Monday in Melbourne
Cold and fresh, undeterred by either tiredness or the chill factor I went with Kepsibel into the city where we had a great breakfast at Captains of Industry a most unusual, hipsterish cafe. Industrial in design it used to be an old shoe factory and is now retro fitted to accommodate an airy cafe staffed by faintly bearded young men who look vaguely Amish and pale. The food was wonderful soda bread with mashed avocado and a pear, almond and saffron chutney.
Sufficiently fueled we went to collect the items on my first part of the shopping list, which was fun, if not a bit overwhelming to be amongst such choice and retail affluence. We found bargains in David Jones, where I was also mistaken for a sales assistant, which I didn't mind so much so I did my best.
We went to ACMI and spent a brilliant afternoon amongst the exhibits in the free Moving Pictures event.
Afternoon tea was taken in DeGraves at another hip coffee place, Melbourne does eating really well and this was borne out again at dinner which we had in the Retreat Pub in Brunswick with Severen, Lyndon and Af. After cider and nachos Kepsibel and I took the train back into the city and then out to South Yarra where I got a tram to the hotel and she continued to Balaclava. On my own I found the emptiness of the streets a little daunting as I waited for the tram, and pondered the subtle shifts that get made in the subconscious mind through altered environments.
Happy New Year
Ambassador Cab in Delhi Tanja and I with Monks Tripping Out Alone gave me a year of adventure through 2010, and as this year draws to a close I have both my daughters in Bali with me. Kepsibel, having graduated, took a five month adventure of her own that allowed her to spread her wings from New York, to London to California and back to Melbourne via a weekend with me in Bangkok and Severen who has come back to visit from Melbourne where she is succeeding in her University studies and enjoying her teaching placements. It is such a great feeling to know they are now on their own paths to their futures. This past year I have had the great fortune and freedom to travel to diverse and beautiful locations and be in the company of wonderful people, some strangers, some friends, and some strangers who became friends. The year started in Burma...
http://www.acmi.net.au/timeslice/Timeslice.htm?file=ts-20111010-0cc210e7a25bfcbe1fe1ec5e905c09f5.flv
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