Dec 9, 20155 min read

#FELinMEL Day 2: St Paul's Cathedral, LEGO Christmas Tree, Graffiti Lane

The first thing that I did for today was of course to get my prepaid data plan since I didn’t manage to get it done yesterday. The process was rather quick. I got the $2 Daily Plus Prepaid SIM card from Optus, which consists of 500mb data usage with unlimited call time (used only in Australia) and SMS/MMS (used only in Australia) for each day. Optus is the second largest telecommunication company in Australia and is wholly-owned subsidiary of Singtel since 2001. The word “optus” is a Latin word for “to choose” or “to decide”. Next, I went to Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne for lunch. This was the first time that I had a meal while chilling under the tree, and the feeling was so awesome and relaxed! The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne is a renowned botanical gardens located in the central of Melbourne, on the south bank of the Yarra River. A 38-hectares landscape with over 10,000 individual species – a mix of native and exotic plants.

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Address: Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra, VIC 3141.

http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/visit-melbourne

#1: Royal Botanic Gardens.

#2: Royal Botanic Gardens.

#3: Romaine Salad for lunch at Royal Botanic Gardens.

#4: Students playing bubble soccer at Royal Botanic Gardens.

#5: Fountain at Royal Botanic Gardens.

Walking distance from Royal Botanic Gardens was The Kettle Black, the sister café of Top Paddock. The Kettle Black quickly gains attention and followers with its beautifully designed café. It is almost impossible to get a table during weekends! Some recommendations include Benedict Style Eggs with Braised Pork Shoulder, Tataki Ocean Trout with Raw Kale and Pickled Vegetable Salad, and Burrata with Raw Heirloom Tomato and Burnt Rainbow Chard. Since I just had my lunch, I ordered an Iced Latte (AU$4). The coffee was great! I used to work in a café and my boss taught me that a good cup of espresso should taste ‘bright’ (sour) and not bitter. I could totally taste the sourness of their coffee, though the coffee had been diluted by the ice cubes.

THE KETTLE BLACK

Opening hrs: 0700-1600hrs (Mon-Fri), 0800-1600hrs (Sat, Sun).

Address: 50 Albert Road, South Melbourne, VIC 3205.

http://thekettleblack.com.au/

#6: Passed by Shrine of Remembrance on my way to The Kettle Black.

#7: The Kettle Black.

#8: Iced Latte, AU$4.

#9: The way salt, sugar and pepper is being presented at The Kettle Black.

#10: The barista counter.

#11: The crowd at The Kettle Black is so overwhelming that a seperate barista counter is set up outside the cafe to take takeaway orders!

#12: Pretty cakes and pastries of The Kettle Black.

Next, I went to Federation Square. Federation Square is Melbourne’s first public square, located at the intersections of Flinders Street and Swanston Street in Melbourne’s CBD area, adjacent to Melbourne’s busiest railway station – Flinders Street Station. It is a mixed-use development in the inner city of Melbourne built on top of a concrete deck above busy railway lines. A key part to the design is its large and fixed public screen which is used to broadcast major sporting events like FIFA World Cup. As a Christmas special, standing right in the middle of Federation Square is the largest LEGO Christmas Tree in the Southern Hemisphere, made from half a million LEGO bricks. It is just amazing and every single item of the display is made entirely out of LEGO. It’s jaw-dropping!

FEDERATION SQUARE

Opening hrs: varies between shops (around 1000-1800hrs).

Address: Corner of Swanston and Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000.

http://fedsquare.com/

LEGO CHRISTMAS TREE

Opening hrs: 27th Nov to 27th Dec 2015 (no opening hrs).

Address: Federation Square, Corner of Swanston and Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000.

http://fedsquare.com/events/christmas-at-fed-square

#13: Federation Square.

#14: Federation Square.

#15: St Paul's Cathedral opposite of Federation Square.

#16: LEGO Christmas Tree at Federation Square.

#17: LEGO cube of the Christmas tree display.

#18: Santa's sleigh of the Christmas tree display.

#19: Candy canes of the Christmas tree display.

#20: Christmas elf of the Christmas tree display.

#21: Nutcracker of the Christmas tree display.

I moved on to St Paul’s Cathedral, which is just directly opposite Federation Square. The cathedral was such a peaceful place that I feel so secured even though I am an atheism. It is an Anglican cathedral in Melbourne, Australia. The cathedral is in a prominent location at the central of Melbourne, on the east corner of Swanston St and Flinders St, situated diagonally opposite of Flinders Street Station. Flinders Street Station was the first railway station in Australia and the busiest station in the late 1920s. It is a cultural icon of Melbourne with its prominent dome, arched entrance, tower and clocks. Two Melbournian idiom “I’ll meet you under the clocks” refers to the row of clocks above the main entrance that indicates the departure times for the trains, and “I’ll meet you on the steps” refers to the wide staircase underneath these clocks.

ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

Opening hrs: 0800-1800hrs (Mon-Fri), 0900-1600hrs (Sat), 0730-1930hrs (Sun).

Address: Corner of Flinders and Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.

http://www.stpaulscathedral.org.au/

#22: Entrance of St Paul's Cathedral.

#23: St Paul's Cathedral.

#24: St Paul's Cathedral.

At the same cross junction is also where Princes Bridge is located. Princes Bridge, originally Prince’s Bridge, is an important bridge in the central of Melbourne, Australia. The bridge connects Swanston Street on the north bank of Yarra River to St Kilda Road on the south bank, and carries road, tram and pedestrian traffic. Due to its position, the bridge is often a focal point for celebratory events in Melbourne like the New Year’s Eve and many other celebrations that takes place along Yarra River.

PRINCES BRIDGE

Address: Princes Bridge, St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3000.

#25: Princes Bridge.

Few steps away from St Paul’s Cathedral is the Graffiti Lane (Hosier Lane), an entire lane dedicated to street art and everyone is free to doodle on anything found in this lane, be it walls, doors, or even bins. It is a much celebrated landmark in Melbourne, Australia, with its sophiscated urban art. The lane lies opposite the entrance to the Atrium at Federation Square on Flinders Street. The graffiti covered walls and art installations become a popular backdrop for fashion and wedding photography. Hosier Lane is also known for its cocktail lounges.

GRAFFITI LANE

Address: Hosier Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000.

#26: Graffiti Lane.

#27: The coolest graffiti of all.

#28: Graffiti Lane.

Last but not least, I ended the day off at Victoria Docklands where Webb Bridge and Seafarers Bridge are located, a 15mins tram ride from Federation Square. Webb Bridge is one of the many bridges over the Yarra River. It is designed by distinguished Melbourne artist, Robert Owen and Architects Denton Corker Marshall, with Aboriginal fishing baskets, fishing traps and drums in mind, along with the winding flow of the river itself. Due to its design that resembles a mesh or a web, it is also often referred as “Web” Bridge. Another distinctive bridge across the Yarra River is Seafarers Bridge. It is a footbridge over the Yarra River, between Docklands and South Wharf in Melbourne, Australia. The bridge connects the north and south banks of the river, providing a formal entrance to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The iconic bridge consists of three arches on the north side and four arches on the south side.