Today, Emmett reports. I’m too busy celebrating the return of my ankles FOR THE WHOLE DAY!! Welcome back, my dears! ********

The day began with rain showers, but quickly cleared to sunny skies, so we hopped in our car and headed a few kilometers west of the city to Mount Coot-tha. The views from the lookout ranged from the inland mountains to Moreton Bay. Driving around the mountain’s park, we stopped to do a few hikes, including the Aboriginal Art Walk, a hike through a beautiful outdoor art installation. The pieces were stone arrangements and imprints on wood and stone, featuring ancient symbols of Aboriginal stories—snake, hand, axe, human figure.

Leaving leafy Mount Coot-tha, we drove back to the city and had lunch at the Foyer Café in the Gallery of Modern Art (“GoMA”). Lunch came with several drinks, as the ride into the city was a mite stressful—roundabouts and one-ways are everywhere in Brisbane! After a tasty lunch we dove into GoMA’s amazing displays, and spent the next three hours in a state of awe and wonder. It was probably the most compelling contemporary art museum either of us has ever experienced. The creativity, passion, and invention of the artists seemed perfectly paired with the obvious devotion of GoMA’s staff, and the gorgeous space that was an artwork itself. Meandering back to the West End in the late afternoon, we picked up some Aussie wines for the next leg of our trip, and a dinner cheese-free pizza from a local shop, where for the first time we didn’t have to explain what “vegan” meant, because our clerk’s brother was a vegan.

The last day on Paradise Street was still paradise.

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