Melbourne, St. Kilda Beach, 21 April 2011.
Had a terrific "second" last day in Melbourne, the day that should not have been! It should have been my first day in Aukland! Due to the lost passport and travel documents, that fortunately I retrieved from the Carlton Hotel at 11:00 am April 20, I missed my 10:50 am flight to NZ. That meant spending time at Qantas rescheduling my flight and spending two more nights in Melbourne. The St. Kilda Beach area of Melbourne had been on my list, according to many a hotspot for street art and graffiti, just what every globe trotting grandfather is looking for!!!!! Free day, time to explore. Took the train to the city and tram #16 to the beach. Wow, boardwalk, pier, beach, yacht club, enticing pastry shops and even Luna Park, a classic entertainment park. I don't know if this is THE Luna Park, but the wooden framed roller coaster, giant merry go round, carnival rides, all accessed through the entrance which is the open mouth of a huge monster head, certainly recall the early part of the 20th century. I returned there after dark to take photos of the lights and action.
Typical of my days wandering neighborhood alleys looking for photo ops, camera(s) around my neck and inquiring of locals as to the best graffiti, I met more interesting people. First of all there were American skateboarders taking advantage of a sloped part of the boardwalk to perform jumps and other manoeuvres while a professional photographer captured their stunts on film. I think I got some amazing photos of their silhouettes against the sky. By asking about their activities, I met the local councilman who was promoting a skate park for the area, and the perfect guide to examples of street art in his district. He spent 2 hours driving me around to all of the best examples, leaving me at an historic pastry shop to have a dessert and cappaccino. In one cafe where we stopped, I met a waiter from the U. of Nebraska who turned out to be the first Beta I have met in my travels! While taking photos of the skaters from my position on the beach, I met Phil, a young man walking his dog, took some excellent informal beach shots, including some of his very artistic tattoo, another form of street art! Met and photographed Geoffroi, a student from France who was braving the cold water of the bay. Finally, asking directions to another collection of graffiti, I met a lady who is a couchsurfer with friends in New Zealand. We had a good conversation about our experiences as couchsurfers. I returned to the pier to take evening photos of the city across the bay. Although there was the option of waiting to see little penguins return to their nests in the rocks, I decided to head to Luna Park for some colorful evening shots of the rides. Back to the center of the city on the tram, a train ride to Peter and Daniel's house in Craigieburn, my home for the last two weeks, and prepare for departure on Friday. Another great day of meeting people and exploring Melbourne.
Had a terrific "second" last day in Melbourne, the day that should not have been! It should have been my first day in Aukland! Due to the lost passport and travel documents, that fortunately I retrieved from the Carlton Hotel at 11:00 am April 20, I missed my 10:50 am flight to NZ. That meant spending time at Qantas rescheduling my flight and spending two more nights in Melbourne. The St. Kilda Beach area of Melbourne had been on my list, according to many a hotspot for street art and graffiti, just what every globe trotting grandfather is looking for!!!!! Free day, time to explore. Took the train to the city and tram #16 to the beach. Wow, boardwalk, pier, beach, yacht club, enticing pastry shops and even Luna Park, a classic entertainment park. I don't know if this is THE Luna Park, but the wooden framed roller coaster, giant merry go round, carnival rides, all accessed through the entrance which is the open mouth of a huge monster head, certainly recall the early part of the 20th century. I returned there after dark to take photos of the lights and action.
Typical of my days wandering neighborhood alleys looking for photo ops, camera(s) around my neck and inquiring of locals as to the best graffiti, I met more interesting people. First of all there were American skateboarders taking advantage of a sloped part of the boardwalk to perform jumps and other manoeuvres while a professional photographer captured their stunts on film. I think I got some amazing photos of their silhouettes against the sky. By asking about their activities, I met the local councilman who was promoting a skate park for the area, and the perfect guide to examples of street art in his district. He spent 2 hours driving me around to all of the best examples, leaving me at an historic pastry shop to have a dessert and cappaccino. In one cafe where we stopped, I met a waiter from the U. of Nebraska who turned out to be the first Beta I have met in my travels! While taking photos of the skaters from my position on the beach, I met Phil, a young man walking his dog, took some excellent informal beach shots, including some of his very artistic tattoo, another form of street art! Met and photographed Geoffroi, a student from France who was braving the cold water of the bay. Finally, asking directions to another collection of graffiti, I met a lady who is a couchsurfer with friends in New Zealand. We had a good conversation about our experiences as couchsurfers. I returned to the pier to take evening photos of the city across the bay. Although there was the option of waiting to see little penguins return to their nests in the rocks, I decided to head to Luna Park for some colorful evening shots of the rides. Back to the center of the city on the tram, a train ride to Peter and Daniel's house in Craigieburn, my home for the last two weeks, and prepare for departure on Friday. Another great day of meeting people and exploring Melbourne.
I hope that you're trip continues to be filled with fun and surprises, Jon. Thanks for being a great guest. Big hug from Peter too!
ReplyDeleteDan