Melbourne calling again!

Day six in Melbs. So we've divided our time, thus far, across several neighbourhoods to get a feel for the throbbing city. A few of days in St Kilda kicked us off; we discovered an edgy - but effortlessly cool - district by the sea bay. Loads of smart funky wee bars and shops made for a great mooch. Espying interesting architecture and friendly peeps at every turn we wandered for hours... 

Thereafter, we enjoyed a couple of nights in the city at The Crown Metropol where we were knocked out by the 'lane ways' of chi chi little restos and fascinating boutique stores. The architectural vibe in the downtown core spans glass towers to Belle Epoque and French Renaissance to British Victorian. And pretty much every build style and period in between. Purists, modernists, traditionalists, revivalists - everyone would find something here to inspire.

Now we're over at The Cullen, an 'Art' hotel in Prahran. Every wall groans under the weight of interesting paintings, sculpture and craft. Last night we went on a pub crawl and met with a totally boho hood with some awesome bartenders who truly know their mixology. We've been knocking back what we can only describe as the best 'Old Fashioned' Martinis we have ever had. The Bourbon and Bitters mix here is sublime. Quite by accident (don't ask!) we stumbled into a 'speak easy' entered through a fridge door in a fast food store. But that's a hush hush venue and we've been sworn to secrecy...

Australia.com is blowing us away. We had NO idea what this place would be like. And OF COURSE we understand we've only just arrived and that we've seen only 1% of the country. The aspect that most blows us away? The people. Without a doubt. We have been made to feel SO welcome everywhere. And we're not just talking about the folk who enjoy our shows on Lifestyle and ABC2 - we're talking about the peeps we meet that have no idea what we do. Strangers, but some already new friends. We recognize so much of the warm spirit we adore in Scotland and in Canada. And we feel so at home...