Melbourne, Australia (trip 1)

May 11 - 21, 2007

Now for the second leg of our flight. We flew out of Hong Kong the evening of May 10 on Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com) on an Airbus A-330 in First Class. We were pampered all the way! I was the only one awake on an overnight flight in the first class cabin so I felt like a king. Three flight attendants rotated through the cabin. The flight itself is 9 hours to Melbourne. We were almost diverted to Sydney due to seriously thick fog, but we just made it in time. Melbourne Airport (a.k.a. Tullamarine) (www.melbourneairport.com.au) was very easy to navigate and the people were very friendly.

We snagged our bags off the conveyor belt and met our driver from Monarch Corporate Hire at the door. There really is nothing quite like a big, comfy Holden to sit in after a posh flight. The hotel of choice this time was the Prince Hotel (www.theprince.com.au) in St. Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne. The Prince Hotel is a modest size, 40 room, contemporary spot with its own wine cellar and a great restaurant by the name of Circa.

The next morning I met a friend at Circa and had to use a special card to work the service elevator to get to the floor for the restaurant. The staff was really helpful getting me around. We had a coffee there then wandered to Monroe's on Fitzroy Street and had breakfast inside. Monroe's had one step to get in the door but was quite accessible. They did have to move stuff out of the way for the "accessible" restroom on the first floor that was pretty tight. Then we wandered around the park on the water. Later that day Jim and I went house shopping for him. He is looking to move here for work.

St. Kilda is famous for its restaurants, bars and nights life, originally a seaside resort community, with multiple parks to wander and a beautiful view of Melbourne from the Pier. St. Kilda is right next to Albert Park, where the annual Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix is held around Albert Park Lake. The Esplanade or "Espy" started back in the 1880's as a high class hotel and night club with live music every night of the week. All of these places within walking distance of the Prince.

One day we decided to take the tram to the City Center. Every 1 in 5 were flat bottom accessible trams, so if you don't get to catch the first one by just wait a few minutes and you can still catch a ride. The stops were raises concrete, higher than normal, which made getting on and off really easy. In the middle of the city there are many shops along the streets, all pretty good to get into, minus one small step usually. The shopping mall in the center of the city was really cool and so easy to get around.

Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, with the historic Shot Tower inside towering in the epicenter of the mall, is located in the CBD (Central Business District) on the corner of La Trobe and Swanston Streets. The precinct covers two city blocks and its boundaries lie within Lonsdale, Swanston, La Trobe and Elizabeth Streets. A multitude of bus and tram lines bring you right to the door. Just outside and around the corner was St. Paul's Cathedral (www.stpaulscathedral.org.au) right in the City Square on the corner of Flinders Street and Swanston Street, started in 1880 and was not finished until the late 1920's with the completion of the spires, used to be held as the tallest building in Melbourne.

After getting our fill of the mall we took the tram back to St. Kilda and got Jim for dinner at Termini (www.termini.com.au) a very nice Sicilian/Italian restaurant with great food and good wine. The wait-staff was very knowledgeable and extremely friendly. Accessibility was a bit tight, but they helped out where ever they could.

The next day was a bit rainy but we wandered along the beach down this nice bike path at sun down. The weather in May is their fall but it is still really warm with a light jacket.

Next day up, I went to the Land Rover Dealership with Jim to pick out his new truck. He picked out an LR2 and got all the paperwork done that day. He got a truck I got a hat. Thanks, Land Rover! ha ha ha. Later that night I went with a group of friends to a Stencil Art exhibition then to a Moroccan soup bar for dinner. There really is nothing quite like Moroccan Vegan food! Good times!

Most of my days on this trip were spent in the hotel room sick and resting. I had gotten a cold in Hong Kong and was nursing it most of the time in Melbourne. So, after a day of rest I went to dinner with Jim and some of his friends at the Enoteca (www.churchstenoteca.com.au) restaurant in Richmond. After a killer meal and good laughs I then took a cab to one of my friend's place in Brunswick. The cabbie got lost and took forever. It seems that they hire cab drivers right off the plane. I think I will just learn how to drive on the left side of the road for next time! For a change we went to the DFO (Discount Factory Outlet) for some clothes shopping, which is another large mall in the city center and then to North Carlton for dinner at La Luna (www.lalunabistro.com.au) with Jim and some of my friends there in North Carlton.

Getting around the city was mostly by foot and by cab (when they get the directions right). Melbourne and the suburbs are pretty easy to navigate. The curbs are cut out well and the sidewalks are paved well.

The Last day there I went down to the pier right by the hotel and met my friends there for lunch. The Little Blue Restaurant had some really tasty food from sea food to pasta and even sandwiches. That night Jim and I went back to Termini for dinner. This time we sat outside on their heated patio. A rather large group of women came in mid-meal and made it difficult to hear each other talk sometimes even think. Apparently there was a celebratory baby shower going on this night. Glad for them but my head still hurts. All in all, it was still a great meal.

Now it is time to head back to Europe so Jim and I took another town car for the 20 minute drive to the airport. After a little last minute shopping in the airport we boarded our 747-400 for Hong Kong on my new favorite Cathey Pacific. After having some fun with the TSA in the Hong Kong Airport, we wandered and shopped some more. I had to do something to kill the 9 hour layover before heading to London.

Now getting to and through London Heathrow Airport became an adventure all in itself. After a 14 hour flight I headed to the accessible bathroom to change clothes and freshen up a bit. Festos, my TSA rocked! Then we got to our new terminal and the security guard on a power trip said my bag was too big. Mind you I just came through that particular airport 2 weeks prior and it was fine. So, this meant that we had to take the bus to another terminal for British Airways and check that bag for my flight. Then take another bus back to the same spot I was to get through security. Then the security scan took FOR EVER! I got back at him though. He, for some reason picked me to go completely through my whole day pack and briefcase searching every single item. When he got to the bottom it was filled with the dirty laundry that I had left over from the trip. HA! It sure was a good thing that we had a 5 hour layover or we would have never made our flight to Geneva. Good times in London!

From London to Geneva actually made up for the hassle. Captain Malcolm on our British Airways flight rocked! He helped keep my chair from going under the plane and possibly getting lost or messed up, not to mention just being a really personable guy. It never ceases to amaze me how some of the smallest things can make a day so much better. As we were taxiing down the runways the flight attendant was going over the safety instructions that EVERYONE and their mother has heard and as we were getting ready for takeoff they were passing by checking if we were wearing our seat belts and the guy to my right across the aisle was not and got snotty with the nice flight attendant. Then, get this, his mobile phone starts ringing! Hello, you are on a plane! Once again they asked him to turn it off. After he felt he was done with his super important phone call he hung up and turned it off so the rest of us could be on our way and the plane could actually take off. I am sorry if this sounds a little rude of me, but this guy should have known better and had even a slight bit of courtesy for the rest of us on the plane.

The flight from London to Geneva is about an hour and a half with an hour drive from Geneva to Lutry making the whole trip from Melbourne to Lutry 40 hours total. My goodness am I tired and so ready to crash. I am exhausted! Good night