Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Melbourne - Encore


After a full day in the car we all enjoyed getting back onto our feet and out exploring Melbourne. More things were open on Easter Sunday than had been on Good Friday. We rode the free old fashioned tram that takes tourists around the city center.


The trams that criss cross the city make for some very confusing driving. It took us a while to decode signs like these. They also have a wacky type of turns called hook turns whereby you wait on the left side in order to do right hand turns. See here


We met up with a guided walking tour of Melbourne. Nina, Grampi and I had done the three hour tour of Sydney really enjoyed it. We knew it was a stretch for the kids but we also figured it would help to orient us and give us a better understanding of Melbourne. I plied the girls with lots of snacks and they managed to make it through the full first hour and a half. 

Together we saw the old jail, the Princess theater and even more beautiful parks.




We walked through Chinatown. Melbourne has the second oldest Chinatown after San Francisco.



Our guide drew our attention to this amazing public sculpture built entirely of plastic bottles. He said it was a temporary installation for last year's year of the dragon.



Melbourne definitely has an artsy feel. We found surprising art everywhere. I particularly enjoyed this musical one.


The girls liked having their picture taken by the Paparazzi dogs. 


Brian has made a big effort to understand Australian sports and he knew that seeing an Aussie Rules Football game at the famous Melbourne Cricket Grounds would be almost as much of a cultural experience as seeing an opera at the Sydney Opera House. We had a lot of fun. The game is fast paced and high scoring and completely incomprehensible to me but I'm glad we could include it on our Aussie bucket list. 


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