Exploring Melbourne
Over the past couple of days I have continued exploring Melbourne and its surrounding. I took a 2,5 hours walking tour through the city one morning with the most enthusiastic guide I have ever had. Finally learnt where the best coffee shops are and the history of Melbourne and Australia. The laneways have some incredible street art or graffiti. The city occasionally pays renowned artists to make an art piece on a specific building in some parts of the central business district (CBD). Some blocks are filled with graffiti. Artists come to these blocks in the evening and legally paints new art every now and then. The mind-set of this artists are something in the line with “the art here is only temporary” and by that they mean that it is not meant to last forever. Sooner or later someone will paint something else over the current art and that is the whole point of these creative parts of town. Some walls are covered in beautiful artwork while others are just tagged or are very abstract. Art is a very personal thing. That is why I like that the city of Melbourne allows artists to spray paint in these blocks legally.
My hostel roommate told me the state library has the most amazing cappuccino so of course I just had to try it. I spent a good hour at Mr Tulk café planning the following day and researching my destinations whilst sipping on my cappuccino. And my Norwegian roommate was right – it was a really good cappuccino!
The royal botanical garden was incredible! If it is this beautiful in the winter, I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in spring/summer. It took me a bit more than two hours to walk through it and I will most definitely be back in a few months! And the incredible thing is that it’s completely free. At the terrace tea room, about halfway through the garden, I had a couple of scones and a cappuccino in the sun just by the lake. It didn’t feel like winter… A short walk from the royal botanical garden is the Shrine of Remembrance. It is a memorial for the fallen soldiers of Victoria. It was magnificent. So simple but powerful, respectful and beautiful.
