I miss you so much, darling princess Aggie! Can't wait to see you in November!
Will be posting lots and lots of Melbourne pictures for a while. Went to Melbourne for a week to visit friends and my aunt, and it was so wonderful to be back in the World's Most Liveable City! Anyway I was pretty lucky (and unlucky!). Lucky because I was able to take as many pics as I wanted...but unlucky because the weather wasn't the best! It was really cold and rained during the weekends. But fortunately we were prepared!
Anyway let's get started with some city sights! Will be sharing a couple of landmarks from the World's Most Liveable City! Plus some other pics from my walk around the city.
First up - Flinders Street Station. The major train station in Melbourne. And also an icon within the city. It was built in 1905 and has since served as a major exchange point for ages! Literally all the train lines pass through there, and of course, trams stop right outside it.
Crossed the historic Princes Bridge to the other side of the river - Southbank. It's a thriving hub with restaurants, the arts...everything. And of course - the tallest building in Melbourne (the Eureka Tower) is there. You can see the Eureka Tower from the pics below. The most prominent, blue stripey building on the left side.
Hamer Hall - right next to the bridge. Can't believe how much it has changed! It's so much more modern, and so classy! How I wish I was still living in Melbourne. I used to come to Southbank regularly for concerts and arts events - mostly music of course.
And not too far away - the Arts Centre, where other shows and plays are held. I've not been to the Arts Centre before. Its white pointed spire is always conspicuous at night...and in the day. Yet another icon on Southbank!
Decided to walk to the Shrine of Remembrance (as I didn't go there last time). Passed this giant clock made of plants and stones - and the words say "Monet's Garden". The clock was fully functional! This is really cool. This is part of the Queen Victoria Gardens - an area of parkland on Southbank, just opposite the Arts Precinct (i.e. Arts Centre, Hamer Hall etc.).
Passed a few sculptures, fountains and memorials along the way, including one dedicated to the police force.
And finally reached the Shrine of Remembrance! It was peaceful, as always. I didn't go in, but took pictures from far. The Shrine of Remembrance can be seen from Swanston Street - and it was strategically placed such that people see it looming straight ahead when travelling on the trams.
Walked by the Government House but it was closed. So I ended up walking around Kings Domain - the parklands surrounding it. Kings Domain was established in 1854 and the Shrine of Remembrance is one of the icons located in it. It's just next to the Botanic Gardens.
Walked through Queen Victoria Gardens before heading back to the CBD.
More city sights as I crossed the bridge and ended up back on Flinders Street.
The main modes of transport along Swanston Street - horse-drawn carriages and trams. I mainly took trams. But the horse-drawn carriages were a wonderful sight...and were so popular amongst tourists.
I explored a significant part of the city by foot too...and despite the cold, the air was fresh and the scenery was just gorgeous. Even though I was right in the middle of bustling Melbourne.
My next stop - the Melbourne Town Hall. This was opened in 1870 and is the central municipal building in Melbourne. The Town Hall is now used for various purposes, including the annual Comedy Festival, plays, musical performances and so on. I remembered performing in the Town Hall with the university's choir way back in 2009! It was such an amazing experience. Subsequently I went back to the Town Hall for various artistic performances, including those by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (mainly the Beethoven Festival!).
Melbourne does have lots of gorgeous old buildings, and I couldn't help but take as many pictures as possible. Many of them have been really well restored.
I should also say - Melbourne has really interesting laneways too! The whole city is literally full of life with cafes, bars, hotels, shops......I really missed Melbourne so much. I love the vibrance and the city itself. No wonder it's called the World's Most Liveable City.
The Royal Arcade - built originally in 1869 and refurbished to accommodate various shops, including the famous Koko Black chocolate cafe. At the south end of the Arcade, there's effigies of mythical creatures Gog and Magog, and a clock which goes off every hour. The Royal Arcade connects Collins Street and Bourke Street.
Ended the day at my favourite chocolate shop (Max Brenner's), with a nice cup of Italian hot chocolate!
And that essentially sums up my trip around Melbourne. Do stay tuned for the next post!