Some good things must come to an end

Holidays never last forever or maybe they do for some, but for me the former is the unfortunate truth. On the plus side, memories and photos can last a lifetime. I spent some of the remainder of my trip, until the 11th of January, in Adelaide with family and friends, of whom I wish I had had more time with. If you are a seasoned traveler like myself, who can't always control her emotions, then you can imagine what the airport goodbye scene was like and yes there were tears. I felt that no sooner had I rediscovered and gotten settled with the familiar and comfortable then time was yanking it harshly back away from me. This brings me to Melbourne, the last stop on my home tour. It was so good to be reunited with this city because I love Melbourne and truly feel like it is where I am destined to live again one day. Although many of my friends have moved away from here to different parts of the globe, I did have two awesome ones still there. There used to be four of us, two blondes and two brunettes, but then I had to go and break up the band so to speak. The fourth member of the gang is currently volunteering in Cambodia so couldn't grace us with her presence. Thankfully they hadn't found a suitable replacement in my absence so I was welcomed back into the fold for a few days of fun. One of the highlights of this time, besides the hilarious Skype chat with our absent friend, was playing tourist for a bit in Melbourne. It was just nice to wander around, stopping for a coffee then for a cheeky drink down by the Yarra. 

The day was capped off quite nicely with a lovely dinner of yum cha at the Oriental Teahouse. We managed to avoid the post workday crowd so the restaurant was fairly empty. The added bonus was that there was a teashop at the front as you walked in so if you liked any of the teas on offer then you could make a purchase or two on your way out the door. I must admit the iced tea we had was a bit too sweet for my liking, but still quite delicious and some of our food choices were interesting, but overall I really enjoyed the dinner and would definitely recommend the Oriental Teahouse to anyone living in or visiting Melbourne.

It may not be some of my better photography, but that night another Australian native stopped by to say hello and wish me all the best for my return to Vancouver (how thoughtful):

And so here I am in Vancouver, where snow and minus temperature have greeted me. The weather still surprises me, which is made worse by my ill-equipped wardrobe although this is my third winter in Vancouver. Please bring back summer asap!