Living the Life!

Yesterday we moved to St Kilda as a temporary place before we set off on the BIG trip we tried to start at the beginning of the year.

For all those who don't know Melbourne, St Kilda is the lifestyle capital of Melbourne. It has an eclectic array of places from brothels to elaborate beachfront mansions, homeless shelters to retro apartments, to iconic cultural tourist attractions to backpacker hovels. It really has everything. The wining and dining is rich in ethnicity as well as quality, the architecture is amazing, and the lifestyle is second to none. The owner of our little abode for the next couple of months has lived in St Kilda most of his life, and says that when he lived here, he only travelled about 2000 kilometres a year in his car, as everything is so central, or it's just so easy to catch public transport, go grocery shopping or simply meet up with friends in a trendy cafe. Your friends tend to gravitate to you rather than you go to the suburbs to see them. It's the beauty of St Kilda.

The place we have is on the 2nd floor (top floor) of a classic 1960s building. Three levels of stairs to climb gives us a sweeping view of the bay, the glistening lights of Brighton Road and a glorious panoramic view of the stunning bluestone church built in 1872, the St Kilda Presbyterian Church. The apartment is fully renovated with timber floors in the open plan living area, granite fully stocked kitchen, sparkling spa bathroom, 2 large bedrooms & a Euro laundry. Everything is thought of including hotel touches of French shampoos and soaps, an endless supply of towels, luxurious sheets and a library of inspirational books.

Last night, we went for a walk down to Fitzroy Street for dinner at Topolinos. We by-passed the hooker standing at the top of our street (who just happened to be still standing there when we returned!), and walked the five minutes to the restaurant mecca of St Kilda. It was a beautiful still night, not too crisp a winter's night yet, but a perfect start to our St Kilda lifestyle.

Today, we will venture down to the Neptune Street adventure playground to see what all the fuss is about! Apparently, it has something for kids of all ages (including me!). There's so much to do... a walk around Albert Park Lake, walks along the beach, a tranquil stroll through St Kilda Botanical Gardens, a tram ride to the city, Luna Park, overseas bands playing at the Palais, a grunge fest at the Espy... all the things I wished I had the time to do, and now that it's on my doorstep, I don't think I have any excuses. Let's see how much we can cram into the next 2 months!