The Rest of the (Easter weekend) Story

Little Odessa, Fitzroy. Easter Dinner

Galah Parrots

 I have to confess. On Easter Sunday, I was feeling a little bereft. How could we possibly hope to have an Easter that was wonderful and full of hope? The daughters were on the other side of the world; it was Fall, not Spring, and we had no idea what the dinner would be like, since I found the place via internet.

Easter Hikes have always been a holiday (Holy Day?) ritual for us, so we took a long walk around Royal Park. Always fun, and we saw a new kind of bird. It's called a Galah, and is "the most common Australian Parrot". They are really big. . . 14" or so in length, and their wingspan is impressive. We had never seen them before, though we've seen lots of other parrots, and here they were flocking on Easter in The Royal Park. Huh.  Must be Fall.

At 6p or so, we uber'd over to Fitzroy (a neighborhood in East Melbourne), and ate at Little Odessa. Honestly, I chose it because a) they were open on Easter, and b) they had just opened in February, and had the sweetest U-Tube on line about their opening (. https://www.facebook.com/odessafitzroy/videos/218265845413849/).

Sunday evening in Fitzroy, AU

It was what a colleague of mine used to call a hall-of-fame-er meal. The wine, a Pinot Noir that the owner/server had recommended was local. Exactly the right color, but with a lot more fruit and complexity than most Pinot's I've been able to afford. The food was Eastern European, but not heavy. And the dessert, Chocolate filled with plum jelly and vodka (with a spun sugar topping) was small, unbelievably rich, and a complete surprise. After this long wine soaked meal, we walked out into the night to a remarkably busy and vibrant Fitzroy. We had intended to walk a bit and then call another Uber, but instead, we ended up walking all the way home. . .catching sight of a flying fox (translation: large fruit bat) as we headed across the Park to our flat.

Lesson? I need to find a way to NOT despair. Joy still lives in this world. It's just harder to find without your kids and dogs.

 The next day, Easter Monday, John and I had decided to take a long bicycle ride to Brighton Beach. There are famous Beach Boxes right on the beach that have made appearances on the Miss Fisher Mystery series, and we decided it would be great to see them. It was a long, but not difficult ride; almost 30 miles there and back.

And while the shacks are very cool (see http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Melbourne/Things-to-do/History-and-heritage/Heritage-buildings/Brighton-Bathing-Boxes.aspx) the place was overrun with tour buses. I'm happy and unhappy to report that busloads of Chinese tourists rival the Americans in noise and obliviousness. John was reminded of a wonderfully pertinent Yogi Berra quote: "No one goes there nowadays, it's too crowded."

Finally, as we were reminded that this is our first Easter without Lacey, I came across this cartoon. NOW I understand. . . .