The tennis center was only about a 25 minute walk from our hotel. The girls grabbed a coffee and we headed to the tennis center.
The girls by the Yarra River as we walked to the tennis center. A cool breeze made this a very comfortable outfit choice at that time.
The tickets!!!
Huge courtyard where you can watch the games on the Jumbotron and enjoy a snack or drinks from the numerous vendors.
On the steps to enter the arena
We are going to the Rod Laver Arena!!!
Polo- one of the official sponsors of the AO.
The legend Rod Laver. If you don’t know about him, then you should look him up. His career is quite remarkable.
Ashley, Katie and Rod
The girls in our seats at Rod Laver Arena.
Ashley and Katie in the ☀️. This may not be a great combo for the whole day.
Our first match.
The women are entering soon.
Let’s get started
Rebecca Sramkova serving
Sramkova with the toss!!
Iga Światek serving it up.
Finishing the shot
Światek waiting to return it
Final handshake. Światek who is ranked #2 in this tournament was simple to much. Her baseline game simple overwhelmed Sramkova. A wonderful match to watch.
A break between matches. A well earned treat for the hard work I had just watched.
Rod Laver’s bust in the courtyard.
Here is a little on Rod Laver
Hanging in the courtyard
AO with Ashley and Katie
Team Anseth at the Australian Open
Do we love the Australian Open or does it love us?
The AO hits different!!
Before the match, Ashley and Katie met
Taylor Fritz from the baseline.
Taylor about to drop at 130 mph serve on his opponent
Another killer serve. Taylor’s first serve percentage in the first set was around 71% and when it is coming at you between 100 mph and 130+ mph you don’t have much of a chance.
Taylor enjoying some love from the fans after a dominant second round performance.
Team Anseth with one last photo in the Margaret Court Arena.
Ashley and Katie after Taylor’s match
On the way out, I spotted these American legends still breaking down the match from the booth.
Who is in this VIP area??
One last photo of us at the AO
Welcome to Melbourne and now goodbye is coming soon.
After leaving the tennis center we walker along the Yarra River and crosses over to eat at The Waterfront Cafe. We came in just ahead of the dinner service, so we sat outside and enjoyed a great meal.
Jamison Mule with Honey syrup
Mussels
Gin and Elserflower surprise from our waiter.
Roasted Barramundi 😍
Walking back across the bridge after dinner. We returned to the Hyatt and each prepared ourselves for a long day of travel. Some prepared in anticipation of more adventures (Katie), some prepared with determination to handle the next 24 hours of travel no matter what happens(Scott) and some prepared with anger regarding the 4 AM shuttle to the airport (Ashley). Once we were all organized, we decided one more walk in Melbourne was in order. So we headed out to a hidden speakeasy not far from our hotel.
Where is the bar???
A Treachle.
Katie enjoying the quiet darkness of the bar.
Ashley reflecting on her life and listening to the piano being played across the room.
Satisfied we started walking back to the hotel. We ran into some digital street art being projected onto the alley wall.
Digital street art.
We finally finished the night the only way we could -with a little gelato as we walked to the hotel.
One last shot of Melbourne at night!!!
Bed time now!!! 3:30 AM wake up is gonna come fast. One of the prices you have to pay if you want to go to cool places and see cool stuff.
Not sure what the girls will say, but this was an amazing trip! We saw amazing things, ate amazing food, had amazing adventures and spent a lot of time talking and laughing. We also spent a little time yelling at each other, because nobody is perfect. However, this vacation was close to perfection.
Not sure what the girls will say, but this was an amazing trip! We saw amazing things, ate amazing food, had amazing adventures and spent a lot of time talking and laughing. We also spent a little time yelling at each other, because nobody is perfect. However, this vacation was close to perfection.
