Mel-bun - The city that never sleeps, and won't let you either.

Alright folks, let's get one thing straight from the very beginning. We, the American vocal tradition, looks at a word like "Melbourne" and think, ok, I see an M, an el,....and so far you're right, but then comes the last half... "bourne" we see "bou" so we say it like "you" with a b instead of a y, and then an "rne" and definitely we want to pronounce that "r" along with the "n."

You would be forgiven for thinking it's pronounced "Mel-boh-rn" or "Mel-burn." But you would be wrong. It's "Mel-bun" where the u in bun is halfway to the "i" in "bin." So there you go. Marinate on that for a bit.

Blake and I opted to take the train to from Sydney to Melbourne (remember to say "Mel-bun" in your head) instead of flying. Most people suggest flying from city to city because it's a) cheap, and b) quick. However, Blake and I were hoping to see the countryside, avoid paying baggage fees (why did we bring so much stuff?!), and also travel for cheap. We enjoyed watching the sights change although we were so busy watching, we didn't take many pictures. See the photo below of a beautiful field!

Also, Melbourne is known for having an awesome nightlife. Blake and I are not, as you may have guessed, "nightlife" people, and we tend to actually, physically be in bed reading by literally 8:30pm. This did not jive with the household of our first Airbnb hosts in Melbourne who seemed to be coming and going until nearly midnight. Additionally, the house was located nearly 4 feet (that's like over a meter...right?) from a very busy road which people seemed to be constantly traversing to and from their exciting nightlives. 

Have we mentioned that there are no double-paned windows in Australia? Regardless to say, Blake and I *quite* underslept. 

Our Melbourne "I'm Free" walking tour was surprisingly not as enjoyable as our Sydney tour. We chalked it up mostly to the tour guide being a bit too verbose and not as interesting, BUT we did find the city very interesting when we managed to tune him out for a bit (he droned on quite a bit).

Melbourne (Mel-bun, friends, it's ok, you'll learn), is a city full of small laneways and side streets. Sydney is described as a a city "on the surface," with it's opera house and other visually appealing tourist destinations. But (say it with me...) Melbourne ("Mel-bun"), is a city beyond the surface. You have to look away in the corners and off the beaten path to find the gems. Blake and I are good at walking all the paths, so we have been enjoying getting to know this city!

On our tour, we came across a laneway known for street art (many are full of it) and this amazing image painted on a building. The image is of an aboriginal child, with traditional tribal face-paint, looking off in the distance. If you don't know "aboriginal" is the general term used to describe the people who inhabited Australia (and still inhabit) before Westerns settled here. 

Unlike the Sydney tour, which ended with a magnificent view of the opera house. The Melbourne (got it yet?) tour ended with this magnificent view FROM the opera house looking towards the city. Just take in that wonderful vista of Federation Square!

Another spectacular view of the other side of the city, still looking out from the opera house. Blake sure takes wonderful photos, doesn't he?

Saturday was the big "AFL Grand Final" which is the Australian Football League's big final match of the season. Aussie Rules Football is sorta like if you mixed American Football with quidditch, but no one flew, there were no brooms, and you still used just the egg shaped football we Americans are used to. I'd suggest looking up a youtube video to explain it, but we did just that and I can assure you it does not help explain this super weird game.

Because Saturday is the "Big Game," the whole state of Victoria, of which Melbourne (you'll get it) is the capital, has a Public Holiday (which is like our, "National Holidays") meaning the whole State has work off and most businesses are closed. We Americans love the Super Bowl, but not so much that it's literally a national holiday the weekday BEFORE it even happens. It's pretty bananas.

Blake and I stayed as far away from the festivities as possible, much like we did with this year's super bowl, and went instead to the Victoria Market and found a spectacular donut shop! Below you see the lemon meringue pie donut and the french toast donut. We also found a real iced latte! Most "iced lattes" in Aussie seem to mean coffee with ice cream...so not the same. 

As we mentioned, there is LOTS of street art in Melbourne. One particular piece is reproduced in lots of places and in varying sizes. Blake and I like it because it reminds us of our sweet Melvin, who is safely back at home being loved by Nephew Addison.

One big - and I mean BIG - monument in Melbourne is the Shrine of Remembrance, which was fundraised for and erected by the children of Melbourne after The Great War to honor the lives lost and the sacrifices made by the people of Victoria, Australia, and their allies. What is so disheartening to remember is that this memorial was erected in the shadows of the start of WWII. Blake and I solemnly walked through its halls paying our respects. We did take a moment to take a somewhat more cheerful photo out front to commemorate our visit.

Inside, there is an atrium which features beautiful relief sculptures which show the various tasks in the military. It is a stunning memorial. 

Finally, while waiting for the train, we found what at first seemed like a familiar venue, but upon further inspection, it revealed itself as just another cheap knock off, and a shop full of the same.

That finishes up our Melbourne (ehhhhhhh?!) round 1! Stay tuned for round 2, where we change venues, neighborhoods, and still sleep poorly.