I took advantage of the time difference to finish work due this morning by around noon, and then had my first proper day in Melbourne. We went first to the very cool Rose Street with excellent graffiti and the hippest patisserie I have ever seen. We bought three pastries – a plain croissant, a pain au chocolat and a cherry filled one – for later, and then went for brunch. I had one of my favourite dishes in Melbourne, girolle duxelles on a jerusalem artichoke base with a poached egg. Delicious. Melbourne has really converted me to brunch. I think maybe it’s just not a concept that has travelled well (or rather, to my satisfaction) outside its home, as I have always found Antipodean brunches rather flat and disappointing. Like Thai food, or chicken tikkas, outside their home territories. Then we went to the Botanical Gardens, an old haunt of the Gentleman Friend, and these were absolutely stunning. Filled with singing birds, beautiful trees and water, so lovely. And with excellent and informative little plaques about the Australian plants and how they were used by Aboriginals, though written in a long-ago way that made me rather sad. They could as easily have been talking about the habits of the Ancient Egyptians, thoguht I don’t really know. Maybe the communities that once lived here are completely gone, or caught up in the usual indigenous traps (so acute in Australia) of drink, mental illness, displacement, prison, death.
We walked on to a restaurant through wealthy suburbs inhabited by colourful parrots (actual parrots) to find the restaurant closed. Luckily there was a tram there to convey us back towards town and we went to a wine bar that is considered one of the best recent openings. I’m afraid I didn’t care for it. The food was good but I found it too sweet, and I was a bit grumpy at feeling restricted by the Gentleman Friend’s pescatarianism, as it was a sharing plates place. Also the seating was on bar stools and it was just loud enough that I found it hard to focus on conversation, and I didn’t like the waiter much. So, boo.
Then back to the flat where we had two of our croissants, keeping the plain one for the early morning start. My toenail has nearly completely come off now (after seeming to heal in Nepal and then deciding to part ways with my skin a few days ago). It is hanging on by a corner but is firmly attached still so I have no choice but to keep disinfecting it and then putting on plasters. What an annoyance this is.