Art, food, coffee and hipsters in Melbourne

Melbourne is a fantastic city with so much street art, foodie culture, hipsters, beach bums, artists, start ups, and so much more to discover! I went to visit a couple friends in Melbourne for a few days a couple months ago and wished I had spent longer in this hub of culture! The CBD (Central Business District) is a crowded and bustling hub where you can find cute little laneways filled with al fresco bars, dining options, and most importantly street art.

I signed up for a free walking tour through I'm Free walking tours to get an overview of the city on my first day in Melbourne. I like to do this when I'm new to a city I haven't been before to get my bearings. These free walking tours are available around the world. At the end of the walking tour, you donate whatever you feel the tour is worth. Typically I put in about $10-15 as it really depends on good the travel guide is with taking us to the most interesting spots in the city.

Street Art is everywhere but especially in the laneways 

The Most famous Laneway is Hosier Lane. This street is lined with street art and tourists the world over can be seen taking pics and selfies next to the art. While I was on the free walking tour, we walked by some artists hard at work with his new masterpiece. Typically the art stays up for a couple weeks and then another artist comes along and creates something over it. I wonder how much paint is on these walls...

My friends are self proclaimed Melbournites who love living there and after a few days of wandering around, I can see why this city is ranked high on one of the best cities to live in. Though not a budget-friendly destination, the cost of living in Melbourne is high but I think residents of this city do not mind it so much as the Australian dollar is very strong and minimum wage is actually at a reasonable rate of $17.70 per hour (according to Fair Work Ombudsman).

Its an easy city with a good quality of life. I can see why many people love living in this city. When I travel, I always ask myself this question: Could I live here? The answer for Melbourne would probably be Yes. I could see myself living there because of the multitude of activities that this city provides align right along with my lifestyle. Although, the sheer amount of people in the central area is a bit overwhelming for me and I'd prefer a quieter less populated area.

This city is the cultural capital of Australia and there's a lot to see in terms of arts.
I'm a dancer so naturally when I saw the Arts Centre Melbourne look like a giant Ballet tutu, I got a bit excited that a city has made one of their landmarks look like a tutu.

Arts Centre of Melbourne is lit up at night and right by the National Gallery of Victoria

Arts Centre of Melbourne

Beautiful Ballerina statues by the Arts Centre. The Australian Ballet studios and offices are just behind the Arts Centre.

The sweeping views of the city from the Arts Centre is a great place to see the sunset. The end of the walking tour concludes here as well. I'd recommend visiting the National Gallery of Victoria after the walking tour if your legs are ok after traversing the city for 3 hours. The National Gallery was hosting a special exhibition by the artist, David Hockney. I was pretty tired after the walking tour so I went back to rest before catching an Indonesian dance performance at the Arts Centre in the evening. I did eventually go to see the special exhibition by David Hockney the next day.

An evening at the National Gallery of Victoria
My friend suggested going to the David Hockney exhibit as part of the museum's evening event that happens monthly. There was some interactive art in the garden, a bar, live music in the main hall, and of course the exhibit itself. A lively evening and would highly recommend going with some friends to check out the live music but get there a bit early because tables would be snatched up.

Children were playing in and out of the interactive art pieces in the garden 

I was floored by the David Hockney exhibit as this man created a lot of his new works digitally. He's created such beautiful works on the iPad and iPhone! Check it out below:

One would assume an artist who can create this type of artwork digitally on an iPhone or iPad would be some sort of millennial artist genius. David Hockney is 79 years old! Check out the video of him perusing his work in the museum.

The architecture is really interesting in Melbourne. A modern architect's dream.

The vibrancy of the buildings and color injected to represent the artistic side of Melbournites is really apparent throughout the city. There's an air of experimentalism, creativity, and exploration. All kinds of people live here and the hipsters have taken the coffee culture by storm. I didn't get a chance to check out the Fitzroy neighborhood but supposedly that is the mecca for the hipsters of the city. Perhaps on my next trip to Melbourne, I will venture out that way and try out some yummy hipster cafes there. I do love my cup of joe paired with some beautiful people watching (beards, man buns, tattoos, moustaches, and dapper outfits!). 

Gimme some coffee and brunch!!!
At the recommendation of my foodie friend in Melbourne, she suggested Krimper Cafe for brunch as the food and coffee is supposed to be good. I did a quick search on google maps and was delighted to find out that it was within walking distance to my hotel.

I had to walk down this side street to find Krimper cafe 

Exposed brick wall

Iced long black coffee

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus on a toasted brioche with pesto, salad, and two poached eggs. THIS WAS AMAZEBALLS!

On another day, I consulted Yelp for a brunch recommendation. I kept hearing how brunch was a serious affair in Melbourne so I was reading to soak in all that good brunch food options as much as I can on the few days I was in Melbourne. 

Seven Seeds

Check out their instagram feed (Foodporn!) 

Iced Long Black coffee

Fish tacos - Good but too much coriander and not enough chilis!

I had some awesome meals in Melbourne. I'll share that in another post devoted to eating in Melbourne next week!

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Join me in Koh Samui for Glow in Thailand by Social Zen Retreats on August 9-13, 2013!

A perfect weekend getaway to Malmö

A beautiful summers day to be out and about in Malmö Stad!

Malmö is the 3rd largest city in Sweden and is located in Southern Sweden a.k.a. Skåne (pronounced sko-neh). A fairly easy walkable city with a bad reputation recently due to the rise in car fires in certain neighborhoods. HOWEVER, you shouldn't be afraid because Malmö is a fun little city for a weekend getaway and much cheaper than Copenhagen just across the Öresund strait. Apart from the rising violence is certain neighborhoods, the central part of Malmö is charming and quite safe to walk around in. I've been here mostly on day trips from Copenhagen because it is so easy to travel here by train. I spent a weekend in the winter here and had a great little trip wandering around the city on foot. I like the smaller cities of Europe as they are not inundated with so many tourists and easy to navigate around by foot. 

Just outside the Central Station there are these beautiful bridges to cross into Gamla stan

A bit gloomy in the winter but still lovely to explore!

A sunny summers' day for a day trip in Malmö! Outside the Central Station

How to get to Malmö

Flight to Copenhagen Airport (København Lufthavn) and then taking the train from the airport across the Öresund bridge. This bridge is famous as the location for the hit Danish-Swedish TV drama series, Den Brøn/Den Brön or The Bridge. The views from the Bridge are quite stunning so remember to get your cameras out!

Travel tip: Bring your passport with you when crossing the border from Denmark to Sweden as the border control is in effect due to the rising refugee crisis and security efforts.

The Öresund Bridge

What to see

Turning Torso

1) Turning Torso

This architecture marvel is the tallest building in Scandinavia and the residents are so lucky to live in such cool building. I walked here from the central station on my birthday last year and it was quite the eventful walk. It is quite a distance from the central station so I recommend that you take one of the public buses to get here. Otherwise, you'll be walking for about 30 minutes and it is fine if the weather is nice and not too windy!

2) Ribersborgsstranden

Just next to the residential neighborhood that houses the Turning Torso building is Ribersborgsstranden (see if you can pronounce that like a native Skåne resident!). It has beautiful views of the Öresund strait and Öresund bridge. The picture above was taken that this very particular beach park. I watched the sunset from this place and it was so stunning. I'd imagine summers here are wonderful with picnics, sunbathing, and jumping into the cool waters.

3) Malmöhus Slott

For a glimpse at Swedish history with Denmark and Skåne county, this former castle fortress is an interesting stop. Skåne used to belong to Denmark and one can argue that Skånska (southern Swedish vernacular) sounds a bit like Danish. Many Swedes from the north, particularly from the capital city of Stockholm lovingly mock the accent. As a Swedish language student, I find it a bit difficult to understand but there are many Swedish residents in Malmö that come from the north and reside there or deal with northerners frequently so will speak a bit more clearly. 

This castle is the oldest standing fort from the Renaissance era and was once an important place where Denmark's coins were minted there. Erik of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden built the castle on the grounds now occupied by Malmöhus in 1434. The strategic position of the castle facing westwards could monitor and protect all the shipping traffic coming in from the Öresund strait. During World War II, Malmöhus was used as a refugee camp to house all those fleeing from the war. When I went to visit the museum there was an exhibit telling the stories of those who fled the war and stayed in Malmöhus with the stories of the new immigrants coming into Sweden. This museum also holds temporary exhibitions that shed light on Swedish history and Swedish way of life. 

4) Slottsparken
Just next to Malmöhus Slott is a beautiful park with gardens. Malmö has these gardens littered throughout the city that offers a nice respite from the brick buildings and concrete. I recommend that you take a stroll through the park either before or after your visit to Malmöhus Slott if you have time and it isn't too dark. 

Just outside the Moderna Museet Malmö 

5) Moderna Museet Malmö
Unlike all the modern museums I've visited in bigger cities. This was a small museum and perfect for an indoor activity when the weather is rather cold, windy, and raining! I love modern art and all its weirdness because it is an edgy art form that pushes the envelope on what our views of the world and what we consider as art in itself. This museum isn't very big and houses temporary exhibits. The museum is free entry.
I wish I had seen my former movement improvisation teacher, Simone Forti's work reconstructed and performed at the museum in 2015. 

Lilla Torg

Lilla Torg

Sankt Petri Kyrka - Saint Peters' Church

6) Gamla Stan: Stortorget, Lillatorg, Gustav Adolfs Torg

I highly recommend wandering around the old town and the Stortorget, Lillatorg, and Gustav Adolfs Torg are perfect squares that have little stores, cafes, hotels, restaurants, and bars to leisurely wander through. This is probably my favorite activity in Malmö. I like wandering around all the little streets around these areas. The buildings are well preserved and you'll find so many cute little nooks and crannies to take your social media worthy pictures for #latergramfordays #tbt and #throwbackthursdays ! 

Where I stayed: Radisson Blu Malmö

My room is huge at Radisson Blu Malmö

Centrally located, walking distance to the Central Station, and close to shops, restaurants, bars, attractions. I was surprised by the large room though and would recommend staying here in a heartbeat as Radisson Blu has one of the best hotel breakfasts ever! It is located next to the Caroli shopping centre which has an ICA supermarket housed in it as well as some nice shops and restaurants.

Where to Eat:

Köttbaren is literally translated as The Meat Bar! 

Yummy burger!

Köttbaren recently changed their name to Burger and Friends. This restaurant is located in the shopping centre, Caroli right next to the hotel which is very convenient as I was starving at the time I arrived and checked in. That burger tasted so good! They belong to the same restaurant group that owns Kött & Fisk in Stockholm and the food there is also fantastic.



Peas & Honey gastropub house was recommended to me by a friend in Stockholm. I went there for dinner and ordered a beer to go along with my moules frites. The portion was generous, the fries were salty, the mussels were garlicky and succulent. Friendly people working here with a mysigt (cozy) atmosphere. I returned for a beer on another trip to Malmö with a couple friends because it was a super chill place.

And of course FIKA! You're in Sweden! Fika är bästa tid!

Softest Kanellebulle I've ever eaten!

Coffee Factory Sweden

Or have a sandwich near Gustav Adolfs Torg and sit outside in the summer

Briska cider is probably my favorite Swedish cider!

The best time to visit Malmö is certainly the summer months when everyone is out enjoying the long summer days in the sun. However, it is also nice to visit in the winter when the Christmas market and lights are all set up. There's something magical about walking through the streets on a winter night sipping glögg (Christmas mulled wine) and nibbling on some pepparkaka (cinnamon cookies) then taking refuge in a cozy restaurant with candles all around. 

Despite what anyone says, Malmö is a cute little city and I will always stop by for a visit whenever I'm in the area.