Melbourne

I am alive and very well and have thoroughly enjoyed my first week in Melbourne.

Now I know I told you I wouldn't be posting as frequently to the blog any longer (and I'm obviously not) but truth be told I think I'm going through a little bit of "blog posting withdrawal"... so I do still need it as a part of my life.
Something else that I have been reminded of in several recent emails - is that although being here in Australia may feel a bit like "home" for me and that I don't do anything "exciting", there are some of you who have not yet been bored with my countless/endless Australia stories from previous travels.

And so I have sort of said to myself that I will at least do a weekly posting while I'm here - even if it's more of a chance to touch base than to share "adventures".

I'm staying with my friend Jude here in Melbourne - and it is wonderful to both see her again and also to unwind a bit.
I've always said that Melbourne and Toronto are a lot alike --- they both have a very similar 'feel' to them as big cities.  And Jude lives in a neighbourhood very similar to where I live in Toronto too, so that's an extra bonus.  She's one block away from a tram that in less than 20 minutes takes me right into the centre of Melbourne.  It couldn't be more perfect.

When I first got here I don't think I did anything for the first couple of days ... and I mean nothing.  Slept a bit, read a bit, watched a bit of television (something other than BBC or CNN news)...  I think my body was sort of in shock that it wasn't constantly on the move.
And perhaps another reason for my lack of activity was that the Tuesday when I got here was actually a holiday here in Melbourne --- where else in the world does one city, and one city only in the whole country, have a recognized holiday for a horse race???

But these last few days I've been more productive and have hopped the tram and wandered around the city centre, re-familiarizing myself with the city again.

Today I attended a Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance here in Melbourne.  Australians also have a national day of remembrance on ANZAC Day in April (originally it was to honour the Australian and New Zealand forces who fought in Gallipoli, it now commemorates all who have served / are serving), so in a little way Remembrance Day isn't quite as recognized here as it is at home, but that being said, the service this morning was still very lovely, and the Shrine of Remembrance is a very moving tribute.

And this is the view from the top of the Shrine of Remembrance, looking towards Melbourne's city centre:

Right beside the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne has the most beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens that I think I've ever been in.  I could definitely spend hours walking/wandering around in them.

In an attempt to show-off Melbourne to you here are a few photos of various buildings that can all be found within a two block radius, right in the centre of the city.

(The Arts Centre, home of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra)

(Flinder's Street train station)

(Federation Square - like Yonge/Dundas or ... Times Square)

(Melbourne Town Hall)

(St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral)

And the Yarra River runs right along the edge of the city centre too.  Hanging out here is a lot like hanging out at Harbourfront, except it's a river and not a lake.

And again this week I was struck by one of those moments that I often feel when I'm here in Australia at Christmas time.  Australia has a department store called Myer's - very similar to The Bay - and like The Bay, Myer's does Christmas windows.  Yesterday I happened to be on hand for the opening of Myer's Christmas windows this year - a series of windows based on the story "Russell's  Christmas Magic" by Rob Scotton.  If you're not familiar with Russell the sheep well ... you have some reading to do!
So today I went back for a less crowded look at the Christmas windows, wearing shorts and a tank top as it was about 28 degrees today!  (A beautiful spring day.)