Melbourne is one of my favourite places.

It’s so vibrant & has a totally different feel to Sydney.

Maybe, it’s because the trams are always rumbling, somewhere nearby.

My friend & I have a busy day ahead. We’ve been looking forward to the High Tea since we booked our King Tutankhamun tickets.

Stop 1.  Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston St. Hot Tix. Metshop.

We arrived early to check out Hot Tix but there were no cheap theatre tickets available. At the Metshop next door, we got our ticket for the trams, trains & buses around Melbourne.  It’s $7 a day,  that’s excellent value as you can get on & off as much as you like or just catch whatever comes next for the fun of it.

Stop 2. Brunetti Cafe at Myers, Bourke Street.

There’s no time to look for new cafe’s so it’s straight to the heart of Melbourne- Myers. The wonderful old Emporium, food hall & cafe are gone but a little help from a friendly staff member directs us to Brunetti on the 3rd floor. No scones for now as we have other plans, so we enjoy a yummy apple strudel, ciambella (lemon donut) & coffee before rushing off to Tutankhamun. Pity the cafe’s at the top of the escalators by the womens underwear, it’s  a bad location, and a bit offputting.

Stop 3. Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs.   Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street.

We jumped on a tram up to Carlton Gardens to the Tutankhamun Exhibition. When I’d first arrived last night, my taxi driver had warned me about the long queues, even though the bookings were in half hour intervals. All hype & rather disappointing. I’d suggest you save the money ($35)  & just watch the video on the link above.

Stop 4.  Ancient Egyptian Afternoon Tea.  Hotel Windsor, Spring St.

**** Marvellous fun, but be warned it’s tasty but very filling!

The Papyrus Look Menu has the Hotel Windsor serving afternoon tea since 1883. Its pricey ($59 Week-$79 Weekends) but the service was excellent, the waiters were very friendly & helped to make it all fun. As you can see the fine Noritake china & cutlery added to the overall effect.

The Menu included such delicacies as golden pyramids filled with pistachio ganache, traditional sweet Baklavas, dates stuffed with coconut and walnuts, Katafi with pistachio nuts, rose-infused turkish delight and  the ‘perennial afternoon tea favourites of scones and finger sandwiches’. The scones were Plain as well as Raisin & Vanilla and the jam were fine but not very exciting although it was good double cream. Perhaps, it would have been better to have the sandwiches last so we didn’t over power the flavour of the scones & pastries. Even so, the turkish delight was sensational. (Note: Check the etiquette of High Teas)

Sparkling French Rose to start, followed by some amazing teas on a seperate tea menu. These included  Green Jasmine with Pear which was great with the sweets, Sultry Chai and a Peony White with Rose. This smelt so glorious I just had to buy some to take home.  Fortunately, the waiter gave me a Hotel Windsor tea tin which you usually only get with the Windsor Blend, English Blend or Darjeeling Teas. The tea comes from Madame Flavour in Victoria. I was especially pleased to have two lovely oval teapots, one for tea & the other for hot water. Finally, somewhere that considers the black tea drinker & doesn’t just ignore them. Strange, but it’s a good test of a cafe as more often than not it’s too hard. 

Stop 5. Hairspray, the Musical. The perfect end to a  really enjoyable day!

Earlier, on the way to the Hotel Windsor, we stopped briefly so my friend could upgrade her shoe options from joggers to heels. I spied a curious looking dome nearby & discovered it was the Princess Theatre. Of course, we had to go in & check for cheap tickets for Hairspray, the Musical tonight. Happily, we were in luck and wondered whether the show would be either great or ghastly. Fortunately, we had a really enjoyable evening & a good laugh.

Stop 6. Flinders St Station Takeaway

After so much sitting we needed a brisk walk to get us moving again & we ended up at Flinders St Station Tram Stop. Our hot chocolates were surprisingly good & most welcome at midnight. Sleep time.

Tomorrow, we’re looking forward to lunch at the Tram Restaurant but we really must get to the Quilt Exhibition before it closes too!