Melbourne

Today's map.

Consciousness - at least at 5am, under a seat, with your face next to a decaying licorice bullet - can be overrated.  However, the crew on the Spirit had turned the lights on so that we could all experience the miracle of dawn two hours early.  My eyes felt like they'd been doused in brake fluid, set alight (fact check: does brake fluid burn?) and extinguished with a belt sander.  A look in the mirror confirmed that, yes, I am prone to exaggeration, but most Melburnians probably still mistook me for a crystal meth addict.

I'd arranged a free bed at my Aunt's place for two nights so that I could get some real sleep and spend some time in Melbourne.  Getting there, with my map showing all of greater Melbourne on two pages, was something of a challenge.  A couple of wrong turns into the commute saw me stuck in the school drop-off peak hour, heading the wrong way, with a severe case of sea legs.  Sea legs are fine in your car or your favourite pub, but not with 250kg of hot machinery between your legs. And a motorbike.

Anyway, I got there in one piece, parked the bike in the garage and flaked out the floor for a couple of hours.  It was bliss.

 My Aunt's garage.  Cool, eh?

Later that day, I went for a wander around Camberwell Junction to get a feel for the place.  There are an awful lot of painfully well-dressed people in that part of town.  Bumming around in my comfy motorcycle gear, I didn't have the guts to go into any of the cafes, where Gucci sunglasses and $100 t-shirts did their best to advertise the status of these beautiful people.  I dropped in on my Grandfather (Opa) and step-grandmother (Oma) at their retirement unit nearby.  

Their place was amazing!  We caught up over afternoon tea, which merged into snacks and wine, then a delicious salmon pasta for dinner.  It was fantastic to see them - so good that I only made it back to my Aunt's place at 9:30, when she and son Oscar were nearly in bed.  Oops...

After another day of cruising around on foot and spending time with the rellies, it was time to make a rendezvous with Cyclone Travis, the human whirlwind of enthusiasm.  More on that next entry.