Over east

We've been away for a few days.
First we went to Melbourne. We scored an amazing Wotif special and stayed at the fabulous Windsor Hotel.




Some amazing people have been guests here - Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Muhammad Ali, Paul Keating...it's a Melbourne icon. Beautiful paintings, flowers, chandeliers, spacious rooms, grand hallways, friendly staff - a really lovely place to stay.




Melbourne is a lovely city to lose yourself in. It feels very liveable - the pace doesn't seem as frenetic as Sydney, and it seems much less noisy. You get the noise of the trams, but that's a nice sound. I really enjoy strolling by the river - the little bridges crossing the Yarra make for a slightly Parisian feeling. Because the river isn't that wide, there's a stronger link between the banks than you get in central Perth where the Swan is so wide.




I had a very pleasant time in the National Gallery looking at their European paintings, and then wandered through some of the wonderful old arcades and laneways.












We also spent a morning in St Kilda. I've wanted to see the pier ever since I heard the Paul Kelly song. Even on a grey windy morning it looked gorgeous.




We also saw a great exhibition at the ACMI in Federation Square. There was Scarlett O'Hara's green curtain dress, Audrey Hepburn's LBD from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Daniel Craig's tuxedo from Casino Royale and lots, lots more. Even Jeff Bridge's bathrobe from The Big Liebowski. Oh, and Marilyn's blowing-up-over-the-subway-grate dress. Great fun!

Everytime I see Federation Square, I change my mind about it. I think it's a great public space, but never really liked the buildings. This time I thought they were actually really good.









We spent three days in Melbourne, before flying on to Sydney. Here's what I'm looking at as I write this.




We even have a view from our bath, which I plan to enjoy again later.

Sydney is really busy this weekend - there are 30000 Brits (mostly wearing red T-shirts) here for some rugby match. At Circular Quay, we saw them everywhere.




Sydney is spectacular on a bright sunny day. No matter how many times I see the bridge or the Opera House, I always feel compelled to take yet another photo.









Tomorrow, it's back home again. It's been a good break - and I still have a few more days off before I have to go back to work!