Weekend in Melbourne
As indicated previously, the Bride and I spent last weekend in Melbourne. A weekend away made all the better being sans kids. Those who have children will know, although they are a big and (mostly) welcome part of your life, an occasional interlude away is a healthy practice.
I quite like Melbourne. It's so different from Sydney. I think Melbourne has a very European feel with its wide streets, trams and cafe culture. Not brash and glitzy like my home town. We have family and friends living there, and of course, there's the football.
So, we lob into Melbourne Airport, pick up a car and follow the signs to the city. We haven't been there for a few years and I knock back the suggestion from the car hire firm that we should buy a toll pass for the Citylink toll roads, thinking that we're not likely to use it. This is fine, but the authorities have picked up the awful Sydney practice of directing traffic onto the toll roads and not signposting alternative routes. It caused us some problems too and from the airport. Perhaps I will shell out the cash next time.
We stayed in a pub on Swanston Street. Great location, an easy walk to the landmarks, one of which is Federation Square. It wasn't there last time we visited, and I wish it hadn't been there this time either! What an abomination ..... completely out of character with the city, looked cheap and nasty; an edifice built by a city that thinks it lacks a significant landmark and that they need one. (They don't.) In ten years or so the facade will start to look worse for wear and hopefully they'll demolish the whole thing.
Another Melbourne landmark that's looking worse for wear but will improve is the MCG. We saw Essendon defeat Melbourne in a thriller. About a third of the stands have been demolished, leaving a large empty gap. Even though the game was a sellout it felt empty. Not the ideal place to hold this year's Grand Final. Perhaps the Olympic Stadium in Sydney could help? (You wonder why the blog title refers to flying pigs?)
Between the footy and visiting people we didn't do much else at all. Just relaxed, ate and slept. (What election??) We'll probably do the same again next year.
Memo: Be nice to the child minders over the next 12 months.
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Glad the Melb experience (bar the blight on the landscape, aka Fed Sq) was a good one!
Whilst you did miss a good game of footy at the Telstra Stadium Saturday night(for the result not the quality nor conditions) it does bring to bear an important question as to ground usage.
Should games be played at Telstra in front of 40k spectators in what looks like an empty house when that same number would have lifted the roof off the eastern suburbs and the close confines of the SCG? West Coast don't draw a big crowd here so why pretend?
Conversely, should Waverly have been demolished before the MCG renovations were done? Mr Pigs, F. is correct in his assessment that the G with 80k feels empty. Surely the AFL have alot to answer for and yes in a few years time all will be forgotten EXCEPT by the members of the team that wins the flag who were unable to get a ticket to the big event.
The tribe and I are making the journey to the MCG this Friday night (definite family of footy tragics) to see the next leg in the Swans quest for their first flag since 1933.
Cheers