All In A Day's Walk

Sunday

Our first full day in Melbourne began a little too early, with Ro rarin' to go at 6:30am. Granted, it was 8:30am Tauranga time, but all hopes of sleeping in were dashed when Ro found the button to activate the electric window blind (that thing was pretty sweet, no light leakage). Sherry took Ro down to the lounge to ply him with breakfast, but he got caught up playing with an Indian kid named Nika and didn't really eat anything. Meanwhile, Mark dragged himself out of bed, shaved, and showered. He was glad Ro was out of the room, as there was no shower door! This hotel must have been designed by the same architect as the one who did the Fiji Hilton - same translucent sliding doors and bathroom fixtures. They weren't thinking of little kids, though, as nothing locks.

Like good little hobbits, soon it was time for 2nd breakfast as we all went back to the lounge, where Sherry liberally swiped PB&J's and sparkling water for later. Again, to avoid disturbing the suits, we sat outside. Our unheeded warnings to Ro not to bring his Lego car with him were soon justified, as it wasn't long before one of the wheels fell between planks in the wooden deck, forever lost. We hurried to get ready once back in the room, as Ro was getting restless, playing with everything that he wasn't supposed to (e.g. flip-out reading lights, heavy wooden stool, etc...).

Our hotel and the adjacent Convention Centre

After consulting a few maps, we decided to make our way along the Yarra River today, taking in the sights. Plenty of bridges crisscross the river, and about half of them are only for pedestrians, which was really nice. Ro was lolligagging as soon as we got out of the hotel, though, feigning exhaustion. It wasn't until he saw a helicopter taking off from one of the riverside helipads that he took off running. After excitedly watching the thing take off, it wasn't much farther until we got to our first stop - the Melbourne Aquarium.

Sherry & Ro crossing the Yarra's newest pedestrian bridge

Can we get one, mommy?

Like Kelly Tarlton's in Auckland, the highlight of the Melbourne Aquarium is their King and Gentoo Penguins, the second and third-largest penguin species, respectively. We got there too late to get a good spot for the feeding, but one penguin wandered over to us in the corner and took a special interest in Ro's feet for some reason. Maybe they looked good to eat. Probably couldn't smell them through the glass.

http://www.melbourneaquarium.com.au/

Eye to eye

How do you make a penguin say "cheese"?

There was a big fish roundabout, complete with manta rays and sharks, which completely enthralled Ro. While an aquarium worker gave a lecture to the gathered crowd, a couple of SCUBA divers got into the tank to hand-feed the animals. Our favorite part of the aquarium was the other-worldly jellyfish room, but Ro's was "the big sharks." We promised him one toy from the gift shop, and he picked out a bag of plastic sharks. We tried to steer him towards something more uniquely Australian, but changing his mind once he's decided on something is an exercise in futility.

Now we just need some peanut butter

Can I get in there, too?

Taking shelter in Antarctica

Ro will always have a backup career as a uvula

Did that plane really crash, daddy?

Racing a shark

We were all getting hungry, so we left the aquarium and walked across a bridge to the Crown Entertainment Complex. The Crown is a huge operation, encompassing a hotel, the largest casino in Australasia, 17 bars, 35 restaurants and cafes, and plenty of high-end shopping. And Tiger was staying there, to boot! We grabbed lunch at Brubaker's Cafe; Mark ate light with a chicken Caesar salad, helping Ro finish his ham & cheese toastie, and Sherry had an absolutely huge veggie panini.

Yarra River Queen on the King Street Bridge

Plumb tuckered out

Crown Hotel playground...er, foyer

We couldn't help but notice that Melbourne seemed very European, right down to the architecture and the way people dress, whereas Sydney and Auckland have a much more Polynesian vibe. If Sydney is Australia's New York City or San Francisco, then Melbourne would be its Boston. Walking along the Yarra River, we crossed a bridge that looked like it belonged over the Thames or the Seine. There was an interesting-looking Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition near the river, but we doubted Ro had the patience to amble along through a museum reading placards and looking at static displays. We inadvertently wandered into a street festival, wondering why everyone was dressed in red and white. It soon became apparent from the cuisine and Polska football jerseys that this was a Polish festival. Too bad we'd just eaten, because those sausages smelled delicious!

Sandridge Bridge

Posing in front of Princes Bridge

Ro caught in a double-take at the Polish Festival

Snoozing in the shade

Mark with Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, & Melbourne Cricket Ground in the background

After much walking and some debates over navigation, we finally reached our second destination - the Domain Parklands, which include the Royal Botanic Gardens. Ro sounded like a broken record, repeatedly asking, "Does this park have a playground?" Of course, never having been there before, we didn't know the answer. There was, however, a skate park with some local daredevils showing their stuff that held Ro's attention for a little while. A Slurpee sustained him briefly, but he was dragging pretty hard until we stopped and fed him a PB&J, then he was off and running again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Botanic_Gardens,_Melbourne

The Ornamental Lake is a remnant of when the Yarra River ran through the gardens before engineers straightened it, and repeated droughts have brought the lake to its lowest level in ages. Even so, it was still pretty, and Ro had fun tossing his sandwich crusts to the turtles and ducks, watching them race each other for the crumbs. The ducks usually won, much to Ro's chagrin.

Ro, turn around and smile for the nice lady!

The cafe in the gardens was holding a wedding reception, but fortunately was still open to the public - and a perfect spot to grab an ice cream. We sat on the shaded lawn, gazing at the ducks swimming on the lake and the Japanese tourists snapping pictures of the trees, while Ro and Mark dug into their cold treats and Sherry sipped a cappuccino.

Taking a well-deserved break

The Asian tourists were fascinated by this Silky Oak

Royal Botanic Gardens

Ro wanted to hail a cab back to the hotel as soon as we started walking again. We had to explain to him that we were in the middle of a park with no roads nearby, and he would at least have to hoof it to the street that borders the river. Much whining ensued, followed by dramatic statements such as, "I'm the most tired boy who ever lived!" After our cabbie dropped us at the Hilton, Mark walked nextdoor to the Convention Centre to check in to his medical conference (i.e. the reason we're here), while Sherry took Ro to the Executive lounge for refreshments.

Not sure who was more curious

Ro's solution to spilling hot chocolate on his shirt

The lounge had a fat spread tonight, and Ro ate heartily, so we figured we'd just call that our dinner. It was basically like eating tapas, and it was free! We took a couple flat whites to go, then wound down in our room. While Sherry rinsed the day's dust off in the shower, Ro and Mark horsed around, logrolling the heavy wooden stool with their feet like lumberjacks. A rollaway bed finally came available, and the bellhops had delivered it in our absence, so we wouldn't have to put up with Ro's "jimmy-legs" again tonight. We settled in and watched Big (which Ro had never seen) as the lights came on in the city below us, and Ro soon passed out.

Whoaaa...this is hard!