our first Australian weekend.

Well, we've survived a week in Melbourne! No shark attacks, deadly crocodile encounters or kangaroo burglaries - although we really should knock on wood about that last one. We spent our first Australian weekend exploring a bit of the downtown area, mostly searching for housing. Hotel living is a blast, but Ben and I have been living out of suitcases since the end of August. We're ready to unpack.

On Saturday, we scoured our favourite real estate website, which was full of scheduled viewings for nice one and two-bedroom apartments. Ben made a list of addresses and times, and we took the tram into the city for our first "house hunters international" experience - minus the cheesy interviews and staged discussions.

The morning viewings were unsuccessful, as the first few real estate agents never showed up, but we had more luck in the afternoon. We didn't find anything to apply for, but it gave us a good idea of what our budget can get us. We've decided to focus on looking for a high-rise apartment in the beautiful Docklands area, preferably with two bedrooms and a decent amount of living space. Ben really wants an HD TV so he can use his WiiU, and I want a really nice view and a decent kitchen counter for all my cooking adventures. Our new home should also be close to a hospital, in case one of those cooking adventures goes awry...

In the chaos of moving we hadn't had a chance to see "Thor 2" yet, so on Saturday night we went to one of the nearby movie theaters, Hoyt's. Tickets for a regular 2D movie were $19.50 each, and our concessions added up to about $16 (the Thor Hammer collectible cup was only 80 cents more, by the way). Needless to say, we will not be attending the movies very often. Interesting fact: down under, they assign seats in the movie theater, even when it's almost empty. They ask you for your preference, but still - it's not a Broadway show. Or an airplane.

On Sunday, we met up with a woman named Anne, who is a good friend of Ben's former auto insurance agent. A former Whidbey Islander, Anne has been living overseas since she was a teenager, and now has lived in Australia longer than she has anywhere else. She absolutely loves living in Melbourne and was very helpful in the weeks leading up to our big move, answering any questions we had, e-mailing us with advice on tons of random stuff. 

Anne's love and enthusiasm for Melbourne was very apparent as she took us on a fantastic driving tour of the city. She drove us through every neighborhood and landmark, pointing out her favourite places to eat and hang out, streets where she had previously lived, and parts of the city that were once wastelands, but had recently been transformed into hubs of culture and fun. We had brunch at one of her favorite spots near Kew, where the food was delicious and the service extremely friendly (our server told us that we had "such beautiful accents" -HAHA really??- and told us all about the Melbourne night markets, which we definitely want to check out soon). We stopped at St. Kilda's for drinks, which is pretty much Melbourne's beach town. Wandering around the crowded sidewalks reminded me a tiny bit of my days in South Florida, but with a much more exotic vibe. We visited Anne's house for a bit, attended a quick showing of another apartment, then had an early dinner at another delicious restaurant near the Hawthorn neighborhood. 

It was such a fantastic experience to be taken around by a friendly and informative local, especially one who knows the culture we come from, helping us adjust to differences both obvious and subtle. As Anne dropped us back at our hotel, she wished us the best in finding a place, offering to take us on a Costco run or help us move our stuff once the air shipment arrives. She even suggested that she and I hang out for a girls' night during the upcoming few weeks when Ben is working out of town. We've just met, and she's already genuinely looking out for our well being.

That's pretty awesome.

CK