melbourne: so much to see, so much to do

we're off on our great ocean road trip tomorrow but before we jet off for a couple of days i thought i'd use to the opportunity to do a quick update. we set off today into a typically uncertain melbourne weather - grey and cloudy but reasonably warm so we layered up but before you knew a few minutes outside and it's boiling hot. but then it's chilly again. and then it's cold again. i think i'm getting used to this now.

first up, the botanical gardens. these really are beautiful. we strolled around, spotted some black swans and even caught a snippet of the wind in the willows kiddie's performance (i did want to stay and see the end but best get on!).

following that we made our way over to queen victoria market which was bustling and selling all sorts of goods from fruit & veg to souvenirs.

i even bought myself a snazzy new hat to keep the unpredictable melbourne sun off of my 'ead.

i had a really tasty spinach and cheese borek for lunch from a hugely popular turkish stall. i can see why it was so popular, it was delish! we had planned to get sausages for the great ocean road trip's evening dinner (we're staying in a cottage with a bbq) but unfortunately we were too late as the stalls closed at 2 so they had to be sourced from elsewhere! 

after our shopping and lunch we went to the carlton suburb of melbourne where we perused the local shops on lygon street and eyed up the many italian delis and restaurants. apparently this area is also known as little italy and i can see why. we stopped for tea and cake in the most glorious cake shop and rested our little feet for a mo'.

on arrival home the gentlemen modelled the selection of hats available in the house, i think they look rather snazzy too. my hat is the best though.