of the no styles I liked thing. I adore coats. Though I hate double breasted coats. And that seems to be in fashion at the moment. As with poofy tops that make me look like I’m about to either explode or balloon up into the air. I know with the factory outlet mall in Auckland that it can be very much the luck factor that determines what you get from the factory outlet mall, and I guess I lucked out today.

I settled down in another café with another skinny mocha and a piece of pecan pie.

The coffee wasn’t as good as what I’d had in Chapel Street; it was lukewarm and the beans had been burnt. Not quite Starbucks burnt, but still, burnt. The pecan pie, while nice, was massive, and slightly off in terms of nut-to-pie-filling ratio. I’m comparing to the best pecan pie I’ve had from Pandoro, in Auckland. I have to control myself from getting a slice every time I buy a loaf of bread from there for my grandparents.

Now that I had been on a tram that went in the wrong direction, and having observed the way that people got on and off the trams, I now understood how to use them. I thought about the amount of time I had left in the day and decided that St Kilda would have to wait for another day. I got on (the correct) tram and headed back to the city. I popped into Coles and bought some milk and cereal, and headed back to the hotel, with very sore ankles.

I tucked into my Tasmanian Salmon for dinner, and after some time sitting up in bed writing this diary, I tucked myself in to bed.

Tomorrow will be the most exciting part of my trip thus far. Meeting Desci.