MELBOURNE

The Beauty of Melbourne is that no two experiences are alike. I found myself there last weekend for the opening of Italian Masterpieces at the National Gallery of Victoria. With over 7 gallery rooms with more than 70 painting never before seen outside of the Madrid's Prado museum, the display it is one of the most outstanding exhibitions to come to Australia in recent years. The Italian Masterpieces by the likes of Raphael, Titian and Correggio are painting from the Spanish Royal Collection. Rich with devotional insperation heavily influenced by biblical imegedry and the Catholic Reformation in the 16th Century.. Unfortunately many paintings from this period lost or destroyed therefore the rarity of this era means I would highly recommend the exhibition to everyone. The most significant affect this exhibit had on me was the strong feeling of connect with the painters who lived their life for their craft. To be this incredibly good at anything, one must practice, practice, practice every day of their existence, certainly something to aim towards.

While I was in Melbourne I decided to put together a little guide for anyone who hasn't been before:

As much as I’d like to say that we strolled the streets hoping to stumble across hidden treasures, we actually started each day with a rough idea of the areas we wanted to explore. We did still stumble across treasures that in turn wove our days in different unforeseen directions.

Several Favorite Spots that need mentioning are:

Degraves Street

An hustle-bustle lane full of cafés that blend into one another with a strip of umbrella’s and tables in the centre of the lane. A beautiful place to start the weekend with brunch but get in early as this place gets incredibly busy.

Hardware Lane

This little lane runs between Bourke Street and Little Lonsdale Street. A personal favourite  is one of the lanes that I seem to stumble upon every time I am in  Melbourne. Very friendly staff and simple, well presented food at good prices. I had the best Smashed Avocado and Fetta Toast I have had in a really long time at the Larder section café.  

Tropicana Juice Bar – CBD

Yummo, this place has bags of oranges hanging from its external walls, hard to miss and hard to forget. Tropicana juice bar has everything from juices and smoothies, to a South American top secret ingredients juice with money back guarantee!  and all kinds of breakfast deals. These guys have been making juices since before it was ‘cool’ so I’d trust them with almost any concoction. Just make sure you bring cash as they don’t have EFTPOS facilities.

Monkey Bean Café – Toorak

Venturing out of the CBD we found this little gem with the help of my Partner’s old boarding master. I must say they served the most dense Jaffa Cake I have ever eaten, beautiful big portions and everything is presented with love, definitely somewhere to go on a coffee date or an afternoon meeting. It was dog friendly too!

Veggie Bar – Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

Moving from one side of Melbourne to the next, Fitzroy is a must for any creative. Lined with incredible shops and cafés you can easily spend a day marveling at the little treasure troves you’ll find here. An eclectic mix of art, boutique fashion, artsy and alternative stores such as Kleins Perfumery a little gift heaven nestled in the street that smells delicious. Veggie Bar is a gorgeous café that is even better for your insides. It screams health and style and the warehouse space is wonderfully cosy with floor to ceiling windows, a ponytail palm in the centre of the courtyard and an all-round experience in itself.

Rose Street Markets – Fitzroy

A true highlight and we only found out about the markets by visiting the Brunswick Street bookstore where I almost bought an autobiography by Hans Christian Anderson but did buy Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon. The lovely staff told us what was to see on a Saturday morning and mentioned the markets. It became our mission to find them and it was delightful. Like a handpicked amount of stalls ranging in the most creative and incredible talents. We couldn’t leave without buying a few bits and pieces of jewelry, hand painted pillowcases and if it weren’t for the flights home I would have bought a Terrarium.

Hairy Canary – CBD

Situated on Little Collins Street, Hairy Canary had a delectable cocktail list. The Bar tenders were incredibly tentative and I really enjoyed paying the bill at the end instead of the nightclub style pay-as-you-drink and sitting at a little table tasting the delicious elixirs. It was incredibly cosy and warm, perfect for cooler nights as I felt it had a romantic vibe, my partner on the other hand felt it was a little claustrophobic so pick your date wisely.  

Warra Warra – CBD

I must admit Korean BBQ is an experience in itself. Coming from a small town before I moved to Brisbane I had never eaten anything Asian besides Chinese takeout from the local Take-away shop. Korean food is amazing! If you haven’t tried it, I dare you. Be sure to try the Bulgogi (Marinated Beef BBQ), Kimchi ( spiced and/or fermented cabbage) and with Japanese influence they also serve Yakitori ( skewered Chicken, Prawns or vegetables). Another favourite is Plum wine, buy a bottle between two or more and sip away at the most delectable sweet wine.

Ca de Vin -  CBD

My final dinner in Melbourne was met with a cold evening drizzle. We didn't feel like venturing far from our hotel and thought we would try out Ca de Vin after a temptingly long anticipated shop at H&M next door. We were welcomed by the authentic Italian accent that automatically puts you in a wine and hearty food kind of mood. The atmosphere was dreamy and if I tried hard enough not to remember our day I was felt like I was in Italy. We ordered Marinated olives with Chorizo, herbs and fennel seeds, Saganaki hot pan kefalograviera cheese and organic honey plus the tastiest Calabrese pizza I’ve had in Australia. Definitely topped off a wonderful evening after a shop at the new GPO H&M shop for sure.