Aloha for Auntie
Trip Start
Sep 04, 2007
1
16
18
Trip End
Feb 08, 2008
Melbourne,
Australia
Saturday, December 1, 2007
one of the alleys
. (Some of you might have guessed correctly this was my suggestion.)After gorging on some curry chicken, we hopped on the free tourist tram that runs around the central business district and made it to the old gaol (jail)-turned-museum where Ned Kelly, the famous Australian bandit, was incarcerated, along with his mother, and eventually hanged. It was a pretty informative stop, and many of the cells had plaster "death masks" of the inmates, and descriptions of their crimes on the wall of the disturbingly cramped cells. In one case a three year old had been thrown in jail for six months for disorderly conduct. Two brothers, ages four and seven, served twelve months for vagrancy. That'll teach 'em to be homeless!
As we had no formalized plans for the day, we got back on the tram and watched the parks and European-styled buildings roll past. When the recorded tour guide got around to mentioning the IMAX theater, we decided, what the heck, and disembarked. When we got up to the theater, attached to the impressive modern steel and glass building of the Melbourne Museum, Ian had already spotted the Beowulf poster. Yes, Ian has been dying to see the new Zemeckis blockbuster since it came out in the US a few weeks ago, and when he noticed that we could watch it IN IMAX, IN 3D, well, needless to say, he was excited! I'll admit I was pretty enthusiastic myself, and was not disappointed. It's really well done, and with the 3D effects, there are several intense points where you have a spearhead thrust in your face or a dragon's face inches from your nose
the Block Arcade
. Not to mention, Angelina Jolie's computer rendered, but realistic figure right there in front of you. Whew. Anyway, after that, we finished our circuit on the tram, I found a barber and got my ears lowered, and then we met back up with Jaimie, who took us out to his house in Eltham, a suburb north of the city. The Cooks have a nice house, two boys, named Jimmy and Anthony, and we were once again treated hospitably by our hosts Jaime and Annie, wined and dined and treated with stories of the intervening seven years since Jane had met up with them.
Yesterday, Friday, Annie had off work and took us via train into town, to act as our tour guide. She took us into "The Alleys," an area of winding pedestrian alleyways near the Federation Square, populated with picturesque cafes, international food vendors, and shops. We walked around for a few hours, did some souvenir shopping, and made it to the Melbourne Art Museum. Here, Jane and Annie beelined for the Impressionist exhibition, while Ian and I meandered through the classical Italian painters and were followed warily by a museum custodian in each new room. A good thing to--I probably would have wiped my hands on all the pieces if they hadn't been there. Maybe some chewing gum on an old frame. Who knows with Americans!
After a bit more walking around--been doing a lot of that--we had a beer and some hors d'oeuvres at an outdoor cafe, where we noted the surprising heat of the fading sun at 6 in the evening, and the ubiquity of the now familiar Australian fly
Annie, Jane and Ian walking along the Yarra
. Annie claims they are not usually common in Melbourne, but I had long since grown accustomed to the bush salute of flailing hands, squinting eyes, and sputtering mouth at wallaby creek. They are an all-too-familiar nuisance that I thought I had escaped. Anyway, after a slightly dampened aperitif we met up with Jaimie and did a tour of Brighton Beach, with the famous colorful storage houses lining the sand. Apparently these little huts cost many thousands of dollars and are highly coveted. The costs of convenience.Jamie next drove us into the St. Kilda area where I'll be staying in a hostel near the beach, starting tomorrow and we had a nice fish and chips dinner at a takeout seafood place. Today we are going to do a tour of the coast--maybe stopping in at a vineyard or two--we haven't quite decided what we'll do. What is for certain is that Jane and Ian will depart for Brisbane on the redeye flight tonight. They leave to go back to the states in four days. It's hard to believe that the Australian adventure is almost over. For myself, I haven't yet decided when I'll head back, but probably within the next two weeks. Well, we're about to head out. Ciao for now.
matt
