Luna Park, St Kilda

Luna Park is no Disneyland but it has this lovely old timey-wimey atmosphere with the creaky rides, cheesy colours and the Mr Moon entrance. I am really not kidding about the creaky rides. For example, the Scenic Railway roller coaster. It was built in 1912 and is the oldest continually-operating coaster in the world. It's operated manually where a ride attendant has to help push off the cars and a brakeman who operates the brake while standing throughout the ride (one of only 8 coasters in the world that still does this)!

We took two other rides, the G-Force and the Enterprise (pictured in the last two photographs). These rides go 360 degrees but they have no seatbelts! It's perfectly safe but when you get on and realised there's nothing holding you in place, you do shit yourself a little. We were shrieking and gripping the handles for dear life! But nothing like a little adrenaline rush to get you through the day, ehh?

St Kilda Galleon Cafe

We took the tram to St Kilda's on a sunny Saturday morning. We had decided beforehand to have our brunch in St Kilda and Mr Google immediately suggested that we eat at the St Kilda Galleon Cafe. The website for the cafe is pretty stylish and I imagined the place would be all woody and sophisticated. I was totally wrong, and in a good way.

The Galleon cafe is a neighbourhood institution, it's been there since the 80s, and the cafe shows its age and kitsch in the best way possible. There were neighbourhood grandpas, baby boomers, yuppies, hipsters and tourists. All mixed up in a bundle of noise, energy and good food!

You can't reserve a table beforehand, you have to put your name on the list and wait by the sidewalk, ogling the food on the sidewalk tables while hoping a table becomes free  before you starve to death. (Sidenote: I consider myself a dog person but this breed of dog freaks me out!)

We got window counter seats to watch the world go by. We ordered our coffees first, and then I got a Truffled Eggs while TK got a Super Sailor. Both of us try to order as much eggs in our food as much as possible because eggs (and milk) taste so much better in Australia!

As we got rung up, I noticed the vintage coffee magnets, they are awesome. If you are ever in St Kilda, please do not pass up the chance to eat at Galleon Cafe, it's the whole experience, and the food is really good too, as the full house crowd will attest.

Queen Victoria Market & A Picnic

After a delicious cup of coffee, we headed for the Queen Victoria Market. Markets like the Queen Vic is becoming less common in Singapore, with supermarkets taking their place, and I do wish it wasn't so. Being able to see the long rows of fresh fruits and produce in natural light rather than sterile indoor lights makes food seem so much more delicious and wholesome. I feel like I could be a good cook if I wanted to, with all these wonderful ingredients.

We left the market with a plastic bag full of cherries and strawberries, and made our way to the nearby Flagstaff Gardens for an impromptu afternoon picnic.

It was one of the most peaceful afternoons in recent memory. Basking in the sunshine and the cool winds, munching on sweet juicy berries, watching other park-goers read, walk, play with their dogs. The very essence of a holiday.

Wednesday Links

2 Reads that had me engrossed
1. Work-Life Balance from Braid
2. Productivity, Baby from Twelve by One

4 Black & White Photographs that had me enthralled
1. Monochromatic gorgeousness from the sweet light
2. The Dublin Botanic Gardens from City of Blackbirds
3. Black & White Landscapes by Christian Villacillo, discovered via The Fox is Black
4. Fashion Snaps from Shine by Three

5 Blogs that I added to my Google Reader
1. Still Hearty, discovered via Twelve by One
2. Sannah, discovered via Twelve by One
3. Cabin Porn, I want to escape to any one of these little spaces
4. Nubby Twiglet, I used to bookmark her blog the old-fashioned way but after I switched to a Macbook, I somehow forgot about it. Not sure how that happened.
5. The Fox is Black, check out their Desktop Wallpaper Project to refresh your screens.

The League of Honest Coffee, Melbourne

I first read about The League of Honest Coffee on Happy To Serve You, a blog that all coffee lovers in or going to Melbourne should read. As a lover of the colour green, I was instantly attracted to the colour scheme of the cafe, lime green, yellow and wood, with the espresso machines, coffee grinders, wall paints, cups and chairs all colour coordinated. The second point of attraction was the address, 8 Exploration Lane. It makes me feel like that there could be all sorts of opportunities and adventures waiting as we walk down it!

The League was at the top of my list of coffee places to visit in Melbourne, so by hook or by crook, we would have to get to it somehow. Imagine my excitement when I found out that Space Hotel, where we were staying was just around the corner from the cafe! It's fate, I tell you! Immediately, after we put down our luggages, we made our way down there for our first shot of Melbourne coffee.

Being part of the Padre Coffee family, The League serves Padre Coffee. It was such a beautiful cup and I truly enjoyed every sip of my cappucino. It also woke me up properly after an early start flying from Sydney to Melbourne. We loved our coffee so much that we made a return trip later that week for a morning cuppa before heading out to the Mornington Peninsular. The only cafe to have the distinction of a return trip.

Oh hey! I just checked back on Happy To Serve You, and guess what! The League of Honest Coffee now has a custom built green shipping container from which they are serving coffee at the new People's Market in Docklands! I didn't think they could get any cooler but they just did.