We have just enjoyed 3 wonderful days in Melbourne.

 

As I sit here at my computer, I wonder, Where will I start? We saw and experienced so much in a very short time.

The main reason for our trip to Melbourne was to see the Edinburgh Tattoo.  For as long as I can remember I have wished to see this spectacular event and had promised myself that someday I would travel to Edinburgh in Scotland to do just that. Well, I did not need to travel half way around the world as this amazing event came to Australia. This was its first time to Melbourne and only its 4th time outside of Scotland in 65 years of performances.

The event was fabulous. It was held at the Etihad Stadium which it in itself is fantastic.  There was a life size replica of the Edinburgh Castle within the stadium and there were about 1200 performers from around the world.

We had great seats with an uninterrupted view.  It was one of the best shows I have ever seen, with amazing precision and uniforms and incredible atmosphere, and a grand finale  firework display at the end of the performances.

Being the second largest Capital City in Australia, there is a lot to cover in just 3 days. On our first afternoon, we chose to get among the action of the city and headed to Fed Square, which is in the hub of the city.  With Public Art Exhibitions as well as street artists and musicians we found plenty to see here.

From here we headed to Southbank which stretches along the Southside of the Yarra River. We wandered along the river front which is a must see while in Melbourne. Southbank is also home to Southgate Shopping Centre and the Melbourne Casino along with a host of bars and restaurants.  We enjoyed cool refreshing Gelati while taking in the amazing views looking across the river back to the city.  And of course, we enjoyed partaking in one of my favourite pastimes, People watching.  You could spend hours…or days here!

The next morning we took the free tram to the Queen Victoria Markets ‘Vic Market’ for breakfast. These markets which boast a wonderful array of fresh produce as well as clothing and souvenirs have been a landmark in Melbourne for the last century.  We wandered around the fresh food markets and the outdoor fresh fruit and vegetable markets  taking in the wonderful atmosphere that can truly be compared to many of the wonderful markets that I have visited in Italy.

 

Actually, during my 3 days in Melbourne I often had the feeling of being in Italy. I called it, “To be in Italy, when I really was not in Italy”.  There is such an Italian culture with numerous Italian restaurants and cafés.

 

Melbourne is the café capital of Australia with unique individual cafés and restaurants in every part of the city.

There is so much to see and do in this vibrant, exciting modern city.