Monday, September 17, 2012

Melbourne Magic

"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.

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