March 2 and 3: At Sea
We passed these days at sea lounging on the ship, napping, or hanging out by the pool. And of course on a cruise, there is food everywhere. At cloudy times, we had rousing games of Mexican Train, just like old people on a cruise ship.
But then it was time for some more costume silliness with the "70's Tea Dance!"
Tim in the elevator is ready to strut his stuff, 70's style!
Tim is making new friends!
Keith and Dick are the the-dye boys!
After dinner, a lovely sunset progressed on deck.
Tomorrow our two leisurely days at sea brings us to our first top in Australia: Melbourne!
March 4-5: Melbourne Australia
Like so much of New Zealand and Australia, the area around Melbourne was initially inhabited by aborigines, who lost their land to European explorers. Melbourne remained a sleepy little port city under Euopean leadership until gold was discovered in Vicotria province in 1851. The subsequent Victoria Gold Rush saw the immigration on thousands of Germans, Chinese, and Irish to work the gold mines.
"Gold built Melbourne" as one of the cab drivers remarked. And you can still see Victorian-era buildings standing alongside modern structures.
We opted out of the wildlife bus and wandered into the city to see what we could find.
Walking from the wharf area into the city, we crossed the Yarra River.
This is Federation Square on the Yarra, just as you enter Melbourne from the wharf. Federation Square is a cluster of funky contemporary buildings and outdoor performance spaces housing great little shops and bistros.
Melbourne is considered Australia's cultural center. There are multiple schools for the performing arts and many performance venues--but none so appealing and so available as the streets. Everywhere we went in the Melbourne CBD, we heard live musicians in the streets and alleyways. This all give the city a very youthful, vibrant ambience.
Just across from Federation Square is the Flinders Street Station completed in 1909. It serves the entire metropolitan train system. Melbourne has an extensive system of public transportation, much of it free in the central business district.
Just off Flinders Street, we wandered into Degraves Street--a little pedestrian alley lined with shops, cafes, barber shops, and specialty food shops.
Degrades Street led us further into a maze of pedestrian walkways hidden in what has been alleyways between the large downtown buildings of Melbourne. What a great urban us of otherwise wasted space!
Bourke Street is a main cross terminus for the city tram system. It is lined with re-purposed old Victorian buildings reflecting the city's heritage.
Tim and I decided to hop a city tram and visit the St. Kilda's Beach area. St. Kilda is a suburb southeast of the CBD and an easy tram ride. We found it to be a little edgy, a little shabby, and greatly in transition with high energy levels.
The old Palais Theater in St. Kilda, still in use.
The entrance to Luna Par, a large old-style roller coaster. It was closed when we were there, or we would have gone inside. It looked like fun!
And this is our afternoon destination: St. Kilda's Beach. A beautiful stretch of pale sand bordering Melbourne Harbor.
Somehow the setting seemed to call for a pitcher of sangria!
In the afternoon, the city sets up volleyball nets all along the beach, and soon after leaving work, many Aussies are happily playing beach volleyball.
Some Aussies shed their work suits for wet suits to go kit surfing. It looked like this guy was skimming along at about 20 mph!
And yet others hope in their sailboats as the afternoon breezes kick up. Soon there were hundreds of sailboats gliding across the bay off of St. Kilda's Beach. Work hard, play hard seemed to be the order of the day.
Based on the (faulty) advice of a cheerful local lady, Tim and I decided to walk from St. Kilda Beach back along the waterfront to the wharf. "Only 2.5 km," she chirped. "And quicker than taking the tram back in the city, and then out to the pier."
As we walked along enjoying the lovely evening breezes, I caught this photo of the moon rising over an old beachfront hotel.
As it turns out, it was farther than our Aussie hostess had estimated. We we were dragging and dog tired, and the sun had set, we passed a sign with an arrow pointing the way we had come. "St. Kilda 3.9 km" it cheerily proclaimed. And we still had about a km to go to the ship.
When we finally re-boarded the Oosterdam, it was time for a quick snack and fall into bed!
The next morning dawned a little cooler, so we headed back across the Yarra into the city. Our destination: Queen Victoria Market.
The produce was beautiful.
This sign in the center of the market is where lovers and couples write their names and the date on little colorful plastic key chains and attach them to the screens within the sign. I guess this is Melbourne's answer to the Pont des Artes in Paris!
Melbourne is also known for its street art. We didn't really see graffiti scattered around the city as we have in other big cities. Part of the reason must be the designated street art areas in some of the alleyways of the CBD. It has turned into a big tourist attraction, and a socially acceptable venue for street artists to practice their craft.
The street art of Melbourne is very colorful and even beautiful.
After lunch with the guys in another hip cafe in the maze of alleyways in the CBD, we headed back to the ship our 3:30 PM sail away. Goodbye Melbourne! Sydney, here we come!
Melbourne is considered Australia's cultural center. There are multiple schools for the performing arts and many performance venues--but none so appealing and so available as the streets. Everywhere we went in the Melbourne CBD, we heard live musicians in the streets and alleyways. This all give the city a very youthful, vibrant ambience.
Bourke Street is a main cross terminus for the city tram system. It is lined with re-purposed old Victorian buildings reflecting the city's heritage.
First order of business, a little afternoon refreshment! We found a place called Republica right on the beach, already bust at 4 in the afternoon. These Aussies don't waste any time getting out of the office on a weekday!
As we walked along enjoying the lovely evening breezes, I caught this photo of the moon rising over an old beachfront hotel.
As it turns out, it was farther than our Aussie hostess had estimated. We we were dragging and dog tired, and the sun had set, we passed a sign with an arrow pointing the way we had come. "St. Kilda 3.9 km" it cheerily proclaimed. And we still had about a km to go to the ship.
When we finally re-boarded the Oosterdam, it was time for a quick snack and fall into bed!
"The Vic" as it is called by locals is the oldest surviving market in Melbourne. Originally conceived in 1878, the Vic was built on a site that had been a cemetery, a meat market, and finally a fruit and vegetable market.
Today, you can find the usual fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish, but also almost anything else you are looking for--clothes, shoes, furniture, tourist trinkets including boomerangs and stuffed toy kangaroos and koalas.
Melbourne is also known for its street art. We didn't really see graffiti scattered around the city as we have in other big cities. Part of the reason must be the designated street art areas in some of the alleyways of the CBD. It has turned into a big tourist attraction, and a socially acceptable venue for street artists to practice their craft.
After lunch with the guys in another hip cafe in the maze of alleyways in the CBD, we headed back to the ship our 3:30 PM sail away. Goodbye Melbourne! Sydney, here we come!
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