Tasmania to Tokeyo – Melbourne – Day 17 can be found here.
The pre-cruise portion of our trip is drawing to an end, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. We’re thrilled that the Sydney and Tasmania portions went as well as they did, from the Sydney bridge climb to hiking Cradle Mountain and everything in between.
Melbourne has been good too – not the easily-definable, checklist-style good of the initial two legs, but solid all the same.
We’re shifting gears now. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We have to tackle homework, manage far-away house business, and book the last of our Japan excursions or we’re going to get caught out later on.
A relaxed start to this morning, then off to Lafayette Cafe for breakfast. We’re not entirely certain whether it’s open as Instagram states that they are closed but Google says otherwise – in Google we trust, so off we go.
On the way we spot a furry tram car:
And then we reach Lafayette Cafe:
And they’re open!
My wife has a chai latte:
The kids ask for iced mochas for breakfast – and what a treat those are:
I have the Croque Monsier:
My wife has avocado tartine (toast):
The kids have the classic French toast:
And Nutella French toast:
It’s all very, very good – and in such a beautiful cafe too. A true oasis in the heart of Melbourne:
After, my wife picks up some tissue paper for a gift bag we’re passing along to friends later today. (We had asked at the hotel, but they brought up a box of tissues instead of tissue paper.) We also pick up a few extra school supplies – including a compass to replace the one seized in Launceston – and replacement sunglasses for both kids.
We then head off to visit with friends from our very first Silversea cruise from Dublin to Greenland, so no photos. It was lovely catching up – always great to swap travel stories, and they served such an incredible spread of food and wine. Hope we can return the favour one day!
We briefly consider walking back, but our son has an English test to study for and we all need to start packing up – so we hop in another Uber. Back to the hotel room for more reading / writing / homework, followed by some more packing and rolling. We can actually use the full space in our carry-on bags this time, which makes it much easier to fit everything in our larger suitcases.
Off to dinner! Kids have asked to eat at Blossoms – the Pullman’s rooftop restaurant – so that’s where we’re headed:
It’s quite the place:
Photo Credit: Pullman Melbourne City Centre
With lovely views:
I start with a frozen Paloma:
And the kids split a margherita pizza:
My wife has the proscuitto pizza:
And I have the salumi with pesto:
All very tasty, but best if folded in half to semi-contain the toppings.
It’s soon time to bid Blossom adieu:
The kids head off to bed, and the adults should really do the same – but I can’t help but feel like I’ve missed capturing some vital part of Melbourne. So I head back down to the street with my proper camera:
Much better.
One last look out the window:
And it’s time to call it a night.