Spent a very pleasant day recently doing the Tourist Thing in Melbourne with our friends J & B from Sydney.
We used to do lots of Yum Cha's together when we lived in Sydney, so decided to repeat the experience in Melbourne. I was hanging out for a Yum Cha fix anyway so no hardship there.
We ended up at Shark Fin Inn in the heart of Chinatown's Little Bourke Street.
Yum Cha was good and we all overate as usual. Fortunately the 
custard tarts were discretely small and mere mouthfuls (mouthsful?). As it was Chinese New Year there was a character doing the rounds handing out fortune cookies.
I took the opportunity to browse one of the Chinese shops looking for New Year envelopes or any other items for my artworks. Found a few bits and pieces, including lettering copy books for children to learn how to write.
We Walked to the National Gallery only to find it closed on Tuesdays - so annoying.
After consulting the "What to do in Melbourne" book we decided on a trip down the Yarra by
ferry. What fun on such a perfect day weatherwise.
We caught the ferry at Southbank and had a different view of the city and riverside activities from our mobile breezemaker. We ended up at Docklands where we disembarked for a brief viewing of the restaurants and million$ apartments. We also managed to see the ocean racing yachts in the Volvo race as their crews biked from one spot on the jetty to another - all wearing their crew shirts and probably Volvo Bikes!!!
Back on the ferry we were on the last trip for the day so were offloaded at the exhibition centre from where we staggered walked !!! up to the Mercure apartments where J & B were staying.
Limping inside we flung ourselves onto the very chic and comfy furniture and downed a reviving rose or 2.
Tony and I then taxied to Fed. Square where we met up with other friends and enjoyed another great meal, this time at Arintji.
Well fed we rolled home, just in time to release our poor little cross legged baby dog to the joys of her outside toilet. What a good girl to hang on all day, wonders will never cease.
We enjoyed our touristy day so much that we decided to have another soon. ( and the lure of Yum Cha never wanes!)
