Cruising the Cultural Capital - Night 120

Trip Start Oct 11, 2007

121

157

Trip End Mar 26, 2008

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Flag of Australia Melbourne, Australia
Thursday, February 7, 2008

Melbourne is known as the cultural capital of Australia so I figured I should spend a day or two taking in its essence of grandeur and high society. My first stop was the Victoria State Library. Part functioning library, part museum, the VSL is located in a grand old, domed building on the north side of downtown. The great, octagonal reading room opens up all the way to the top of the dome giving you a rat-in -a -cage feeling as other patrons can look down on you from three stories up. The top three floors of the dome house the museum. The first exhibit is a presentation on the history of books from about 1300 to the modern age. Showcasing some of Australia's rarest and most valuable literary artifacts, it proved interesting. Also on show, was a floor dedicated to the State of Victoria. Most of it was inconsequential state-building memoirs and photos of Melbourne from the turn of the 19th century; however, one small nook was a tribute to the Australian Robin Hood, Ned Kelly. Edward Kelly was rogue bushman who stole from the rich and gave (on occasion) to the poor, along the way killing police, burning buildings and generating a cult following. The prize piece was the iron armor suit he was wearing when police finally caught up with him in 1880. The precursor to the modern bulletproof vest, the unit must have weight 80 pounds or more, but it did protect his vital organs from the police revolvers when he jumped out of the bushes and opened fire on a legion of cops one fateful spring day. Kelly was eventually apprehended and hanged after serving some time in the Melbourne Gaol.

The Melbourne Cathedral

He is most famous for his final words, which he delivered to his mother (who was let out of jail for a few hours to witness her son's demise) on his way to the gallows. Kelly, when confronted with his eminent death, said, and quite parsimoniously at that, "such is life."
I swung by the Queen Victoria Market to pick up some groceries for lunch. Gazing at the interesting selection from the Wild Game vendor I couldn't help but purchase some kangaroo sausages. They taste a bit gamey, but with the right spices in the sausage they proved to be delicious. I have a feeling I'll be trying the wild boar and crocodile before I leave town.The National Gallery was my destination for the afternoon. It's a huge place and I only managed to complete the first two floors before my concentration and interest gave out. I have a growing appreciation for paintings and sculpture, but pottery and furniture just don't do it for me. Today was Anna's last day in Melbourne, so we went out for a beer and some Indian food to bid her a farewell. After two nights on the town I needed a good night sleep so it was back to the hostel by 10.

What I Learned Today: This is just more of a random thought, but anyways....I am amazed at the different ways in which the ancients painted the human body, especially faces. The Egyptians have slender bodies always standing or sitting in perfect posture. The faces and eyes are very narrow. The Greeks on the other hand, over exaggerate the eyes and are usually depicted in strange poses, almost unnaturally so. Across the sea, the Mayans are shown as fat, monstrous looking ghouls to point of being frightening. I imagine that some historian or anthropologist has explained the social and religious reasons for this, but I secretly would like to know as well. The world can be so interesting