I Love Melbourne So Much, I May Just Marry It

Currently sitting on my beautiful friend Yael's amazingly comfy couch in her gorgeously decorated apartment in fantastic East St. Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria, AUS.

Enough adjectives? I didn't think so either.

THIS IS THE BEST PLACE EVER.

I don't know how to explain how incredible this trip has become, but I'll try.

I've been feeling a bit lost for the past few weeks, both in a good, liberating way and in a way that has made me rethink this whole decision.
As is most likely natural when one takes a big step towards the rest of her/his life, one begins to wonder and worry whether or not that step was a good idea.
Well, after spending all of 4 days in Melbourne, I can confidently say that this step was indeed the best idea I've ever had.

Like I mentioned in posts past, Sydney was a very nice place to be, both in terms of my accommodations (which I'm still appreciating, and will continue to do so) and in terms of my surroundings.
But something felt amiss.
Chances are, it was me more than Sydney, but whatever the reason, things feel much more in place here than they did there, and as I have no roots whatsoever, it's a good feeling to have.

After 2 of the most hilarious and thoroughly interesting nights I've had in a while, Yael picked me up from my hostel this morning and we spent the day catching up and touring Melbourne.
The weather was gorgeous and we strolled Carlisle and Chapel Streets, found some sweet market, walked down to the beach and had an amazing meal at "Lentil As Anything" which is a non-profit vegan/vegetarian restuarant that provides food on a "pay as you wish" basis and is run by volunteers: www.lentilasanything.com
Needless to say, THAT WAS COOL.

Then we went back to Yael's apartment which is, for lack of a better word, Awesome.
I have my own room with my own huge bed and my own key.
After sharing a room with maybe the bitchiest French girl I've ever met, this improvement is immeasurable.
Yael and I had some wine and caught up and reconnected some more, which made me realize just how much I love meeting people and making friends.
[Sure, it sounds trite when you read it on a blog, but for me, one of the most important reasons to travel is to meet and learn from other people.
Something about Melbourne lends itself to that far more than Sydney did.]
Then we went to drinks with some of her friends, who were all also hilarious and interesting, and then we rented a movie* and put on sweats and noshed on fresh fruit.

This may be the best Sunday I've ever had, and I'm 24 years old.

Forgive me if this rambling is too cheesy, but as my favorite author Kurt Vonnegut's favorite uncle Alex once said, "if this isn't nice, I don't know what is."

Plans are still very much unmade for the future (ie: the next 2 weeks and beyond) but I'll keep you all posted.