We split our time in Melbourne between reading multiple books - I read Tangerine in 2 days which is a powerful story and depiction of obsessive female friendship that perfectly encapsulates the Moroccan decor and markets - and I then started the My Brilliant Friend series by Elena Forrente, a great family drama following the lives of two girls growing up in the Naples, Italy. We explored our local area of Balaclava and St Kilda as-well as the city centre, where we wandered through the hustle and bustle of the side streets, sat in cafes enjoying the famous Melbourne flat white and mooched in boutique-y shops.

The weather remained a steady 38 degrees for a few days, which having come from 10 degrees and below in England, was just what we needed however, it was far too hot for baking on the beach for hours on end, leaving most mornings to be spent in the garden reading and afternoons on the beach. Once the weather had cooled down to a more bearable heat in the twenties, days were spent wandering aimlessly in the city, ducking in-between the side streets (sometimes dodging a little rain) finding the best places to eat, where to get a decent coffee and finding new books to take with us on our travels. Our favourite beach - Sandringham - was just a 15 minute train ride away so many late afternoons and early evenings were spent lying on a towel with our heads in a book or listening to music together, watching the sun go down.

We had an amazing Sunday afternoon at the National Gallery to see the Escher exhibition and a day at the F1 Grand Prix where we watched some practice races and were lucky enough to see 30+ beautiful vintage racing cars. On weekends, we drove out of the city to discover untouched coves, beautiful European esq. swimming spots, we explored the Peninsula, Arthur’s Seat and drove the infamous Great Ocean Road (leaving out the details here as I’m going to be writing separate features on each). 

The food in Melbourne was some of the best we’ve had. Endless delicious restaurants ranging from Authentic Italians, dumpling houses, Pho/Ramen bars, Mexican, fish bars, bagel cafes and more, the choice was never ending and each experience was topped off by the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans that wafted down each street as you walked by. 

Love, Jasmine x