Friday
Had every intention of getting up this morning, but instead had a giant lie in - mmm mmm. Hopped on the tram into town and discovered it was free transport everywhere today - not sure why but it seems a good idea.
Visited the Old Melbourne Gaol as Nik has not been to a prison before, and Hannah is particularly interested in prisons. This one was grim - no biscuits or book club here! Saw lots of cells, read stories about some bad crimes and learned about execution methods too. Also we went in another bit where we were treated like prisoners in the holding cells and got locked in them with lights out and everything. It was very good and gave Nik a chance to try out the new camera lots.
Afterwards, we went for a walk to the Queen Victoria Market which was excellent. There were many cheeses and wines and some brilliant fruits and vegetables, including Buddha hands and giant lemons. You could also buy a baby chicken for 2.50 - alive that is! Very cute. Plus we went in a pet shop and saw some excellent birds - zebra finches, rabbits, guinea pigs, and best of all PUPPIES. They were super cute and we wanted to get one. We also saw some excellent stuff in the 'general retail' area including leather top hats, basques and general tat. We finished our trip to the market with a treat of feta stuffed peppers and some falafel which was so delicious we couldn't stop talking about it.
En route back through town, Hannah bought some furry boots, as she is sick of looking like a boy/homeless person in her dirty trainers. Plus they were super cheap - the real uggs are still expensive most places here and the majority of shops selling 'real uggs' are hawking fakes anyway.
We had considered squeezing in a trip to visit 10th Planet Ju Jitsu today but the man couldn't do a convenient time, and Nik cannot grapple anyway. We had also considered having an evening out at the comedy club, but as Nik cannot have a drink due to being on the drugs, we decided to save that for another time. Instead, we cooked curry and Lebanese bread back at the hostel for tea. We also chatted to Pat (who runs the hostel) about us going to the Aussie Rules at the MCG tomorrow, and he is going to come too and run us down there (no need for an early morning - hooray!). Also, it now seems a bit of a team has got together for it and lots of other hostel people are going to come too which will be nice. As such, Nik is considering trying a day off of the drugs so he can have a beer! It will be good practice for Sunday anyway as we have booked to go on a wine tasting tour of the Yarra Valley so Nik will definitely be partaking in an alcoholic beverage during that one.