Grandnobles Visit Part 2

We had to say good-bye to Andy's parents early this week. It was pretty sad to see them go, and I think for the first time Ella really understood what it meant when we said they were going back home to England. She was a little bit upset, and even gave Dave a spontaneous hug on the leg as they were getting into the airport taxi. This is a huge gesture given our girl is not a big "hugger" with anyone besides Andy and me! Even Ollie knew they were going, and as a leaving gift he rolled from front to back for them on their last day. I think they've really enjoyed spending time with us and the kids and seeing Ollie's huge changes throughout the past five weeks. 

During their stay we had lots of chilled out days at home where Dave and Bunny helped me out with the kids, taking Ella to the playground and her lessons, going for walks with Ollie and enjoying all our local cafés. We did get out on a few excursions, some I wrote about in this post, and in my last post which was all about our holiday in Phillip Island. Here are some of the other highlights from the last few weeks:

Melbourne Star

This is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Melbourne, a huge ferris wheel where you can take in a 360º view of the city (think: a poor man's London Eye). When we arrived in January 2013 the  construction on the Melbourne Star had been stalled (since about 2010) and the wheel sat still without any cabins on it for a loooong time. It eventually opened at the end of that year, after years of safety concerns and delays. We'd never been on it before, but Dave loves a good "view from above", so he, Andy, Ella and I went for a spin during the school holidays. When we got there it was a pretty grey and cloudy day, but we still had pretty good visibility and could see a lot of the city and surrounds. It wasn't very busy so the four of us had a cabin to ourselves which was pretty cool. It takes 30 minutes to do a full rotation which was just about enough for Ella. Later in the afternoon the clouds disappeared and we had stunning blue skies so I was able to get this photo:

Bunny is not one for heights so she chilled out in a café with Ollie while we were on the wheel. I think Ollie was a bit cranky for her at first but he managed to fall asleep on her, so when we got back we found Bunny like this, afraid to move in case she woke him up:

The Melbourne Star is located in the Docklands where there is some pretty good shopping. They also had some kids rides set up as it was school holidays so Ella had some fun on those while Bunny and I sneaked off to the shops for a bit. 

Ella discovered fairy floss (or cotton candy, depending on where in the world you are) while we were there - I think she liked the look of it but wasn't exactly impressed with the taste. Thank goodness for that as she would have been crazy after all that sugar. (She already looks a bit crazed in this picture, even pre-fairy floss.)

Bike Rides

Andy, Bunny, Dave and Ella went on a few bike rides while they were here. Sadly Ollie is too young for a bike seat just yet so him and I had to stay home. Their favourite was a ride on the capital city trail to the playground behind the Royal Children's Hospital. It's a pretty epic playground, by all accounts they had a lot of fun there. 

There is a hill behind the park where you can get a pretty good view of the city. Somehow Ella even got Dave to roll down this hill, which, if you know Dave, is pretty crazy behaviour for him. Grandparents will do anything to please their grandkids! There is video evidence of this, however I'll spare Dave and not post it here. I don't want us written out of the will or anything... (For any family members reading this, I can get you the video!)

On the way back from their bike ride Ollie and I met them at Park St. café, located in Carlton North along the bike trail. This is a great café if you have kids as there is a playground out front, but the food and decor still have a very Melbourne hipster vibe.

They had a special school holiday menu for kids, and this plate basically had all of Ella's favourite foods on it: yogurt, toast, hard-boiled egg and a very fancy peeled and cored apple.

Black Rock Beach

We had our first beach day of the season at Black Rock. There is (yet another) epic playground on the foreshore, so we got some coffees and let Ella have a play there before heading down to the beach. 

Ella also took this picture of the four of us. We're all in the picture and in focus so I think she did a pretty good job!

Once on the beach Andy took Ollie for a walk in the carrier so he could have a nap, while Bunny, Ella and I relaxed on the beach. Ella was so engrossed in her sand castle building that Bunny and I didn't know what to do with ourselves! I actually got to lie down and listen to a podcast for a while! We had a bit of a splash around in the water but it's still way too cold to swim in the bay. 

Werribee Gorge hike

Dave, Andy, Ollie and I took a day trip to Werribee Gorge to do a hike. We didn't end up doing the full circuit, which is 8.5km. Not that long, but Andy took Ollie in the baby carrier and there is a part of the hike that hugs the base of some cliffs and so not safe to do with a baby! We ended up doing the short circuit which still had some nice views. It was a warm and sunny day, and we got there early enough that it wasn't too busy or hot. 

Melbourne Museum 

This is a favourite of ours. It is about a 20 minute tram ride from our house, and Andy and I have free teacher memberships. Children and seniors also get free entry so it's like the cheapest day out ever. There is a dedicated children's area for under 5s and it's the perfect place for little ones to run around and discover things. Ella loves it here and even Ollie is starting to enjoy some of the lights and mirrors in the area.

Yarra River Boat Tour

On Bunny and Dave's last full day the three of us (plus Ollie) took a trip into the city and went on a river cruise down the Yarra. We took the cruise eastbound from the city, past all the major stadiums, the botanical gardens and our old apartment building! It did make me a bit nostalgic for our first year here when we lived in South Yarra. Although we passed through parts of the city that I am very familiar with it was nice to see the city from a different perspective. The captain of the boat also gave some humorous/informative commentary. 

And that's it! We had a great visit with them and as always it was a tearful goodbye. The house seems empty again with just the four of us and I am missing my coffee buddies during the day. Fortunately we are going to England in June next year for Andy's brother's wedding. It's always good to have the next visit planned with family so that instead of good-bye we can just say "see you later!"