So much for the sleep

I've been awake since about 2am. My current theory is that I didn't eat enough last night and that is why I only got about 4.5 hours.

But we're not there yet.

Have I mentioned that Australia is known for its coffee? The best coffee I ever had before now was in Bali. Maybe it's the same coffee, I don't know. It's freakin' good. I looked up the best coffee in Melbourne, looked for places nearby with food, and found myself at The League of Honest Coffee. On the 10 minute walk there, I passed probably eight other coffee places, some with lines, which are probably just as good. I got a ham and cheese croissant and a large cappuccino, which came to me in a small cereal bowl:

While we are talking about coffee shops, I have to say that I feel a little awkward in Australia. I think it's in part because they drive on the left side, but I get the impression I am always just a little bit off from the correct place to be. I feel in the way. A little later, I almost took out a child at the museum (don't worry, he lived.) I have a discomfort with the idea that I am drawing attention to myself, which has been with me since I was a child. I had said that, since this is the first place I have traveled to where English is the primary language, I would have less of a mental load of either speaking another language poorly, or more likely, knowing the people there were speaking English to accommodate me. That is still true, and I did still have a mental speed bump to get over acclimating to being in a new place, where I feel like I don't belong. 

I walked straight to Carlton Gardens and the Melbourne Museum. When I arrived I noticed busloads of schoolchildren approaching the entrance. I was assured they would be keeping to a particular section of the museum. That ended up not quite being the case, but I was not overcome by screaming hoards. 

It's a great museum, containing a great deal of information about the aboriginal people of Australia. 

They had a section for dinosaurs and insects:

After getting a snack, I returned to Laneway Street Art, which is a collection of streets and alleys. Two of the most famous are Hosier Lane and AC/DC Lane.

I just had to look up that AC/DC was Australian. I thought they were British.

I went to the Queen Victoria Night Market. I got there when it first opened, so it was not that crowded. There was a ton of food and interesting merchants. I almost got myself some earrings but the sellers were not able to tell me if there was any silver in them. I ate dumplings and a pork bun and went back to my hotel.

I used the hotel hair dryer and the hotel robe, like a grown up.

I read, drank wine, booked events for the next couple of days, and made plans with a friend of Tim's. 

It was a very good day followed by a less-good night of sleep. 

To be continued....