So Long Sydney, Good Morning Melbourne

Since my coach ride from Sydney to Melbourne wasn't leaving until later in the evening yesterday, I had most of my day free to do as I pleased. Although I had used them as a shortcut from Circular Quay to my new accommodation two and a half weeks ago, I hadn't taken the time to thoroughly explore the Royal Botanic Gardens and enjoy them. As it was a place that I had wanted to visit for

a while, I decided to walk over to the gardens and spend a solid amount of time there, just soaking in their beauty.

When I first arrived, I came across the Palace Garden Gate and found my way to the absolutely stunning rose garden. After meandering around the roses for a short while, I noticed that I had an obstructed view of the opera house so I continued on in search of the coveted view of the opera house in front of the harbour bridge, which based on my map, I figured I would be able to see from closer to Mrs. Macquaries Point. Luckily, it was a much shorter walk to that general area than I had anticipated because I knew I had to leave myself enough time to grab my belongings

and make it to the bus station on time. It was definitely worth it to make a second trip to the Royal Botanic Gardens, and I'm so glad that I took the time to see more of them this time around. My only regret was that I didn't spend more of my time there while I was in Sydney, but I'm sure I'll be a frequent visitor once I return in the fall.

The only way to describe the journey from Sydney to Melbourne was that it was long. Oh right, and cold. Typically, I'm pretty well-prepared to keep warm with plenty of layers of clothing when travelling by bus, train, or plane, but unfortunately, this time wasn't one of those cases. I was lucky that a friend could help me bring my oversized luggage to the train station, but then once I arrived at my intended destination, I needed to make my way to the coach station, which wasn't as close to the train station as I had been led to believe. By the time I reached the coach station, I had started to work up a little sweat so it didn't dawn on me that I should remove my heavier jacket for the ride to Melbourne; however, I was grateful to at least have my lighter sweatshirt with me on board. Towards the beginning of the trip, the driver put in The Hangover [Lauren!], which was a hilarious movie;

now I feel like I could watch the sequel again and understand it better.

Once we made it to Melbourne, a friend I had met while living in London, Ben, met me at Southern Cross Station and graciously helped me bring my suitcases to his house, which is where I'll be staying for a few nights. We ate breakfast at a local cafe that's not too far from his place and a little later, he showed me around Melbourne's city centre, including Federation

Square and the State Library of Victoria. True to everyone's word, Melbourne does have a European and artsy feel to it. Uniquely, many of Melbourne's alleyways and even some of the main streets and buildings are decorated with detailed street art. It's been a truly interesting sight to see as I had never seen anything quite like it prior to today.

I feel like I'm going to love living in Melbourne.