Day 19 Melbourne, AU

Breakfast at the Sydney hotel. Finished packing and we all got on the bus.

We hit a bit of traffic on the way to the Sydney Airport, but we still made it in plenty of time. Fred parted with us, on his way back to the States. We promised to take care of Denise.

Harry checked everyone in as a group. I had checked in online (rebel that I am) yesterday. Our flight was delayed a bit. It was a little over 1 hour flight from Sydney to Melbourne. 

Our Melbourne Site Coordinator, Richard De Gille, and driver, Leo, met us at baggage claim. The rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney was demonstrated clearly by Richard and Harry's gentle ribbing. I felt conspicuous, wearing my Sydney Bridgeclimb hat in Melbourne. 

I didn't realize how big Melbourne is; over 5 million people in 2019. It's projected to soon surpass the largest Australian city, Sydney (5.3 million). The city is buzzing, with the Australian Open tennis tournament in progress in town.

We drove around the Central Business District (CBD) a little and admired the fascinating architecture. Leo dropped us off near the restaurant, Young & Jackson. We heard the story of and admired the portrait of Chloe, a Melbourne icon, ingénue, a nymph, and a celebrity. 

From there, Leo drove us to the Shrine of Remembrance, a National War Memorial of great significance to Melburnians. It was quite hot and humid in the blazing sun. But we enjoyed Richard's explanation of the memorial. 

Then we walked to the Royal Botanic Gardens. There are SO many gardens in this city. We walked by the lakes and through the fern gully, where it was remarkably cooler.

Leo drove us to the Melbourne Marriott Hotel. We all retired to our rooms to unpack and relax.

We met in the bar around 6:30 for drinks. Then we moved to the restaurant for our pre-ordered dinners. There were name tags at our seats. Gerry almost couldn't find his, due to the butchering of his name. It was very funny.

I came back to my room. Tomorrow will be a very busy day.

Photo: At the Royal Botanic Gardens.