Moonlit Sanctuary

Willimijn took me to the Moonlit Sanctuary outside Melbourne, where I got to see lots of animals I'd never seen before. Note: it was VERY hot that day!

A koala, none too pleased to be posing for us in the heat.

Emu

Willemijn feeding the free-roaming kangaroos. They were hot and not very hungry. ;-)

Me and a kangaroo, checking each other out.

A quoll -- an animal I'd never heard of before this visit!

The wombats were lazing around in the heat. You can only see this one's chin (even though the
chin kind of looks like a nose, and the fur beneath looks like a grinning mouth)

Here's a close up of another wombat's face. Fact: I have never seen a right-side-up wombat.

Tawny Frogmouth

Kookaburra -- there were two of them and they really did sound like they were laughing.

Barking owl

Down Under

In December 2016, I visited my friend Willemijn in Melbourne! I met Willemijn when she was an exchange student at my high school <mumble mumble> years ago. She is currently living in Melbourne with her husband Oliver and two kids: Luka and Kai. Kai was off playing a tennis tournament with his school, so I didn't get to see him, but I got to spend lots of time with Willemijn, Oliver and Luka -- all of whom were very gracious hosts!

Here are some pics from my stay in Melbourne:

Skyline and the Yarra River

Fed Square: old church, modern building and large Christmas ornament

More Christmas decorations

And more, including a crocheted tree cozy!

Subway franchise in a beautiful art deco building. This building also had some great
stores NOT selling american fast food, including a vintage clothing store with a section
entitled "Mrs. Brady Barbecue" 

Along the same lines, here's an H&M in a grand old post office building.

Willemijn and I biked into Melbourne from her house in Glen Waverly. The route
included this bike path hanging underneath the highway. 

It also included this delightful restroom indicator. 

There are alleys in Melbourne entirely given over to graffiti. 

Didgeridoo street musician 

Fun sculpture outside the Victoria State Library

And the beautiful reading room inside the library