Melbourne papillons

The butterflies are starting to set in (not the papillons d'amore that my friend recently translated for me, but almost as uncomfortable). Interestingly it's not New Zealand that's got me nervous but Melbourne, where I'm going to be spending a few days before flying overseas. My initial plan was to spend the time soaking up the Melbournian lifestyle, drinking fancy cocktails, sipping cafe lattes at boutique cafes and shopping at the trendiest stores. Now I've had time to do my research a little more I've had my eyes opened to how huge the inner city of Melbourne really is, not to mention that the best of it is hidden away and can only be accessed through a labyrinth of dingy alleys and byways. Planning my trip this way round means that anything I pick up in Melbourne will need to be taken with me to NZ but I'm hoping the upshot of this is that I'll pick up some good cold climate clothes that I just cant find here in sunny Brisbane, the temperatures in NZ and Victoria being roughly the same. So if I step off the plane and start shivering I'll have the most legitimate of excuses for running to the nearest boutique. Of course.
The Caxton seafood festival was to be the highlight of this weekend, but tragically the gods of marketable enterprises did not want it to be. Friends who have been to the festival in Paddington for three years running swear by it as a great day out, and very well it might have been if the planners hadn't decided to include some well-known bands in the lineup for entertainment. Regular diners and festival goers there only for the sea critters and wine were shouldered out by the screaming masses of trashy youth who showed up for the bands. In short, the festival had turned from a cultural and culinary experience to a rock concert. The two local pubs were swamped with festival rejects and those who just didn't have the strength of will to cool their heels for a couple of hours for some live music and a prawn on a stick. People were honestly taking pictures of this line. Fortunately the evening was salvaged by a trip to Hanaichi's for some sushi and sake. Sushi fixes everything, or was that sake...

-- H in Oz