November 3, 2002 (Melbourne City Center)

Backpacker rule #1: share good information but be prudent on whom you share the info with! The Immigrant Museum on Market and Flinder's Street has free internet access. Now do not let everybody and his or her cousins find out about this…discretion please!

The Victoria State Library also has free internet access, but for research purposes only. No e-mail, no chats, no downloads…oh well, guess that is what "Global Gossip" is for.

If there is one thing that I must say about Melbourne, it is this: the weather is fickle. Heed the advice "wait five minutes" when in Melbourne because the weather will surely change in the next five minutes. I think today we had sunshine, a sky overcast and cloudy, and then windy, then the gentle showers came only to be chased away by the sun again. I was alternately warm, cold, wet, drenched, cold and warm again…Melbourne's weather is indeed one fickle system.

I did nothing the entire day. I walked through Carlton Gardens and attempted to find Captain Cook's Cottage. But when I read that the Captain did not even live there, I figured why bother? I also tried to book tours for Monday, but as the weather pretty much dictated my rather changing mood, I did not book any tours. Sleep, take a nap, have latte by the Yarra, walk around Fitzroy and window shop, take a nap and wait for something better to happen.

Well nothing better happened, so Nikki and I decided to see a movie. But what movie to see? How about "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? Seen it, but I can see it again, sure! Well, there is "Road to Perdition"? Seen it as well, don't want to see it again. "Kissing Jessica Stein"? No. A world of NO! How about "The Transporter"? Sure, I heard the lead guy is cute. Let's go…

At least for a couple of hours I was entertained. But they don't have hotdogs nor nacho chips with gooey cheddar cheese. Fine, give me gummy bears, large popcorn and coke. Thank you. The screen was large, the seats fine, but the sound sucks. Not surround and not loud. I must stop complaining…enjoy the movie and ogle the Frank, lead guy with the cut bod!

I am Mary Grace, bored in Melbourne