So, as I said a number of posts ago, we're now in Melbourne, staying in a condo in the middle of the arts district of Southbank. The room is small, as is the condo, but the hosts - Mike (a Brit) and Mark (a Kiwi) are nice and helpful and their two cats are quite entertaining.
We took an evening stroll when we got here yesterday and saw scenes like this one on the Yarra Riverfront:
We've landed in Melbourne during two big events. First, the Australian Open - the stadia where the matches are played are very close by and the city is understandably absorbed with the competition. A cool thing is that there's a humongous screen in the main square of the city, Federation Square, and last night we watched the Federer-Nadal match along with hundreds of others, a festive atmosphere:
The other event is Australia Day, which is tomorrow (Sunday). We saw much of the preparations (event stages, food booths) being set up when we rode rented bikes around this afternoon. There'll be a parade, fireworks, music, etc., not to mention the men's finals of the Open tomorrow night. Should be fun!
Earlier today, we visited the National Gallery of Victoria (free!), which had a huge new show featuring 300 Melbourne artists, with works ranging from performance art, to video, to architectural installations. Lots of hands on experiences for children, too, so the place was buzzing with people of all ages.
We ended our full day with dinner in Chinatown and back to Federation Square to see Li Na (China, how fitting!) win the Women's finals.
We took an evening stroll when we got here yesterday and saw scenes like this one on the Yarra Riverfront:
We've landed in Melbourne during two big events. First, the Australian Open - the stadia where the matches are played are very close by and the city is understandably absorbed with the competition. A cool thing is that there's a humongous screen in the main square of the city, Federation Square, and last night we watched the Federer-Nadal match along with hundreds of others, a festive atmosphere:
The other event is Australia Day, which is tomorrow (Sunday). We saw much of the preparations (event stages, food booths) being set up when we rode rented bikes around this afternoon. There'll be a parade, fireworks, music, etc., not to mention the men's finals of the Open tomorrow night. Should be fun!
Earlier today, we visited the National Gallery of Victoria (free!), which had a huge new show featuring 300 Melbourne artists, with works ranging from performance art, to video, to architectural installations. Lots of hands on experiences for children, too, so the place was buzzing with people of all ages.
We ended our full day with dinner in Chinatown and back to Federation Square to see Li Na (China, how fitting!) win the Women's finals.
Hey Aaron, have you figured out what it is about Aussies and Beer. Here in Whistler on Sunday Aussie day they were lined up at teh Longhorn at 8 am!
ReplyDeleteKeep cool when you can and enjoy every minute. Will send you email of my friend Gregory Jenks in Brisbane.
NOt sure the Seahawks will prevail if you are ot here to cheer them on but your canuck cousins will do our best..