"Memories are like an oasis
in the desert sand of time !"
It all
started on a sunny morning on 25
th of November the life altering day
of my life when I and my brother suddenly whisked off our schedule as he
surprised me with a trip as my birthday gift and all he said was
"it's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!" There was excitement, there was
nervousness and with these two as a couple we headed off to experience the
exquisite Melbourne.
Dunno where to begin from, the
journey to Exquisite Melbourne and back home was nothing short of dreamy! This being
my first air journey I was both excited and nervous; with a million questions
squirming added with the imaginary beings having a tribal dance in my head. The
internal debate finally dissolved after a 10 hour long journey and what came
next was something I just can’t describe in words. The fun and frolic was
something I’ve never experienced before and that too from my serious brother.
If, I try to write everything down
then this post will overflow but there have been places and moments that I can’t
help but remember and pen it down.
Gleaming
in its Victorian Heritage and Modern lifestyle, this city is referred as “Garden
City” and “Cultural capital of Australia”. Buzzing with eclectic and urban
lifestyle, it is the most livable city and too me it’s loveable too!
We arrived in the wee hours of morning though tired we felt the subtle sun rise in the dull
morning sky whilst travelling to our staying place, the Rendezvous Hotel.
Breakfast was a small affair after which we left for
our journey ahead. On the way, we met a nice gentleman, a local of the city who
told us about various sites. The narrow lanes, the long walks, the pristine atmosphere
and the breath of fresh air greeted us on the way to Melbourne Visitor Centre
for maps and free brochures.
After gathering the necessary information we
headed off to, NVG Australia: Ian Potter Centre, the first public art museum dedicated
to Australian art.
Arts and History has always fascinated me and I was thrilled to see such beautiful paintings and drawings depicting an entirely different culture from the one I grew up in.
After spending about an hour there, we headed off to
our next destination Melbourne Aquarium. Our journey began from Antarctica the starting
point that housed the cute Penguins followed by the Weird and Wonderful
creatures like sea jellies, sea horses and a variety of others.
The River to
Reef section housed animals like frogs, crabs, snakes and sea jellies depicting
the wonderful marine life. The Southern Ocean was the last stop in the aquarium
that included Sharks and other fishes.
Girls and shopping go hand in hand and so our next
stop was the Victoria Market. I was surprised when I noticed that it was not
just a typical market where you got fresh produce but also clothing and stuff. The
cool air was wafting ruffling our hair though not snapping the smiles of our
face. Walking down the road we were spell bound by the cheery and vibrant
atmosphere in the market.
We were famished and so our next stop was Bambini
Barrista, were we had a cuppa of freshly brewed coffee and sandwiches. It was
there that my bro surprised me with a Happy Birthday chocolate cake and the
local crowd also wished me, this is what I remember as our “Golden Moment of
the Trip.”
Having sated our souls with a delicious meal we
moved to our next destination, the Medibank Icehouse. ice It’s Australia’s
latest world class ice sports and entertainment venue. It was fun there, as I being a clumpy girl slipped a few times but all in good mood.
When I finally thought this is the end of my
eventful day, but my brother surprised me once again and we headed off to our last
destination, Eureka Skydeck 88. The view from the top of the tower was awe
aspiring. We clicked a few snaps of the beautiful sky with different shades of
golden, blue and hues of pink finally settling to a dark black with the night
lights gleaming down the city.
Having seen that and visiting some of the places we
could cover in our mini getaway, we headed back to our hotel for a night
stay and boarded a flight back to our India the next morning, treasuring a
beautiful experience that will forever be etched in the crevices of our minds
and hearts. And this trip was made easier due to www.visitmelbourne.com/in.
This post is part of contest
-Fatima
