School Holidays

The good thing about teaching chess is the school vacations....ok, so I don't get the whole time off, but there is always some time to recharge the batteries. The last 2 days have been glorious autumn days in Melbourne, around the low 20's with plenty of sunshine, and it would have been criminal to have spent the time cooped up in front of a chess board. There'll be enough time for that over the winter.

So Sunday was an even bigger bonus for me as Caroline also had time off and we spent the day walking around the lovely stately home in Ripponlea. Riponlea is the biggest suburban stately home and gardens in Australia and is a joy to walk around on a sunny afternoon,

 Ripponlea House

 A home to social history, this was taken in the stables complex

 The gardens are beautiful, with orchards, flowers, and (as seen above) the lake complex

The lawns in front of the house, have a very English feel to them.

Today was a trip to the Central Business District. Now when I've been in to Melbourne CBD I usually head to the State Library of Victoria which houses a magnificent chess collection. However, today I found myself near the Southbank, so crossed to the main part of town over Queensbridge and found myself outside the Immigration Museum. I've never been into the Immigration Museum before, so went and had a look. For a fairly recent arrival to Australia (I've only been here 6 years) it was a very thought provoking experience, and seeing the stories of hardship and suffering that have been endured by many immigrants over the past 200 years, I realise how lucky I am.

 Eureka Tower on Melbourne's southbank taken from Queensbridge.

 The thought provoking Immigration Museum.

Flinders Street Station, an iconic building of Melbourne.

After leaving the Immigration Museum, I felt like a coffee so headed for the arcades between Collins and Bourke Streets, which give Melbourne a quaint feel, not unlike Boston in the USA. There are countless cafe's and boutiques along these narrow ways. One of these is Royal Arcade, the oldest shopping arcade in Australia, where I found myself in Caffe e Torta where I had a pretty good long black, and an amazing piece of apple strudel :)

 Cafe e Torta, at the entrance to Royal Arcade on Little Collins Street

 Another of the many arcades weaving through Melbourne CBD

Royal Arcade