Shopping Adventures

Yesterday I was super excited to find a running store that offered shoe fitting services relatively close to our neighborhood. Since I was up early to take a call, I thought I'd end my day a little early and finally check out all the shops on Queen Street. Queen Street is a pedestrian mall in downtown Brisbane with tons of stores. It is kind of like the Westlake of Seattle or maybe the Bay Street of Emeryville. It was nice to walk around and I discovered another farmer's market. The stores were interesting, but not totally to my liking. Many of the women's stores had really similar clothes (not all that different from home), but they all seemed kind of Wet Seal crossed with H&M. Maybe I just haven't found stores that are more to my liking or maybe it's just representative of current fashion trends. Super short denim cutoffs...? I just don't get the appeal.

The running store was exactly what I was looking for and after trying on several pairs of shoes, I found one that fit really well. Then I asked how much they were. They were $220 (!). Apparently running shoes are really expensive here. I was thinking I would have to shell out $80 or so, which would be worth it if they provide my knees some much needed support. Oh well, at least they will facilitate exercising which will hopefully make the purchase worthwhile.

This weekend we are planning on going to Wild Waves for S's birthday and we may do some more paddle boarding on Sunday at a nearby beach.

I have been reading a bunch of travel books courtesy of K. It's been a great way to understand Australia writ large. I learned so much about kangaroos and marsupials. Did you know that there was a wombat that was about the size of a hippo or a short-faced kangaroo that was 10 feet tall? Fascinating! So far my favorite has been Bill Bryson's "In a Sunburned Country".