Summer in Australia - Days 13 and 14: Melbourne

Australia's second city (Melbournians would correct me and say, "first"), Melbourne, feels like a giant conglomeration of little villages all melted together into one large, gritty, and historic town. We were surprised by the manageable size of this big city and by the age of most of it's neighborhoods. This is not the sleek and modern metropolis that we expected. It feels very much like a small city trying hard to be big but, luckily, holding on to its small city charms. Naturally, upon arrival, we immediately sought out the Fitzroy and Collingwood neighborhoods, looking for what alternative and new age Australia looks like. We couldn't quite find the organic, back to basics vibe we were looking for. It's odd, it usually doesn't take much for a city to win me over, yet somehow, Melbourne didn't. The abundance of graffiti art nearly did it for me, but not quite. Ash seemed to be more taken by the city so I'll keep having her remind me what she liked most about it and I may be won over yet.