Melbourne

I love Melbourne. It's one of the best cities I've ever been to. The whole city has this infectious vibe that makes you feel both energized but totally content and relaxed at the same time. I loved the graffitied alley ways, the gorgeous Yarra River dotted with rowers, and the exquisite restaurants. One of our first stops was the Vic Market. I know I have mentioned my love of markets before, and I must say, Vic Market is one of the coolest markets we've visited. In addition to eating some fantastic food, gazing longingly at adorable mini cactus, and shopping for Uggs, we bought some avocados while there to bring back with us! We got to see a couple acts of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival while wandering around the city. All the food we ate was fantastic. I don't know what it is about food in Australia, maybe it's the quality of the produce, but it is the best. And the coffee! I wish I could always drink Australian lattes. We LOVED Sensory Lab, which is where the lattes pictured below are from. While there, I was too in love with everything to really remember to take photos, but here are a couple!

Mornington Peninsula snap shots

Photos from our last few days spent in paradise (also known as the Mornington Peninsula) before we went to Melbourne, which is one of my favourite cities in the world. Even though it appears as though spring has arrived here in Halifax, I am still dreaming of those sun drenched autumn days at the beach in Victoria. 

Vineyards of Victoria

While in Victoria, we spent a day exploring Red Hill and visiting three vineyards. It was such a lovely day!  The views were fantastic. It was pretty much the perfect autumn day: sunshine, vines, and family.

Point Nepean walk

We spent one afternoon while we were in Australia going on a walk to Point Nepean. It was one of the most beautiful walks of my life. The ocean was a beautiful turquoise and deep blue, and dotted with surfers. And we saw an echidna! All around, it was a pretty perfect day.

Sunny Australian mornings

Every morning we had in Australia was so warm, and beautiful. These photos were taken at Felix, a really cool shop and cafe in the Mornington Peninsula. While there, Aaron bought a couple of vintage ties and we found a really old framed map of Nova Scotia, which was really random and awesome. We also had a great breakfast on their patio with the whole family. Also, I don't think I mentioned in my last Australia post that Aaron had a moustache there, which was pretty neat. Such great memories.

Autumn in Australia

This time last year, Aaron and I were in Victoria, Australia. It was quite possibly one of the best vacations ever. We left spring in Jeju and arrived at the very beginning of autumn in Australia. We mostly stayed with my cousin and his beautiful family in the Mornington Peninsula, and had a couple of weeks with views like these:

It was incredible. We spent so much time at the beach and hiking around. I know that the photo of my breakfast below is kind of random, but at that point, it was the first avocado I had eaten in about 8 months, so I was extremely excited. 

 

 In the photo above, you can see Melbourne in the distance, taken from one of the amazing beaches in the Mornington Peninsula. Melbourne is one of the coolest cities I have ever visited.

These photos are all from just our first few days there, so there are more Australia photos coming. I loved being in Australia so much. It is such an insanely beautiful place. If I could have any unrealistic dream of mine come true, it would be to live somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere for summer and autumn, and then live in Australia for their summer and autumn. Then there would never be winter! I highly doubt, though, that I would ever find a teaching job that would allow me to do that! So for now, Victoria will just live in my memories until we get the opportunity to go back!

Holga (II)

More photos taken on my Holga during our travels. I love the imperfections of these photos.

1. Sunflowers at a farmer's market in Boston 2. Aaron in Melbourne, Australia 3. Auburn Lake in Auburn, Maine 4. Secret Cove on Jeju Island 5. Flowers on Jeju Island 6. Herbs from my patio garden 7. Downtown Melbourne 8. Nippo Lake in New Hampshire 9. Accidental double exposure of Old Orchard Beach and a ferris wheel 10. Old Orchard Beach 11. My patio garden 12. Taylor Pond in Auburn Maine 13. Vineyards in the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia