Melbourne - 10

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Melbourne certainly lived up to it's reputation today. Many people throughout Australia have said Melbourne would be a real highlight, and it turned out to be true. We did a walking tour of the central business district, and found all of the vibrancy, eclectic people and broad range of activities which everyone talked about. The people are very fashion concious, which makes for great people watching, and there are shops, cafes, bars, shows, museums and other activities to fill a month easily. The architecture is a stunning mix of old and new, and many of the downtown streets are tree lined. Evading the trams reminded us very much of walking in downtown Toronto.

Not sure of the exact details, but the origin of the city was "unsavory" according to our Lonely Planet book - all of the land in the area was swindled out of the aboriginal peoples, for some blankets, etc., because they didn't understand the concept of buying and selling land.

We also upgraded the "best" meal of the trip tonight, walked into the Punch Lane Wine Bar, sight unseen, and walked out 3 hours later, with three courses of unbelievably good food, and wine to match. If you ever get to Melbourne - EAT THERE!

Our tour book said Movido was the place to eat, but we couldn't get a reservation, and even with her bush hat, Ann couldn't wangle a table. When we walked up the lane where it is located, it didn't look great to us anyway. It seems likely that Movido is a place to be seen, more than eat. Turned out for the better anyway - the food at Punch Lane couldn't be topped.

The laneway (and many other places) had the great murals and artwork , and further up was being used for a photo shoot - just one of dozens of cool things we saw as we walked around. Sculptures and artwork on pretty much every block. Great shopping - we found a Pandora jewelry store, and Ann upgraded her Pandora necklace with a kangaroo and a koala.

Tomorrow we are going to St. Kilda district, which has a beach, amusement park, and further eclectic shopping and dining.

Definitely worth a return visit here, for a couple of weeks.

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Photos

Philosophy
Fortunately Ann has been watching my back for those A__ B__ - haven't seen many at all.

Window Shopping
Expect a store in Priddis soon.

No Room at the Inn
We did much better anyway.

Bridge Art
Art is everywhere you turn here.

Back Alley
Great art and city life.

Sculpture
Steve barely resisted taking it apart to see how it worked.