Busy Melbourne

 What can $3.50 buy in Melbourne? Quite a lot actually. On Sunday, I took the train to the city. Weekend travel on public transport is capped at $3.50 on Saturdays and Sundays.

First, I watched the first participants of the annual Run for the Kids cross the finish line at the Botanical Gardens. There were a huge crowd there that morning. Some of them wore identical tops, some were sponsored by companies, others just a desire to be known as running for the same team. I spotted about 10 people wearing purple tops running for Karli who, according to the dates on the tops, lived for just 3 days. I felt really sad but at the same time, happy that her memory lives on through the team of family members running for her.

Then, it was a short stroll to the Government House where I had registered for a free Chamber Music recital. The Liutenant Governor welcomed us on behalf of the Governor of Victoria to the Grand Ballroom of the Government House. After that, we were treated to 50 minutes of chamber music by the Firebird Trio who played 5 pieces of music on the piano, violin and cello. We were also served refreshment after the concert!

The architecture of the building and the Ballrom was beautiful. Chandeliers hung like stars from the high ceiling of the ballroom illuminating the gold on the wall and ceiling.

A short distance away at Federation Square, Viva Victoria Multicultural Fest was on. There were stalls selling knick knacks and food from the countries such as Spain, Nepal, Indonesia, Germany, etc. There were also entertainment lined up for the whole day including singing, dancing and drums.

What a busy weekend!