Mandatory Brunch and Exploration of the City

After landing in Melbourne at 4 AM, I wasn't as tired as I expected. The flight was faster than the initial estimate (5 hours 35 minutes) and we arrived in 4 hours and 40 minutes. I couldn't sleep at all because I'm a nervous flyer, so I played games on my phone and watched movies (Thanks Jetstar!) to kill time and ease my anxiety. Once I saw the city lights, my anxiety settled down and it felt so surreal.

I couldn't believe I was actually here.

It seemed too good to be true after all the struggle it took to get here-- last minute visas, tickets, a 6 hour delay, and some guy got quarantined on the plane.

Tullamarine was clean, pretty small and it was organized. Although, the baggages were slow and took at least 1 hour for me to get my luggage and go through customs and immigration.

Immigration was quick. I was really anxious since I thought they were going to ask me a lot questions but I got through super quick. Once I got out of the gate, I felt a wave of relief.

Of course, despite my mind taking in a whole lot of new sensations and views, my body was growing tired and cold (it was definitely freezing even though it was summer).

The drive to the house was exciting for me. I felt like I was in a new world. Everything was so big and beautiful.

We discussed what we wanted to do for my first day and decided to head into the city.

I was pretty nervous since it's public transport and I wasn't sure how the systems worked. I got a Myki card to use for the rest of my trip.

We took the train to the city from Dennis Station which is the train station at Northcote. It took us around 30 minutes and maybe more than 5 stops to arrive at Flinders Street Station.

I really wanted to try a flat white since that's the Aussie thing on my list and my favorite coffee. So we headed to Operator 25 for a mandatory brunch. I didn't go too crazy since we were going to get croissants.

Operator 25 at 25 Wills St

Miso Salmon and Flat White

After a nice brunch, we walked around the city and headed to the State Library of Victoria. It was amazing and just so big. There was also a museum and a lot of photogenic spaces. It's as impressive as I expected, but just a tad too crowded.

State Library of Victoria

We went to Agathe at the Royal Arcade to get croissants to eat later on. When I had enough of the library, we walked around the city and got on the trams.

Somewhere in 19 State Route 30

We stopped by for some sushi to go then headed to the Federation Square to enjoy our croissants. It was really nice. I was fascinated at the abundance of parks and spots to chill. I enjoyed my time there and when we finished snacking, we searched for a water fountain.

A park in Lonsdale St.

When we finished drinking, we went in to Acmi. They had a really interesting exhibition so we thought it would be a good idea to check it out.

Federation Square

Our day was pretty full and I was growing a bit tired so we went home using the train at Federation Square Station.