The varied architecture of Melbourne immediately caught my eye, with combinations of Victorian houses, Gothic styled cathedrals and office buildings, contemporary, artsy block buildings, towering glass skyscrapers and a Chinatown right in the midst of it all, just to mix things up. The visitor's information center, located along the banks of the river, is located in Federation Square, an area of a mix of yellow, brown and red abstractly shaped bricks in the center surrounded by strange looking buildings with all sorts of colors and even a few disjointed, angled electronic messages boards that flash barely legible messages to any visitors that happen to have their heads cocked at a 61 degree angle, followed by a 32 degree angle, and then a 55 degree angle, in that order. Melbourne is also touted as one of the Australia's and the area's most international cities, meaning that its ethnic diversity contributes to an interesting culture and all types of cuisine within the city. A few of the main streets are also still lined with overhanging elms or other large trees, nicely breaking the impersonality of the concrete and pavement associated with large cities. Looking for dinner on my first night, I was excited to find a place called BBNT - Burritos, Burgers, Nachos and Tacos. It proudly advertised that it was locally owned and operated, pointing out clearly that it was not owned by an American. I figured I'd give it a try, and I tend to think that their version of Mexican food might have been better if it were owned by an American. The feeble, misguided attempt at a burrito consisted of a rolled up tortilla in the form of a wrap with some chopped up hamburger bits and cheese and a bit of lettuce and bad salsa. Still, I guess I'll have to wait until I'm home for quality Mexican food. I've decided that I'll stick with Asian noodle houses when I'm unsure, as those are certainly more authentic.
My next day here in Melbourne was a Saturday, meaning a big day for the city, sports-wise. Australian Rules Football (Aussie Rules or Footy) is absolutely huge here, with many of the country's teams coming from this area. It is basically like a combination of rugby, American football and soccer, with plenty of big hits, testosterone and no pads for protection. I'd watched some matches on tv years ago, and I was more excited to see this than the rugby match, as these games are more wide open with a ton of scoring. Over and over I read that the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) was THE place to see a match, as it is a hallowed ground that has hosted matches for over 100 years and is the site of the finals every year. I was happy to be able to find a ticket online, and it even featured a tight match between two local teams, the Hawthorn Hawks and the Essendon Bombers. As I made my way to the stadium for the afternoon match, my excitement grew. People in red and black or yellow and brown uniforms lined the streets, making their way to the Southeast end of town, to the stadium. Upon entering, I caught just a glimpse of the green grass below, and a huge smile came across my face. This was another of those "must-see" attractions, and I was ready for it. As I took the escalator to my seat, I also found out that I had somehow acquired a great spot, somewhat in the exclusive club level, where you walk through a sort of bar/restaurant to get to your nicely padded seat, just under the awning to keep the seats dry from the drizzle that came down most of the day up to that point. I sat down next to a few rabid fans of both sides, and I was ready. Just as the match was about to get underway, a few of the players of each team apparently had a few words and cheap shots for each other, and there were two or three little scuffles with pushing and shoving before the match even began, much to my delight.
The match started off well, with the sky clearing and the sun emerging for part of it, while the teams battled back and forth. I took in the whole spectacle, hearing each side's chants and battle songs, watching the momentum swing and the insults fly. Eventually, Hawthorn pulled away, thanks to 9 goals and 2 behinds by Lance Franklin, which seemed like quite a feat to me, so the game ended 131-96, with plenty of scoring from both sides. The match was great, but the atmosphere and enthusiasm was what made the whole event so exciting. The 95,000 capacity stadium probably held around 50,000 or 60,000 people that day, wearing their team's colors, waving flags, booing or applauding each call of the referee. Many Essendon supporters left a few minutes early, and the jubilant Hawks stayed around to bask in their team's glory. I walked back into town with them, hearing the insulting comments and jabs at anyone that happened to be wearing red and black and still remained in town. It was a great experience, being able to see two local teams in the shrine of a stadium at the center of the entire sport.
Besides that, I have mostly just walked around and around the city, finding random corners and laughing at the naming convention that features names like Bourke St. and Little Bourke St. and tons of tiny alleys that actually have names and hidden restaurants and cafes. There are two free tourist shuttles and trams that circle the city, so I also took a short sight-seeing tour of the city, taking in the free sites and commentary before stopping at the Queen Victoria Market to marvel at the same cheap souvenirs that caught my eye in Sydney. For some reason, I can't keep myself away from those places. Finally, I found a few places selling sour worms here, and then I even bought a pineapple, cantaloupe and some kiwi fruit to try to even out my nutritional intake, so I hope that works. Speaking of food, I'm dying right now, so I think I'm off across the street to get some Panang chicken from the tiny Thai diner that's tantalizingly within my sights the moment I leave this computer...
By the way, I am renting a tiny campervan tomorrow and hitting the road, starting with the Great Ocean Road and its beautiful cliffs and rock formations before heading up the East coast to see the string of picturesque beaches, waterfalls and rainforest before arriving near the NE tip of Oz (Australia) in about three weeks. Sydney and Melbourne have both been great cities, but I'm ready to see the parks, beaches, forests and definitely the wildlife that Australia has to offer.
(One of the beautiful birds of the area. This one was actually in Sydney, but I've seen the same ones here, so it still counts. Maybe not the exact same one, but they have to be twins or something.)
(The South side of the Yarra River and a few impressive buildings.)
(The other side of the Yarra River...my hostel is pretty close to the tall building on the left.)
(A view of the MCG and the footy from my seat.)
(People and the main buildings of the city nicely packed into a decent scene. That's the backside of Federation Square in the foreground. Just pretend like you care, for my sake.)
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