After a freakish 23C warm winters day two days ago, Melbourne sure turned on the charm today with the cold and rain. Naturally, it had to be a day when I had to go to the city and do a fair bit of walking.
I knew in advance I’d go to Wagamama for lunch because they make a really good vegan spicy tofu stir fry. For me, Wagamama is a great option if you have people in your group with a mix of dietary requirements:
As Husband had taken the kids off to a playdate all day and I had my own stuff to do, my mission was to head back to the Nicholas Building, where I visited l’uccello the other day. I love old buildings. I know I know, ‘old’ covers a lot of stuff. But it all takes me back to when I was little. My uncle was a jeweller with a little workshop in a big dark spooky old city building, with tiled walls and heavy old doors, a creaky old elevator and all those glorious original features. My uncle occupied the only office on one floor and the lights at the end of the hallways were turned off and we kids were always too scared to go to the toilets. My cousin even wet her pants on the lino. I loved the dark wood handrails and mosaic tiles in the stairwells. If you’re my age and grew up in Melbourne, you may remember the Coles cafeteria. My mum would take my sister and I to the cafeteria as a special treat (or the Pancake Parlour, depending on where we went on our last visit). Then we’d catch one of the old red or blue trains home, where you had to climb up steps to get in the carriage. It was all so important.
Visiting the Nicholas Building brought back so many memories. Although my uncle didn’t work there, it was all quite similar. I was pretty much alone there today, snooping around corridors and trying to open the little doors (ssshhh).
Zombie hotel?
Go this way to escape zombies:
Or you can call the Doctor:
Did Veganopoulous attempt to open the doors on the top? Why yes, yes she did. Unfortunately they seemed to be stuck fast:
*cough*
I want to get a private detective license, just so I can get an office in the Nicholas Building with this kind of door:
Here are some more of the shops in the Nicholas Building:
Harold and Maude has lots of groovy vintage and recycled-renewed goodies:
Kimono House is gorgeous:
I forgot to take a photo of Buttonmania, another awesome little shop.
On the way home, I passed through Flinders Street Station. In Melbourne, when you tell someone you will meet them under the clocks, you mean under here:
Personally, I think they should replace ‘spit’ with ‘PISS EVERYWHERE’:
This is handy to know (ha ha, see what I did there?):
These metal contraptions are for validating your travel ticket. I’ve often wondered what happens if you get stuck halfway. Do the barriers clamp down on your crotch? Anyone?
This is the Immigration Museum. Full of awesome and I hope to go back there soon:
Another building I love to look at is the Majorca House Building:
Random shots of Melbourne streets:
The Eureka Tower. When it was completed in 2006, it held the record for the highest residential building (measured to the highest floor) in the world. If you pay for an overpriced ticket, you can get a view from the top:
I passed by Habib Wholefoods, got greedy and bought myself a piece of carrot cake. Usually I’d be too impatient to wait until home so I’d start eating it on the tram (with a fork!) but this time I decided to savour the peace and quiet at home and kick back with a cup of tea in my tennis set. Well, the universe often has other plans for a weary, greedy Veganopoulous. Today the universe decided that the zipper on Veganopoulous’s kneehigh waterlogged boot would get stuck. Folks, have you ever had a boot stuck to your leg when you’re hanging out to eat a piece of cake??? And go to the toilet? And take off your cold, drenched sock?
But when Veganopoulous is feeling particularly greedy, Veganopoulous always wins.
I hope you enjoyed fab weather today and may your boots go unwaterlogged and unstuck.
veganopoulous.com <-- I've moved here! 
