Last Saturday was the AFL Grand Final. It's a pretty big deal here in Melbourne evidenced by the fact that Friday was a holiday in preparation for the event. To put this in perspective, it would be like if the day before the Super Bowl was a national holiday. A lot of stores and restaurants were closed and it was the first really warm day of the season, so Peter and I spent the afternoon at the beach in St. Kilda. 

Saturday was also quite warm, but the city was buzzing with footy excitement, so Peter and I walked around for a bit before settling in to watch some of the game at a restaurant on Southbank. Unfortunately, the only open table was in direct sunlight, so we pretty much baked in the sun. We had a few drinks and watched some of the game. I honestly don't even remember who was playing, but the match ended up being a blow out, so we didn't pay too much attention. Our friends Matt and Lauren came down to join us and then this random man stopped and wanted to take a selfie with us. We of course obliged, because selfies with random strangers are the best kind of selfies. I honestly think the was trying to create an alibi of sorts- he told us he had just lost $200 at the casino after telling his wife he wouldn't go. He also told us his wife is Asian and "loves the selfie stick". Go figure. 

After the game was over, Matt and Lauren invited us to join them on a bike ride down to St. Kilda. They bike everywhere and we have a running joke about my lack of coordination/inability to ride a bike. Not that I never learned, but I just hadn't been on one in years and wasn't sure I would even remember how to stay on. After much encouragement, I reluctantly agreed to go for a test ride in our apartment parking ramp, and sure enough I remembered! 

We got to St. Kilda just in time to grab an ice cream and watch the sun set.

Posing with my (Lauren's) bike. And yes, bike helmets are required in Australia. I think there's a $75 fine if you get caught without one and they're pretty diligent about enforcement, so everyone pretty much obeys the law.