One location, two stories and many interesting experiences

in #travel6 years ago

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For those who have been to Melbourne and are familiar with all the wonderful laneways and hidden places within might know where this picture was taken.

Those who know The Croft Institute (or simply the Croft) will find the journey through the twists and turns of the alley ways leading up to the entrance a unique experience, and when you walk into the place the interior decor takes another fascinating twist. I won't steal the thunder from TripAdvisor, Yelp and other online reviews, but I want to share two stories about the institute.

I had dinner with a friend last night and I mentioned two places that left impressions on me nearby where we were dinning, and the one where we have both been patrons of was the Croft. My story was about how a bartender ended up making free alcoholic cocktails after I ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail (perhaps I will provide more details if you are interested) while her story was about being mistaken for a famous celebrity because of the dim lighting and noisy environment (to the amusement of some friends).

I wrote previously about how travel stories don't often tell tales of places revisited, and how that one snapshot in time only captures a fraction of the rich story that weaves itself into time, and how out experience is also a thread in that tapestry.

How did I discover the Croft? It was a night of catching up with friends after work, and while watching work colleagues treat shots of absinthe with disdain and reckless courage I opted for the more sensible option.

My second visit was to introduce a friend from out of town to the experience that I enjoyed, but also for him to create his own experience. It did involve me retelling the story of how the bartender tried to convince me that there is a cocktail (alcoholic version) for everyone; something he was willing to prove by making me cocktails until I was willing to trade in my non-alcoholic version.

My third visit was just passing by on the way to this dinner meeting with a friend, but I passed by earlier in the day and took the photo in this post to remind myself of the experiences I had. So no, there was no real third visit, but perhaps it would have been an interesting experience too. But this time a friend shared her story about the Croft with me.

And so in our own separate ways there was a common thread that linked our past experiences together with the present moment. And doesn't that make a photo, a story or an experience so much more fascinating?

I am not a writer or a photographer, but I think life's moments are not best captured by words or images, but by the spark in your brain when you connect with the story they represent.

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Watch out for massive balls of red string, though.

I love when you go somewhere and it sparks a memory

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