I fall a little bit more in love with Melbourne every week. This Sunday, we had perfect weather for the first time since I’ve been here, so I spent all afternoon wandering around the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival – and got a little sunburnt! Oops.
I only posted once this week, Moving vs. Travelling, because this one took me a long time to write. I’ve been thinking a lot about the kind of travel-filled lifestyle I’m aiming for, and how to balance a meaningful life at home, with meaningful travel experiences throughout the year. More on this soon! I think it’s something a lot of you guys will relate to, because a majority of people don’t suit the digital nomad lifestyle…and contrary to what you’ll see on the Internet, that’s okay!
A happy year is made of a thousand little happy moments. To help me be mindful of and remember the little things that will make 2015 great, I’m giving them some space and reflection time here on Wanderbug. Spending some time each Sunday processing the ups and downs of each week is a great way to stay present, grateful and dodge the dreaded Monday blues. l also love to share my favourite Melbourne finds to inspire your next adventure!
Melbourne
Bars
Rumour in South Bank has $5 house wines on a Friday evening, and complimentary rose for ladies, so I started my Friday evening here with some new girlfriends. We were also treated to delicious Goats Cheese Croquettes compliments of the chef, which were delicious!
During the week, I visited The Croft Institute, which is a little creepy & a little cool. It’s inspired by a 1950s mental institution, and is at the end of a very dodgy, winding lane way off Little Bourke Street. Fun to visit as a novelty, but the cocktails were a little lacklustre.
I spent the early hours of Saturday morning at The Emerson in Prahran, but my favourite find on Saturday night was State of Grace, a hidden bar on Collins St. We were looking for a bar on Collins, when we walked past a small cafe/bookshop that was closed, but was manned by a security guard. After showing ID, he took us into the building and through a door which led to a bookcase – which slid away to reveal a set of stairs. Downstairs is a very cool, dimly lit bar that was absolutely packed! Loved it, will definitely return.
Eating in Melbourne
Bomba Restaurant & Rooftop Bar
If you’ve only got a few meals in Melbourne, make one of them at Bomba. We arrived at Bomba at 7:30 to book a table for 8:30 ( no reservations in advance on Saturdays), and waited at their cute rooftop bar with a glass of cava and city views. We shared a few tapas and a delicious braised duck paella, which was a nice change from the standard seafood. One of my tapas was salmorejo – I had no idea what it was when I was ordering it, but I’m glad I did! It’s a small tomato & bread soup, with diced bacon and boiled egg in it. The recipe originates in Southern Spain and is like gazpacho, but creamier. Yummy!
We were meant to be seated at 8:30, but the group before us was being quite difficult and refusing to leave, despite the growing queue at the door & the fact that they’d finished dinner & drinks some time ago. We didn’t get seated till 8:45 or 8:50, which wasn’t a drama, but the lovely staff offered us complimentary dessert to thank us for our patience! We were all delighted, and managed to squeeze in rich, creamy chocolate croquettes, churros and orange & vermouth sorbet split between the three of us.
World Bar
This South Bank bar & restaurant has a great $18 lunch menu, which includes a glass of house wine! I treated myself to a working lunch this week, with a glass of red & a very indulgent pulled pork po boy. Yum.
Fomo Thai
I went to a new MeetUp this week, for dinner at FOMO Thai. Yummy food, but a little too noisy for a table of six to be able to chat.
Two Birds, One Stone
Caught up with a friend for lunch at my favourite South Yarra Cafe, Two Birds One Stone, and took advantage of their all day breakfast menu.
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
After a stormy and cold Saturday night, Melbourne was rewarded with perfect weather on Sunday. I went to the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival in South Bank, and ordered the most indulgent dessert I’ve had in a long time! LuxBite & N2 Extreme Gelato joined forces to create the Ferrero Gelato Profiterole, which is every bit as delicious as it sounds. I also tried a bit of my friend’s cute-as-a-button pink parfait – delish!
Travel Prep
I’m learning French again! I’ve been pretty slack since the move, so this week I’ve been brushing up on my French with the wonderful DuoLingo app. Will try and add in some extra time practicing Italian and Spanish next week too!
DuoLingo is a free app, which makes learning languages fun and simple. I’ve tried programs for languages I was already familiar with (French, Spanish) and languages I had never studied before (Italian), and have found it great for both.
With 483 likes, this was not only my most popular post this week, but my most popular post ever! Read more about my day spent sailing around Capri here.
Words
I found these wise words from Zen Habits blogger Leo Babauta in my inbox this morning, and it resonated so much I had to share it.
“Is this moment enough? Am I enough? Yes, absolutely and wonderfully.”
Read the full post here.
Ooh, a lot of these places look amazing! I’ll have to check them out when I get back, especially the one hidden in the book store. 🙂
Ahh I love state of grace too! There’s a similar bar in the city called 1801, which is also pretty cool. How did you like the Emerson? I like it for afternoon or early evening rooftop drinks but I find it gets sleazy after 10pm haha. Ps I too have visited the white grotto – magical!