We arrived on a very early plane and met our new tour guide Mick. Since our rooms were not ready yet, we had a tour of the city which gave us an idea of where things were and what things we might want to return to see during our free time. St. Patricks Church was beautiful.

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Our stop in Fitzroy Gardens gave us an opportunity to walk around a bit and see not only the gardens but also Captain Cook's family home which was transported from the village of Great Ayton, Yorkshire, England in 1934.

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Mick shared a story with us about this statue of a bare breasted maiden that sits in front of the Conservatory. Evidently it's good luck for a groom to rub the right breast of the statue. So much rubbing took place that it began to wear down the breast. They reconstructed it and put a moat around the statue. Now when newlyweds come here to take photographs, they set up a photo that looks like the grooms hand is in the right place!

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Standing like a sentinel over the city is the Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial to the men and women who have served Australia in armed conflicts throughout our Nation's history. We didn't realize that America had actually saved Australia from the Japanese during the war. Because of this, Australia always sends troops where the US is engaged in battle as their way of thanking America. It is thought that if the American troops did not come here, the country would have been leveled.

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Federation Square, which is home to restaurants, stores and offices is one of the newer buildings which it seems most locals don't like. I kind of liked its modernistic look. We also made a stop at Queen Victoria Market, a Melbourne icon. The Market is a vibrant, colorful place full of everything from produce and meat to discount clothing to tourist souvenirs. It kind of reminded us of Pikes Market in Seattle.

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This view is from outside our room on the 49th floor down to the lobby! After checking in, we took off on our own and took the free circle city tram which was just a block from the hotel.

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We had left the hotel with the sun on our backs but about half-way around the city it began to pour and then hail (not good since we had no jackets and I had sandals on). It was still pouring when we arrived at our stop so around we went again. It gave us an added opportunity to see some of the city sights and art. This piece was neat - it's arms moved in the wind.

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Like New Zealand, Australia is a combination of both old and new buildings. This nice old church sits in the shadow of modern skyscrapers. We arrived back to our stop and it was still pouring so we made a run for it and got drenched to the skin in the process!

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This evening we headed out to China Town to find some dinner. We took our raincoats this time which was a good thing since it began pouring again while we were eating. It's not so bad being out in the rain with the right shoes and coats!

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Al read about an art show in the town of St. Kilda which was located on the sea. We decided this might be a good adventure for us since we had a totally free day. We bought day bus passes and headed out of town with clouds over our heads. The Upper Esplanade was lined with artists booths. The rules of this show are that the artist must be present in the booth which meant that we got to meet the artists. There was an aboriginal booth where I bought my boomerang as well as a cool toy for Chris and Noah. There is also a fun zone and salt water baths right on the beach.

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From the 49th floor one can see forever if its not rainy or cloudy.

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Looking straight down from the 49th floor can make you mighty dizzy!

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