Melbourne

I'm still in Melbourne, it's still raining. I'm still exhausted, even though I've been sleeping plenty. The weariness continually leaks out in my crankiness and the dark circles under my eyes.

I went out this morning and visited the Queen Victoria Market, which is a Melbourne icon, and just a couple of blocks from my hotel. The market is huge, and broken into several sections. I skipped the fruit & veg area, along with the fresh meat and fish. I strolled through the organic section, with things from wine to soap to eggs, and some of the little cafe/deli stands, but spent most of my time in the largest area, which was selling all manner of stuff. There were stands with various kinds of clothing, accessories, souvenirs, jewelry, dishes, just about anything you could imagine. No, really. One stand sold nothing but a bucket of shots, a plastic bucket filled with 24 pre-made, sealed shots of different liquor concoctions. This place is crazy.

After doing the last of my shopping for the trip, I grabbed a sandwich for lunch and came back to my room to watch rugby. Unfortunately I was a day ahead for the Canada-New Zealand game, which will actually happen tomorrow afternoon while I'm mid-air. That means the only big match left to watch before I leave is Scotland versus England, about 5 hours from now, so I still have most of the day to entertain myself. 

I haven't really found anything can't miss in the guide book, so I guess it's time to wander back out and see what catches my fancy...