Having a punt

Last day in Melbourne for who knows how long. It is so like Glasgow, a grid based Victorian city. If there were fewer trees and steeper hills you  could imagine you were in Glasgow. And sounds, interesting of how evocative of place they are: the SNCF 'tune,' in stations, the noise the Melbourne pedestrian crossings make.

Checked out. It was overcast and a bit humid. Visited the places my 2x great grandparents lived when they were here during the Victorian gold rush. They wouldn't recognise it if course. Mac's in Franklin Street was built in 1853 so they may have visited it, they left in 1854. Chancery Lane, now Little Collins Street is completely rebuilt.

Took a tram to the Shrine as the sun came out. Then across to the Botanic Gardens I used to go there with my grandmother. She was one of these people RGBE warn you about, a visiting Granny with a pair of scissors! Had a glass of rose by  the lake in homage and then splashed out on a 30 minute punt ride. It was the parasol that did it for me, although it kept trying to blow away in the breeze.

Walked back to the city centre and on to the next bit of the stay, standing on a packed train for over an hour to Berwick and an evening with J, my cousin, drinking more rose and catching up. Much has changed since we last saw one another.