Day One
Well hello there Melbourne! I arrived last night around 7pm and was greeted by an ecstatic DocCoffee (my lovely Aussie, caffeine obsessed husband). My flight was reasonably uneventful, and it turned out I could've kept a wee bit of all the stuff I maniacally turfed out while packing the night before, as nobody batted an eyelid at my overstuffed backpack and carry-on bag. Pfft. Oh well, at least my loss was someone else's gain! (You're welcome Robs!) I barely slept on either leg as my mind was too active and I was probably over-tired by that point, so I landed up watching four movies, which I think is a record for me! (St. Vincent was my favourite, Bill Murray was amazing as usual.)
And then, without any fanfare or fireworks (somehow huge life changes seem to warrant at least one of these things but they seldom materialise) I started my life in Melbourne. And, I didn't even cry. I just kind of breathed out. It was such a relief to be here, after all the months of stress and sleepless nights and waiting. DocCoffee whisked me away to our new apartment, a swish place in Brunswick East that looks more like a hotel than an apartment block. I got the tour, showered and ate, and pretty much passed out into one of the deepest sleeps I've ever had.
Today we went to a gorgeous little cafe across the road for coffee and breakfast, which was excellent, and then marched off to Ikea to get ourselves our very first couch as a married couple. We shopped for ages, and came back having bought quite a few things for our new home. (It's crazy that we have been married almost 5 months and only now are we starting to live together for the first time!) Later hubby went off to work for an hour and I made a solo trip to the supermarket for dinner stuff. I'm already so in love with the idea of not having a car, and catching public transport or walking instead. Yes, carrying two shopping bags home is a little taxing, but I can't believe how lazy we get when we have cars. I'm really looking forward to the exercise that I'll get from not having the luxury of just climbing into a car even for a short trip to get bread and milk. (A tight ass is on the list of new-me Melbourne goals!)
Fittingly, the conversation ahead of me in the queue at Coles, between the cashier and the elderly man shopping, was about how long they'd each been living in Melbourne. One was 45 years, the other just a year, and there was I, eaves-dropping with almost one whole day under my belt. (People seem so chatty here, it's really lovely.) They both agreed they love it here, and I must admit, I have a feeling I will too.