Brighton, St. Kilda, and Acland

Today I went out with Nikki (a girl from church) to do some typical Melbourne site seeing at 3 different spots. Today's high was 15 degrees Celsius which is 59 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Brighton Beach: We went here to see the iconic Brighton Bathing Boxes. The bathing boxes were so beautifully colored which went perfectly with the brilliant blue sky and bright sunshine God provided for the day. Each house was unique in its own way. I was so excited to finally see this internationally known Melbourne icon. I was just as excited to finally stick my toes in some authentic Australian sand!! I also collected my first 2 Australian seashells! With the wind by the shore it was quite cold, but I didn't even care or seem to notice. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was really really in Australia and really really seeing this. Nikki and I walked up and down the line of bathing boxes a couple times picking out our favorites, noting slight differences, and just chatting. It was a wonderful start to a fantastic day in Australia.
ABOUT THE BATHING BOXES: The 82 bathing boxes are individually owned, but still under the direction of the Bayside City Council in regards to maintaining the timber framing, weatherboards, and corrugated iron roofs. They are to remain as they did over one hundred years ago with no electricity or water connected. They are a cultural and historical resource that is constantly photographed and painted/drawn. The licensees choose to differentiate their bathing boxes with minor structural, artistic, and colour variations, that turn the beachscape into a collective work of art. (brigthonbathingbox.org.au)

2. St. Kilda: We went here for a walk along the pier and a beautiful panoramic view of the city. The pier was much longer than I expected and the wind was quite intense which kicked up the chill factor a couple notches, but once again I didn't care or seem to notice. I was too busy taking everything in. The bay is so very large it is easy to forget that it is a bay, not the ocean. The pier is massive and entirely concrete. And the beautiful view of the city is just phenomenal. We walked all the way up and down the pier just chatting about this and that (especially where to go for lunch). We stopped about half way back down the pier to take a longer look at the city view.
ABOUT THE PIER: Various forms of the pier were constructed in the 1800s. Since then the demand for a larger pier grew to its present size with the ever-increasing trade to and from the area. The most recent concrete section was constructed in the 1970s. (about-australia.com)

3. Acland Street: For lunch we went to Acland street because they have several little restaraunts and shops. This particular street, however, is most well known for its cake shops. Luckily, we looked at the cake shops after we had eaten lunch and weren't hungry enough to buy any. I will have to go back one day and buy some though. We had lunch at Nando's - a Portuguese style flame grilled chicken restaurant. We ate outside along the street, which is the typical Australian thing to do. It was so neat to sit outside and eat lunch with the blue sky, sun shining, good company, palm trees and shops as scenery, get to see a tram pass by quite often, and hear a guy down the street playing a didgeridoo (a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians). I felt completely Australian! =]
ABOUT ACLAND STREET: Acland Street is a street in the suburb of St.Kilda. It was one of the first streets laid out when St.Kilda was surveyed in 1842. (wikipedia.org - good thing I'm not at Uni anymore!)

To wrap up the day we went to Nikki's (and Lousie's) house who graciously let me raid their DVD collection. I got 1 feel good (No Reservations), 1 childhood (Jungle2Jungle), 1 Australian (Bootmen), 1 chick flick (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), 1 Australian stand up comedy (Umbilical Brothers), 1 all time favorite sitcom (Friends), and 1 as they call it "Mature Adult" (Friends With Benefits). So now, whenever I need my movie fix (because all that is at the house is animated films) I have all categories to choose from. And whenever I finish one, I can always trade it in for another.

Well still not feeling 100% so while back home it is time to start the day, here in Australia it is bed time for this sick kid. So glad I finally got to post about something so very, truly Australian!!! And this is only the beginning... =]