I've just returned from a glorious few days in Australia's other great metropolis, Melbourne. It turned out that my visit coincided with the arrival of several other Ukrainian-Canadians on their way to Sydney for World Youth Day. I had no idea anything was happening and the few days I was there were filled with excitement.
Before I recount my stay in Melbourne, I'd just like to point out that I have been joined in the southern hemisphere by my brother. He has arrived in Christchurch where he'll be studying for the next year how to be a teacher. According to his own blog, http://bloggingmiddleearth.blogspot.com/, he's planning on returning to Canada once his 12 month program is completed. My brother will be majoring history and music. I have no doubt that I'll be able to visit him at some point and in some ways, I envy his location. I think that the South Island is one of the most beautiful bits of land on Earth and I shall gladly visit it again when possible.
My own journey began with a walk to the airport last Sunday. The flight from Canberra to Melbourne is quite short, only about an hour and I passed the time looking out the window at the changing landscape. After arriving, I took the bus into town and wandered about until later that evening when I met up with Katia, and her mother Maria, the kind people with whom I was staying. I met Katia and Maria on my previous trip to Melbourne. Katia is the goddaughter of Nadia, the woman with whom I lodged last time. Nadia's mother, Tania, with whom she lives, is the daughter of my paternal grandmother's brother (I think). Whatever the case, Katia and Maria were kind enough to allow me to stay in their home while I was in Melbourne.
On Monday, Katia and Maria took me for a drive out to Geelong (jyh-LONG), Victoria's second largest city, about 127 kilometers southwest of Melbourne. It's home to the Geelong Cats AFL team and for a while, it was the only professional aussie rules team outside Melbourne. In Geelong, the three of us wandered around the quaint city and then it started to rain. The temperature wasn't itself cold that day, but the water took the heat right off any exposed skin, making for a chill. Katia showed me where the best ice cream in Victoria is sold and I was treated to a flavour that closely resembles Laura Secord's superkid. Afterwards, we went for a walk along the water front where I noticed the bollards, a feature of Geelong. These are wooden poles painted to look like things and they are strewn about the entirety of the waterfront.
On Tuesday evening, there was also a party at the Ukrainian House (cultural center) in the suburb of Essendon. It was here that I encountered the Ukrainian-Canadians, though none from Ottawa and I did not know any of them. I would meet them many more times through the week.
On Wednesday, I went into the city and decided to take a tour of the Victorian Parliament. This is where the Commonwealth government met until the Parliament House in Canberra was completed. It was originally built at a time when the gold rush had made Melbourne a wealthy city but as the city's fortunes waned, construction of the Parliament fell into abeyance. Even today it is unfinished as a dome and a southern wing have never been completed as planned; it is unlikely that they ever will be. Victoria, like most states in Australia has a bicameral legislature consisting of a Legislative Assembly (lower house) and a Legislative Council (upper house), both elected. We could only visit the Council since the Assembly was having sound tests but I managed to sneak a photo of it. The most exciting feature of the tour was that they let you sit in the chairs of the councillors as well as hold a replica mace. I have a photo of me sitting in the President's (Speaker's) chair holding the mace. I also learned that in 1891, the gold and silver mace of the day vanished and has never been seen since, most likely it has been melted down, but there is a standing $50 000 reward for it's return. I shall have to keep an eye out for it. This night, there was also a concert of Ukrainian culture at the Ukrainian House and it included a very colourful singer from Ukraine, Taras Kurchyk. He came on stage wearing a black suit with gold rhinestones.
Thursday, I caught up with an acquaintance who has been living in Melbourne for the last 5 years, Rylee. She's a teacher in the city and her boyfriend is a musician with the band Jet, the ones who sang Are You Gonna be My Girl? Although he is not an official member of the troupe, he has a contract to play with them if they request. Otherwise, he does all sorts of things, like landscaping, and according to Rylee, there's just about nothing he can't do. I met up with Rylee at Flinders Street Station, the main hub, and she suggested that we go to a little Chinese restaurant in an alley, which turned out to be fantastic. Rylee explained that these alley clubs and restaurants are a feature of Melbourne. We had some delicious pork and beef dumplings and whenever I get back to Melbourne, I shall be sure to try other alleys. After that, Rylee and I took a trip to a video game exhibit at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). This showcased video games throughout the decades and it was real trip down memory lane with many of them. Many gamers are now parents in their 30s and this exhibit was as much for them as for the children. Later that evening, I went with Katia and Maria to a cabaret night at the Ukrainian House which featured Taras Kurchyk as well as anyone else who wanted to perform something. I didn't, but had a great time anyway.
On the last day, I just explored the neighbourhood of Broadmeadows, where Katia and Maria live. After that, just before my flight, we managed to squeeze in a visit to Tania and Nadia, who were so hospitable to me back in 2005. It's unfortunate that I didn't have a chance to spend more time with them but the activities of the week were numerous and somehow time did not allow it. I left Friday night very satisfied with the fantastic trip I'd had, punctuated by fantastic hospitality.
After I returned to Canberra, I learned that some snow had fallen int he south of the city, but had since melted, although there might be some visible on the Brindabillas. I haven't seen any yet but I shall be happy to accept any snow that does come this way.
Before I recount my stay in Melbourne, I'd just like to point out that I have been joined in the southern hemisphere by my brother. He has arrived in Christchurch where he'll be studying for the next year how to be a teacher. According to his own blog, http://bloggingmiddleearth.blogspot.com/, he's planning on returning to Canada once his 12 month program is completed. My brother will be majoring history and music. I have no doubt that I'll be able to visit him at some point and in some ways, I envy his location. I think that the South Island is one of the most beautiful bits of land on Earth and I shall gladly visit it again when possible.
My own journey began with a walk to the airport last Sunday. The flight from Canberra to Melbourne is quite short, only about an hour and I passed the time looking out the window at the changing landscape. After arriving, I took the bus into town and wandered about until later that evening when I met up with Katia, and her mother Maria, the kind people with whom I was staying. I met Katia and Maria on my previous trip to Melbourne. Katia is the goddaughter of Nadia, the woman with whom I lodged last time. Nadia's mother, Tania, with whom she lives, is the daughter of my paternal grandmother's brother (I think). Whatever the case, Katia and Maria were kind enough to allow me to stay in their home while I was in Melbourne.
On Monday, Katia and Maria took me for a drive out to Geelong (jyh-LONG), Victoria's second largest city, about 127 kilometers southwest of Melbourne. It's home to the Geelong Cats AFL team and for a while, it was the only professional aussie rules team outside Melbourne. In Geelong, the three of us wandered around the quaint city and then it started to rain. The temperature wasn't itself cold that day, but the water took the heat right off any exposed skin, making for a chill. Katia showed me where the best ice cream in Victoria is sold and I was treated to a flavour that closely resembles Laura Secord's superkid. Afterwards, we went for a walk along the water front where I noticed the bollards, a feature of Geelong. These are wooden poles painted to look like things and they are strewn about the entirety of the waterfront.
On Tuesday evening, there was also a party at the Ukrainian House (cultural center) in the suburb of Essendon. It was here that I encountered the Ukrainian-Canadians, though none from Ottawa and I did not know any of them. I would meet them many more times through the week.
On Wednesday, I went into the city and decided to take a tour of the Victorian Parliament. This is where the Commonwealth government met until the Parliament House in Canberra was completed. It was originally built at a time when the gold rush had made Melbourne a wealthy city but as the city's fortunes waned, construction of the Parliament fell into abeyance. Even today it is unfinished as a dome and a southern wing have never been completed as planned; it is unlikely that they ever will be. Victoria, like most states in Australia has a bicameral legislature consisting of a Legislative Assembly (lower house) and a Legislative Council (upper house), both elected. We could only visit the Council since the Assembly was having sound tests but I managed to sneak a photo of it. The most exciting feature of the tour was that they let you sit in the chairs of the councillors as well as hold a replica mace. I have a photo of me sitting in the President's (Speaker's) chair holding the mace. I also learned that in 1891, the gold and silver mace of the day vanished and has never been seen since, most likely it has been melted down, but there is a standing $50 000 reward for it's return. I shall have to keep an eye out for it. This night, there was also a concert of Ukrainian culture at the Ukrainian House and it included a very colourful singer from Ukraine, Taras Kurchyk. He came on stage wearing a black suit with gold rhinestones.
Thursday, I caught up with an acquaintance who has been living in Melbourne for the last 5 years, Rylee. She's a teacher in the city and her boyfriend is a musician with the band Jet, the ones who sang Are You Gonna be My Girl? Although he is not an official member of the troupe, he has a contract to play with them if they request. Otherwise, he does all sorts of things, like landscaping, and according to Rylee, there's just about nothing he can't do. I met up with Rylee at Flinders Street Station, the main hub, and she suggested that we go to a little Chinese restaurant in an alley, which turned out to be fantastic. Rylee explained that these alley clubs and restaurants are a feature of Melbourne. We had some delicious pork and beef dumplings and whenever I get back to Melbourne, I shall be sure to try other alleys. After that, Rylee and I took a trip to a video game exhibit at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). This showcased video games throughout the decades and it was real trip down memory lane with many of them. Many gamers are now parents in their 30s and this exhibit was as much for them as for the children. Later that evening, I went with Katia and Maria to a cabaret night at the Ukrainian House which featured Taras Kurchyk as well as anyone else who wanted to perform something. I didn't, but had a great time anyway.
On the last day, I just explored the neighbourhood of Broadmeadows, where Katia and Maria live. After that, just before my flight, we managed to squeeze in a visit to Tania and Nadia, who were so hospitable to me back in 2005. It's unfortunate that I didn't have a chance to spend more time with them but the activities of the week were numerous and somehow time did not allow it. I left Friday night very satisfied with the fantastic trip I'd had, punctuated by fantastic hospitality.
After I returned to Canberra, I learned that some snow had fallen int he south of the city, but had since melted, although there might be some visible on the Brindabillas. I haven't seen any yet but I shall be happy to accept any snow that does come this way.
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