Today is Melbourne's 179th birthday! I woke up feeling great and the weather was finally on my side. Alexia and I were down for a big brunch to kickstart our day of sightseeing in the city.
We decided on a cool restaurant down the road called Axil.

Again, I was incredibly impressed by the quality of the food in my area. I ordered Chocolate Waffles with peanut butter parfait, banana and candied popcorn. It was sweet, crunchy, and utterly delicious. I inhaled it all way too fast.
Alexia got toast with smashed avocado  with mint, lemon, and parsley. I was able to smell the greens from across the table!

I also tried a Mango and Passionfruit Lassi which I didn't quite like. It was too thick and grainy for my taste. But, other than that, brunch was a-ok. The decor and atmosphere made me excited to eat. Alexia and I have already talked about eating there again.

After brunch I changed into warmer clothes to head into the city. There were events throughout the day at Federation Square to celebrate Melbourne Day.

There was free cotton candy sponsored by the Royal Agriculture Show! I am going to be volunteering at the show so seeing their stand today made me eager for the date to come sooner.

The concerts ended and we walked towards the Royal Botanical Gardens to take a peek at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. I'm going to Hardwell and the Holi Festival of Colours, so I wanted to see what the venue looked like.

I love it! It was an open venue; nothing I've ever seen before.  I snuck on stage for some cheeky posing.

Our long walk around the gardens made me a very happy girl. It was so warm and sunny that I think I may have even gotten a slight tan!

Today was a really wonderful day. Happy birthday Melbourne, you've been good x

Off To The Shore!

Whenever I think of Australia I think of endless sun and long sandy beaches. After more than three weeks in Melbourne and not seeing the ocean even once, some girls and I decided to change that . Being used to seeing the ocean almost every week back home, I was craving the smell of the sea. The weather was much warmer yesterday which lifted our spirits and got us excited for the beach! We decided to visit Brighton Beach as it is closest to us and is famous for their colorful, painted huts.

After a merely 45 minutes journey by train, we finally saw glimpses of the Pacific Ocean.

There are two sides of Brighton Beach. The side closest to the train station is quieter and has sand that is much courser. We strolled along the ocean towards the other side of the beach which is where the bath boxes (huts) are located. 

There was an adorable puppy called Luna who kept running to us throughout the afternoon. We were all happy to give her a cuddle. Don't worry, Luna is owned and has her own collar. 

We sat on the sand and talked about the experience we've had in this country so far. It is crazy that it has almost been an entire month since we got here. I have grown to love what this city has to offer and I haven't even seen much of it yet. 

AFL Game

Australian rules football is a big thing in this country and I was lucky enough to go to one of the games! There is usually two games every weekend and you can always spot families in AFL (Australian Football League) gear sporting their favorite team colors on the train every Sunday. It was my turn this week to barrack (Australian slang for 'cheer') for Melbourne!
Conveniently, the stadium was a short train ride away from our dorms.

The stadium is in one of the more artsy and older areas of Melbourne, so the walk to the stadium was accompanied with cool graffiti that line all the walls.

We had our red warrior stripes on and were ready for the Melbourne team to win!

Unfortunately, our team did not win the game. We decided to treat ourselves to some lovely crêpes to ease the disappointment. 

I ordered the lemon and sugar crêpe. They are fool-proof and always so delicious.

I found it really cute that there were so many families playing football on the small grass area outside the stadium.

It felt awesome witnessing what typical Australian families do on the weekend. The children were adorable too! 

I hope I manage to get tickets to watch the AFL finals which are in mid-September. Today was a pretty fun day. Fingers crossed for decently priced tickets! 

Aussie Warehouse Party

So I recently went to a warehouse party in the city and it consisted of black-light, college kids, and large amounts of neon paint.

It was quite a hassle going from our dorms to this party. We had to take the train, switching lines in the middle of the journey. There was a large group of students on the same train as us who were obviously under the influence. It was nerve-wrecking trying to distance ourselves from the larger group knowing that there is a huge fine for being intoxicated in public in Melbourne. 

After finally getting to the correct station and walking through alleyways in the cold, we found the secret warehouse!

Overall, it was a fun night. I was ready to go home pretty early on since the public transportation in Melbourne stops operating at 12:20. Till next time!

Hello from down under!

I am starting my third week here in Melbourne and it's been quite the journey already. I'm adjusting well to the many cute cafés, vintage trinket stores and busy markets that line the streets of Melbourne. Since classes have started, my schedule has filled up quite a bit, giving me less time to roam the city and explore what this place has to offer. But, no fear! My evenings and weekends are usually free for my personal use.
On my second day here, my roommate (now basically my other half) Alexia and I decided to venture out from our dorms and look for the best study café for when we are full-blown college students. We didn't have to look far and was very impressed by the interior decor of our find.

The 2-story café is called Blac, and is usually visited by students and locals sipping coffees and indulging in the most beautiful sandwiches I've ever seen. But, what makes Blac a true hidden gem is what is on the level above.

The top floor is enough for any book-lover to want to visit every week. The ceilings are lined with books, with pages of stories hanging above your head as you eat. There are also shelves on the walls made from cut up novels.

Alexia and I both went for a chicken and avocado sandwich. Hands down one of the best sandwiches I've had. The fresh avocado and chicken was perfection.

I'm definitely going to be stopping by Blac a lot this semester. They have a courtyard which was not open when we were there so I'll be sure to check it out next time I walk by.