Today we did the tourist thing in Melbourne.
We don't go into the city as a family often, don't know why.
We should do it more often. I love Melbourne. It's so jam-packed full of interesting things to look at. Sights, sounds, people, food...shops..the list goes on and on!

As a belated birthday celebration for D, we went to Westlake in Little Bourke Street for the best Yum Cha.
Delish!
Even if our favourite calamari didn't materialise before we got too full to fit it in, it was still fantastic. Have I mentioned the newly meat-eating child? Well, he made up for lost time by trying everything and pronouncing it ALL scrumptious. I LOVE that.
We were with my mum & dad who are our Yum Cha companions of choice. As usual we finished off our meal with a flaky, warm and sweet Egg Tart each. MMMmmmmmmm.

We wound our way in and out of the Games Shop (new Carcassonne pieces) Babushka Shop, Haighs for the best FRECKLES in the world and the Doll & Bear Shop, quick peek in Douglas & Hope.

Next on the tour of our town, we used a long-held voucher (bought at a kindergarten fundraiser) for the Eureka Tower Skydeck. We went the whole hog and also experienced THE EDGE, gravity defying block sliding out into the open air 88 floors up in the sky.
Believe me, that was an experience I don't need to repeat. I wasn't going to participate, but then I sometimes think of myself as a bit of a killjoy/martyr, so wherever possible I say YES to things I find myself cringing at. So YES I got in that glass box with the magically frosted windows, and I just about wet myself as it pushed out from the wall of the tower into open space, and then "hiss" and the glass was transparent and we could see above, below and all around us. I didn't really like it, though it was spectacular, and I really hated it when the windows sporadically fogged and cleared to freak us out. Kids loved it, that's what counts.

Onwards we went, now with a clear picture (from our aerial escapade) of the route to ACCA. I have never been in the gallery and wasn't familiar with the work of the currently featured artist. Pepper has been a few times with her friend Leo and his arty parents.
Unfortunately the exhibition didn't really grab any of us. Mackie, who can be rather harsh and judgemental at times, exclaimed "What makes THAT art? That's put me off art forever"

Luckily a good energetic run up and down the planes of the Yellow Peril cheered him up again.

We hopped a ride on the Melbourne Tourist bus outside the NGV, warmed up a little, hopped off one stop down the road at St Pauls.
Back to the carpark and home!