Happy Australia Day! (Melbourne Day 1)
Anil Modak (pictured in the last photo above), a dear friend of mine who is like a brother to me, came out to visit. He was in Sydney for a few days, visited New Zealand for 10 days and then returned to Sydney. Last Sunday Morning, he took me with him to Melbourne and the real reason for his trip Down Under: the 2020 Australian Open. He pruchased some of the best seats in town, for the night sessions in the Rod Laver Arena (the biggest venue) hoping to be able to see his hero play: Rodger Federer. Unfortunately, Rodger played in the "arvo" (Aussie for afternoon) so we never got to see him live! But we did get to see Melbourne.
We arrived at around 7:30 AM having taking the earliest flight possible out of Sydney departing at 6:30 AM. We took the bus to our hotel, dropped off our bags and then proceeded to visit the town. Photo one is of Flinders Street Station. It’s a major hub for the entire Metropolitan rail system. Across From it stands Saint Paul’s Cathedral, the Anglican Cathedral of Melbourne (2).
As you can see from the shots above, the city s a mix of old and new. It reminded me very much of Chicago and also Sydney, with a bit of San Francisco thrown in! And everyone everywhere seemed all about the Australian Open (the AO)!
The Yarra River runs right along the southside of the CBD (Central Buisness District). Shops and restaurants line it. There were many crew teams rowing skiffs in the mornings. A really lively and lovely atmosphere.
Apparently Melbourne is known for its graffiti art. Several avenues and alleys contain art…one even from the famous New York Artist Keith Herring, though I didn't see it. We did stumble upon Hosier Lane off of Flinders Street. Here, just about every single surface is covered with art. It's pretty incredible the variety of styles and the amount of color…a free museum for eyes to feast!
The Royal Exhibition Showgrounds is a 19th-century exhibition centre, topped with a dome, and set amid landscaped gardens. There was a lego show inside with tons fo children and families. I think we accidentally entered the exhibit without paying for a ticket! The gardens were lovely and in bloom.
Above are shots of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Melbourne. It was designed by the same architect who designed St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. It has the look and feel of an old, European church. Truly a work of art.
More to come from Melbourne next week, including our visit to the AO! Happy Australia Day!