A Wanderful Life

Around The World and Around The Neighbourhood Travel Adventures

4 Things To Do On A Sunday in Melbourne, Australia

We’ve been back in Melbourne, Australia for a week now, so it was definitely time for one of our favourite pursuits — a day out and about in the city for a few hours of food and culture. Seriously, Melbourne is such a vibrant city that even if it is a gray-sky and gloomy day, if you are bored — you just need to get up and get OUT of the house!

 

Glistening even on a gloomy autumn day, a partial skyline view of Melbourne, Australia across the Yarra River from Southgate.

Glistening even on a gloomy autumn day, a partial skyline view of Melbourne, Australia across the Yarra River from Southgate.


 

Here are 4 things to do on a Sunday in Melbourne.

1. Arrive at your destination without the hassle of finding an overpriced parking place if you travel by train for an easy way around the city. The comprehensive train network makes Melbourne such a joy to travel throughout!

 

Turnstiles inside the Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Australia

Turnstiles inside the Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Australia


 

2. Eat a reasonably priced lunch in an eclectic food court inside a beautiful building at Southgate. There are also some wonderful luxury stores and full service restaurants in this multi-level building complex.

 

One of the multi-level entries to the Southgate shopping & dining complex alongside the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia

One of the multi-level entries to the Southgate shopping & dining complex alongside the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia


 
Diners at the food court on the lower level of the Southgate shopping and dining complex in Melbourne, Australia

Diners at the food court on the lower level of the Southgate shopping and dining complex in Melbourne, Australia


 

3. Go to the Sunday Market at the Melbourne Arts Centre to see quality handcrafted art, craft, and food items. The row of glass-overhang-covered artists has an enthusiastic audience each weekend.

 

Sunday Market flag indicating the weekend event outside the Melbourne Arts Centre in Australia

Sunday Market flag indicating the weekend event outside the Melbourne Arts Centre in Australia


 
Artists and craft vendors lined up alongside the Melbourne Arts Centre each Sunday

Artists and craft vendors lined up alongside the Melbourne Arts Centre each Sunday


 

4. Spend an inspiring afternoon at a world class museum — the NGV on St. Kilda Road. There were hundreds of people milling around inside this large art museum, but there was a very happy and relaxed vibe. Autumn leaves were swirling around outside of the beautiful bluestone facade and the people strolling by were dressed appropriately for the cooler temperatures.

 

Autumn leaves falling outside the NGV art museum in Melbourne, Australia

Autumn leaves falling outside the NGV art museum in Melbourne, Australia


 
The current winter blockbuster show at the NGB is Monet’s Garden, a travelling exhibit from France. But since we have seen so many of these works at various venues worldwide, we chose to visit several of the permanent exhibit galleries as well as one special exhibit — Dior and Yamamoto: The New Look

 

Dior sketches from the 1940s post-World War II "New Look" collection

Dior sketches from the 1940s post-World War II “New Look” collection


 
Dior black wasp-waisted dress and black hat from the 1940s post-World War II "New Look" collection

Dior black wasp-waisted dress and black hat from the 1940s post-World War II “New Look” collection


 

The other enjoyable exhibit, in part as an observer of the effect of it on the audience as they either walked by or interacted with it, was Clinamen by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, a sound and motion exhibit with round white ceramic bowls floating in a round pool of deep blue water. The gentle clink as bowl contacted bowl tinkled pleasantly in the atrium space.

 

Floating ceramic bowls in a pool of water at the NGV art museum in Melbourne, Australia create a ringing sound as each one gently bumps into an adjoining bowl

Floating ceramic bowls in a pool of water at the NGV art museum in Melbourne, Australia create a ringing sound as each bowl gently bumps into an adjoining bowl.


 

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28/05/2013 at 12:23 AM Comments (2)

Photo Of The Day: Brussels Streetscape in Black & White

Bright sun, deep shade — just made for black and white. Enjoy!

 

Man walks down exterior stairs in deep shade on a sunny day in Brussels, Belgium. B&W

Man walks down exterior stairs in deep shade on a sunny day in Brussels, Belgium. B&W


 

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25/05/2013 at 2:00 PM Comments (2)

Sunny Shiny Sydney Beaches on Mother’s Day

It’s not the kind of Mother’s Day celebrations I would have ever thought about, but apparently one of the ‘things to do’ on Mother’s Day in Sydney, Australia is to take your mother to the beach to celebrate if it’s a nice day. And Coogee Beach was a perfect example of the packed-with-people spots. The ‘Pram Brigade’ of young parents pushing children in strollers was certainly out in force!

The skies were gorgeously blue, the winds were ever-so-slightly brisk, and the temperatures were warmer than the norm. So it was a perfect day for a walk along the boardwalks and footpaths at the seaside with a hearty cafe lunch as a reward.

 

Danger sign on the clifftop walk to Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia

Danger sign on the clifftop walk to Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia


 
Boardwalk along a section of Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia

Boardwalk along a section of Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia


 
Every single bench facing the ocean was filled on Mother's Day at Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia

Every single bench or seat facing the ocean was filled on Mother’s Day at Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia


 

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13/05/2013 at 11:20 AM Comments (0)

Ever-Present Water & Volcano in Washington State

Two things are an ever-present part of life in places like Tacoma and Seattle and the surrounding communities — the many and varied coastline views and the looming but lovely Mt. Rainier.

Today’s photo is of Mark and my son Chris standing at water’s edge with Mt. Rainier over their right shoulder.

 

Mark and my son Chris standing at water's edge at Puget Sound with Mt. Rainier over their right shoulder.

Mark and my son Chris standing at water’s edge at Puget Sound with Mt. Rainier over their right shoulder.


 

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03/05/2013 at 10:00 PM Comments (0)

Perfectly Wonderful Pompidou

We simply adore Paris and from past experience I know that staying in just the right place makes all of the difference in how much you enjoy your visit. Our very small but simply wonderful apartment in the Marais which I had sourced from airbnb enhanced our brief citybreak in Paris on several levels. The neighbourhood was wonderful and a mere few blocks from our front door was the Centre Pompidou.

A few hours after our arrival in Paris, we strolled through a misty rain down the street at dusk and past the Pompidou. It is an astonishingly odd building and it continues to be controversial. Many people snicker at the exterior facade and the brightly coloured ‘plumbing pipes’ that look like nothing else in the neighbourhood. It grew on me!

 

Centre Pompidou at dusk


 

Close-up of Centre Pompidou in Paris, France


 

Then we walked around to an open plaza in back and took photos of the wonderful sculptural objects in the Stravinsky Fountain.

 

Stravinsky Fountain next to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France


 

Moving elements within the Stravinsky Fountain next to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France


 

Next up — photos of the inside of this vast museum and some of the wonderful artwork in the collections.

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16/04/2013 at 10:59 PM Comments (0)

Chew On That In Paris

Quick photo of the day because I’m about to jump countries (again!). We’re leaving on the Eurostar tomorrow from Brussels (lots of photo essays from here in the weeks ahead) tomorrow and heading to London for an overnight before flying to the USA for several weeks.

Today’s photo is an example of the ornate bread that is on offer at a boulangerie in Paris, France.

 

View of a boulangerie window in Paris


 

So while I work on some new articles and do photo editing as I travel — chew on that for now!

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15/04/2013 at 11:37 PM Comments (3)

Photo Essay: Meandering Through Montmartre in Paris

There are more sides to Montmartre, the district that sits high atop the Paris landscape, than the crowds at Sacre Couer. This photo essay will show you some of the lovely or funny things that we saw as we walked around.

 

Art Nouveau building on Rue Lamarck in Paris, France


 

Bright pink boulangerie (bakery) in the Montmartre district of Paris, France


 

Montmartre cafe at dusk


 

Cafe interior in Montmartre


 

Stairway passages through the hilltops of Montmartre


 

Colourful chairs & tables at a sidewalk cafe in the Montmartre district of Paris, France


 

Nun in full habit (which is rather unusual nowadays) walking down Rue Lamarck in Montmartre, Paris, France


 

Cartoon advertisement in the window of a plumbing & heating shop in the Montmartre district of Paris, France


 

Spectacles (events) kiosk in the Montmartre district of Paris, France


 

 

 

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14/04/2013 at 10:36 AM Comments (4)

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