Melbourne Day 2

On our 2nd day in Melbourne, we took a tour of the Shrine of Remembrance. It's an amazing memorial and museum built to honor the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I, but now also functions as a memorial to all Australians who have served in the various wars.

 The exhibits highlighted the different wars, weaponry, period fashions, and the political ties that Australia had to The UK.  As in the USA, these wars really established who Australia was as a nation.

The outside of the Shrine was also immaculately tended. Each corner represented a different part of the world where battles were fought, and the plants were from those regions. Had a beautiful 360-degree view from the top - check out the aboriginal face on the high rise next to the church.

From there, we explored the Botanical Gardens and then visited the massive Queen Victoria Market, taking in all the handmade local goods, fish market, and food market before a fun Thai Fusion lunch with Pam and Joel.

A highlight for Susan was a visit to the Royal College of Surgeons, where we were given a private tour of the museum with historical exhibits of surgey and instruments.  It was fun for me to see Susan provide knowledge of the instruments and past techniques to the curators. At the end of the tour, Susan was presented with a free copy of a soon to be published book of their history.

To end the afternoon,  we went to the Melbourne Museum, which hosted a special Titanic exhibition. It was so surreal to see and touch the actual excavated articles from the seafloor, as well as see the reconstructed rooms and central stairway. The ship was obviously very elegant, and hearing the passenger's stories was extremely touching. Nothing like being on a cruise to bring this tragedy more to life.

As the day ended, we found 2 more Laneways - The Block and The Royal Arcade (Check out the clock guards) - before enjoying a few beers at the Royal Chuckle Park Lane Way Bar. Busy day!Read more