Fun With Signs

We saw this sign last night and were very amused. (Hint: try reading aloud.)

Airport Reviews: Melbourne International

Or my new home away from home.  I do seem to be clocking up a lot of hours in this place.  Good news for you because I have hints hints hints!

(View from Cafe Vue) 

Overview

There is one terminal for all international departures from Melbourne.  Once you get past the troika of check in, security, immigration it’s actually pretty nice – you just have to get past them first.

The business end

There are plenty of shops and restaurants beyond security and I would advise getting airside with despatch as a) there’s not much to do landside (spell check wants to correct that to ‘landslide’) and b) as well as security you have to clear immigration/customs and the queues can be slow moving.  You have to fill out a departure card before you get to the head of the queue – you might want to do this at the desks provided.  Juggling your handbag, carry on, passport, boarding card and trying to fill out the form is an Olympic-level sport.  

The fun (?) part

The good news is that once you’re through, the terminal is pretty nice.  Mimco is good for girly presents (costume jewellery, handbags, hair accessories), Witchery for clothes basics (again for girls).  There are several shops peddling Akubra hats, Uggs, souvenir t-shirts, plush kangaroos, didgeridoos, merino wool jumpers etc.  Dreamtime Journey has some interesting indigenous-designed souvenirs.  There is also a shop called Australian Produce Store which, as well as selling confectionery, stocks the all-healing magical Paw Paw ointment.

For food, if you have time, I recommend Café Vue, an offshoot of Vue de Monde, one of Melbourne’s fanciest restaurants.  This is a café/bistro version, but you can get a decent meal and a glass of wine.  It is a bit pricey, but then by the time you’re leaving Melbourne you will have had to come to terms with your Melbourne sticker shock. Café Vue also do lunch boxes to take away – an excellent option if your airline charges for food (even if it doesn’t).  A memorable picnic on Air New Zealand to Auckland contained cold chicken, potato salad and a lemon tart whose memory makes my mouth water.

Overseen: Clifton Hill

Given a choice, which is better for showing clothes?

Mannequins with less personality ... (although I do like this idea)

And mannequins with more personality ...

And What I Want to Know Is...

I've been taking photos on my way to and from the project office in the mornings and evenings.  It's nice to have something in my day that's not purely work focused.  (Shout out to MA: 'work' focused.)  True to the spirit of this blog, I keep an eye out for the curious and amusing details along the way.  Like these faded signs, side by side on Gertrude St:

And what I want to know is - & cattle ... what?  Getting vaccinations?  Getting teeth extracted?  Having prescriptions filled?  Honestly, it keeps me awake at night.

Hipsters - I'm Disappointed in You

Poor hipsters.  The world over, they're mocked for their beards, their plaid shirts, their skinny jeans, their obsessions.  But in Collingwood, Melbourne they have a secure refuge.  All along Smith St you may find shops selling cult vinyl classics, atomic strength coffee and more vintage homeware than you can shake a stick at.

If there were a venn diagram showing where hipster interests and Lady Traveller interests collide, the intersection would be at the point of the curious collectable.  HTLT, she loves a vintage map, a mid-century armchair,  a 1960s kitchen implement ... and is incapable of passing a secondhand bookshop without going in.

On a Saturday morning recently, I went into a vintage emporium in Collingwood and had a lovely time poking around until I saw this:



What happened to not judging books by their covers?  Books are not just for interior design - they need to be read!  Cherished!  Laughed at!

Since this doesn't quite meet the definition of hipster fail, I say (in the words of my primary school headmistress): hipsters, I'm disappointed in you.  

Too Hot to Blog

(That's the weather, not anything I might have written in a post.)  Yes, if you would know where your blogger has been this past week, the answer is a) working and b) sweltering.

After several days in the high thirties, the weather seems to be breaking with an almighty thunderstorm last night and torrential rain today.  But at least I know how to deal with rain.  When it was 38 degrees, on the other hand, my body struggled to cope.

Here's Marilyn on heatwaves - have a good week!

Overheard: High St, Armadale

Where: Industrial Revolution (purveyor of real and faux vintage homewares)

When: Saturday morning

What: father and son, both dressed for footy.

          Father: who wants any of this stuff?  C'mon, let's go to the
           footy.
          Kid: nooooooo.  Dad, this place is amazing.