Melbourne Wrap-up
Of course, the half-marathon wasn’t the only thing I did in Melbourne. We arrived on Friday morning and, as it was too early to check-in at the hotel, we dropped our bags and headed out into the city. I was on the hunt for a specific element of my Halloween costume, so we walked to the Queen Victoria Markets to do some shopping. I didn’t find what I was looking for, but a stall holder gave me some good leads on other places to check. We had lunch at the Markets and then headed back to the hotel for a rest. In the afternoon, we caught a tram to the MCG for the Race Expo so I could pick up my free swag. I also bought a pair of Skins shorts to wear in the race (on the recommendation of Emily and Clare). Then we headed out to Richmond to meet up with some Ravelers at a wine bar. There we hung out with Sonia, binkaboo, foreverknit, madaco, and of course, Damo. Afterwards we had a burger in Richmond and then headed back to the hotel to sleep.On Saturday morning we caught a tram to Federation Square and mooched around the book sale. Then we caught a fascinating tour at the NGV Australia. (I honestly wasn’t very interested in Aboriginal art before, but our guide did a great job of explaining the history and symbolism.) I also got to see Shearing the Rams and The Pioneers in all their glory. We had lunch afterwards at Southbank and then went back to the CBD to resume my search. After three or four more shops, I finally hit gold. (It’s gonna be awesome.) Crumpet (aka Leonie) rang while I was making my purchase and we met up with her for a beer. That night the Snook and I headed to Lygon Street for some Italian carb-loading. We ended up at Enoteca Oggi (by virtue of the fact that they didn’t have an annoying spruiker) and it was a great meal. Then it was home to (try to) sleep before the race.

After the race on Sunday (see previous post for details), we went back to the hotel to shower and change clothes. Then we went back to the CBD to say goodbye to Crumpet. (She gave me a piece of art!) We then met up with Gusseting (aka Kylie) and she took us to Jungle Juice for lunch. That was my first experience in a trendy Melbourne laneway cafe! The atmosphere was cramped but funky, and the bagels were great. I’d intended to go out to another Stitch and Bitch with Gusseting, but my body just refused. Instead I went back to the hotel for a much needed nap before flying back home to Sydney…