Being introduced to someone you don’t know? Start with the outward appearance and later find the veins that provide their pulse. Such is our planned exploration of our new friend Melbourne.

What we planned:

Day 3 was our arrival in Melbourne and a chance to absorb her look, followed by this day of getting more intimate with our first planned tour, which promised we would discover “Hidden Secrets.”

After the mid-morning-to-early-afternoon tour, we might grab grub and make our way to the second sports-related palace we visit on our own time, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

There will be time and energy to dine at a Melbourne restaurant this evening. The challenge will be to choose just one. Continue reading Day 4: Melbourne – our first tour →

We arrived at 8:20am Australia Eastern Standard Time on Monday as planned. It took an hour to get through the airport, being processed through lines for immigration, collecting our luggage, and another long line for customs. All went smoothly, and a driver named Ram met us outside baggage claim. His ride was a true limo, so we arrived in style, riding the white cloud from the suburban airport until we could see the tall buildings of the CBD (Central Business District) and sweep to our hotel just two blocks from the south bank of the Yarra River. Continue reading Day 3: Melbourne – Getting Settled →

Is this time TRAVEL? No, it is travel TIME. Owing to our long flight across the international date line, we never experience the second calendar day of our trip.

What I am trying to explain is this: When our plane flight takes off from Los Angeles, it’s Day 1 on the calendar in the U.S.A., and when we land it is Day 3 on the calendar in Australia. Continue reading Day 2: There is no Day 2! →

We jet off for Australia. It seems like a long time to travel … by today’s standards. We will spend 16 hours in the air from Los Angeles to Melbourne, and another 5 hours flying to L.A., where we wait just a few movements of the little hand on the clock for that epic flight to Melbourne. Continue reading Day 1: Leaving on a Jet Plane →