Final Days in Victoria
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Australians seem to erect a lot of memorials for their fallen war dead. About a 20minute walk from our hotel stood this impressive "Shrine of Remembrance." According to their website:
"The design for the Shrine of Remembrance was selected by competition among Australian artists and architects. Eighty-three designs were submitted and the winning design was by two Melbourne returned-soldier architects, Philip Hudson and James Wardrop. The inspiration for the external outline came from one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—the mausoleum at Halicarnassus to Mausolus, King of Caria in South West Asia Minor. Although the country was faced with frightful unemployment and financial difficulty in the late 1920s and the 1930s, so great was the gratitude of the people that the huge amount required to build the Shrine was raised or promised within six months from the opening of the appeal in 1928."
Around the outside stand four tall squre pillars (3), each representing a different military units. Climbing the stairs leads you into a great open space with an oculus that allows natural light (6). Along the walls hang huge flags from Australia (7) and New Zealand, while below is a museum (8). Along the outside are four, outdoor, enclosed gardens representing different areas of the world where battles were fought (12). One can climb to a patio that surrounds the top and gives great views of the city and surrounding parks (13-14). If you look carefully at the panorama you can see my friend Anil (14).
Just across the street from the Shrine of Remembrance is the Royal Botanic Garden Victoria. Exotic and lovely topiary align the entrance (1-2). They reminded me of Salvador Dalí or Dr. Seuss! These dahlias were as big as my head (3). Orange blooms covered this tree like fireworksblooms like fireworks (4). I'm told these flowers are called "lady's slippers" (6). At the far end of the gardens, a huge volcano like structure reached for the sky. Climbing to the top, you discover a reservoir for collecting rain water, beautifully decorated by water plants (11-12). They too reminded me of another artist: Monet. This duck like bird (15) could be seen all around the water's edge, looking for grubs, though tourists with bread were good, too!
Melborne is known for its narrow streets and many "arcades." These are turn of the century galleries of shops. Many people say this reminds them of France or Italy. It's why people say Melbourne is more European than Sydney.
This first one is the "Royal Arcade" and is the "longest standing" arcade in Australia, going back to Victorian times. Its presided over by Gog and Magog (2-4), ancient kings of the Bible. (I'm not sure what ancient pagan kings have to do with commercial ventures!) They strike the bells at every hour.
The secodn set of images come from the Block Arcade (5-9). You can walk from one arcade to the next via narrow alleys full of shops and cafes (10). The desserts in one window left our mouths watering (11-13). I found an Aussie surfer will to pose for a photo (14). I had to take a picture of Anil with the Pink Panther (who loves the Peter Sellers movies) (15)!
We ended our day with the second night of the Australian Open (16) and a lovely stroll along the Yarra River (17).
On they last day we checked out of our hotel early, headed back to the airport and rented a car to drive outside the city. About 3 hours drive away lies some massive sandstone rocks called "the 12 Apostles" (1-6). The day was very iffy, weatherwise with chance of storms all day long. We couldn't complain as we needed the rain—there was still some smoke in the air. The clouds only added to the dramatic scenery. Some of the "apostles" had been pulverized by the waves, though others were being created as the water ate into the rocky coast.
All along this "Great Ocean Road" were other bays with other famous rocks such as: London Arch (10) and this formation called the Grotto (14-18). On the way home, I spotted my first wold koala walking along the side of the road (19). Perfect!
Finally, you'll be happy to know we are getting much needed rain into the area. It's been raining almost non stop for the past 3 days and we are looking to get another week of rain ahead of us. As of this morning I am told all the fires are out on this side of the continent. Hopefully now, we will not suffer floods!