Exploring the Food, Art, Nature, and More of Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne, Australia is one of the country’s two largest cities and attracts visitors with its vibrant cultural offerings. We were really excited to visit the city because we had heard such great things about it from fellow travelers, especially Australians who live in the city. And we have found that when locals rave about their own city, it’s often a place that is full of culture but may not be blatantly obvious why the city deserves so much hype. It takes time to integrate, engage, and infiltrate into the culture enough to feel the city’s energy, especially when you need to get out of the tourist center to fully feel what locals are talking about. (This is very different from Sydney where its beauty is more obvious in its beaches and iconic architecture.)
We got to spend over a week in the city, diving into different neighborhoods, sitting at a variety of restaurants and bars, shopping at boutiques, attending a concert, sitting at the beach and more just to scratch the surface of all the vibrancy that this city has. We found it to be an incredibly livable city because of all the different cultural offerings it provides its residents. It’s hard to get bored in a place that has so much to offer and such variety to explore.
We also got the chance to get out of the city a bit. We talked about our road trip to the Great Ocean Road, Grampians National Park, and Kangaroo Island over the last few weeks. Beyond that road trip, we also had the chance to visit the unique Phillip Island, which has an enormous colony of penguins that can be spotted coming to shore every night in large numbers. Yes, it’s as cute as it sounds to see the smallest penguins in the world (literally) scuttle ashore as fast as possible in groups to keep themselves safe in a nightly event called the penguin parade!
Between the beach, the international communities, the small businesses, the culinary variety, international sports offerings, the world-class museums, and the beautiful nature outside of the city, we found that Melbourne, Australia truly had something for everyone.
There is a lot going on in the world right now that we are talking about and following. Much of what happens in the United States has major effects on the policies and economies of the world and we feel it first hand when talking to locals about their daily lives and hardships and the conversation often leads to United States politics. We want to find ways to weave these perspectives into our writing and blog posts. For now, we will share some articles that are less impacted by the geopolitical chaos of the world right now.
NEW YORK TIMES
Nonstop Quakes Leave a Tourist Island Empty and Its Residents on Edge
Santorini, a Greek island, has been hit by thousands of small earthquakes since January without knowing when they will end. A large majority of residents and tourists have left the island over the past week and it is unknown when the tremors will end or culminate in a much larger earthquake or a volcanic eruption that could have detrimental effects on the infrastructure of the island. In addition, this has had major effects on tourism and the uncertainty could affect the summer season. And the impact of the earthquakes has put some of the most prestigious and popular hotels at risk of collapse from landslides. This is a developing story and we hope that the earthquakes stabilize soon.
The Best Airlines In 2025, According To A New Travel Ratings Report
AirlineRatings has put out their ranking for the best airlines in three categories: full service, hybrid (airlines that provide full service on long haul routes but have more of a budget offering for short flights), and low cost airlines. The winner for full service is Korean Air, outranking Qatar Airways which was last year's winner. JetBlue was the winner of the hybrid category and AirAsia topped the low-cost carrier list. Check out the rankings and the evaluations of how the lists were determined.
