Day 32 Melbourne, Australia

Today we disembarked from the Seabourn Odyssey and moved into the Park Hyatt for one night. During the day we walked the length and width of the city. What we found was a very agreeable city that seemed to have exactly the right mix of metropolitan advantages and livable city charm. Similar to what we encountered in New Zealand this city is well served by a number of parks. One of the inviting features is a free trolley that circles the city which we used to acquaint ourselves with our new surroundings. There are many Olympic venues within sight of the downtown area which make it seem like a very attractive place to hold the games. We crossed the Yarra River which is just south of the downtown area and walked thru the Royal Botanic Gardens. We then ate dinner at a British Pub where Chris had her signature "Nachos" and I had the fish and chips. Then we were off to the movie theatre to see "Valentines Day", which we loved.


Melbourne comes highly recommended as a nice place to visit.


Tomorrow we join the Diamond Princess after spending most of the day in this lovely city.





Chris - "A glimpse back and a foothold in the present" - A couple last comments about the Seabourn and the cruise. This morning before we left I saw and heard the Captain talking to Hoagie Charmichael's son (who was on our cruise) and the Captain had been asked if the Pacific is often that rough. The Captain's response was that "it was the worst I ever seen it in my 30 years. The first time it was the 10 meter swells that were the problem, the second time it was the 172 kilometer winds." Well, it's good to know that it usually isn't that rough and that with all that we didn't even get sick. The other thing that was interesting was when we got back to the hotel I turned on the TV looking for the Olympics and they were talked about our luxury yacht being in harbor, they toured the boat and they showed one of the two bartenders on 5 that I was so fond of. We did get to see some of the US/Canada hockey game, including the last 15 minutes on a huge TV in one of they buildings. I'm enjoying the Olympics now as I type, although it's mostly about Australia obviously...but it's something!



Now, onto Melbourne...what a beautiful city this is!! The Yarra River that runs through it and some of the colonial look reminds me of Boston. The city has great shopping and in addition to your big stores, the high end stores and the boutiques, they have a number of enclosed arcades. They are beautiful with mosaics, high cathedral ceilings, statues and gold trim. The architecture of the city is interesting because they have a number of VERY contemporary buildings mixed in with colonial and even a mosque look thrown in...and yet it all works! It is a very "walkable" city and did we ever walk it! It was a beautiful day so we hit the parks and the streets to enjoy the beauty and the local people. We saw a bride and groom in full dress on a street corner and a magistrate in white wig and black robe outside the Supreme Court. Melbourne is very special for Paul and me as his parents spent a year here in 1975-76 and we never got to see it because I was pregnant and delivered Scott during their stay. Mother and I exchanged letters daily and I loved reading about their adventures. Today I couldn't help but think of them and know I loved a city that meant so much to them.