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| random photo: public toilet along the road. my sister said that she doesnt use this because the door automatically opens once the 3 minutes wiwi time is up |
State Library of Victoria
Even from outside, the library is already a lovely place because of its architecture. And the fact that it's not only a library but also a meeting and a hang-out place (at least based from what I saw) adds to its appeal.
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| See what I mean? People hanging out |
Im not at the State Library of Victoria writing on one of the desks inside the La Trobe reading room. You know that pretty reading area at the center of the building? Yes, that's where I am.
Im hungry and I can feel the call of nature but I just cant let the opportunity of sitting on one of its chairs and writing on one of its desks pass. Ang ganda! Im so happy I wanna cry. This is one of those moments that you just want to freeze :)
I went to the galleries earlier. I have stayed here for 1 hour and 30 minutes already but I have not noticed the time. They have a free exhibit of books. Old books, wooden tablets, midget books, etc. Ang saya saya! Ooh, the geek in me is so happy right now!
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| School kids taking a photo of the beauty infront of them Like me, they were also gushing |
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| La Trobe Reading Room from the second floor |
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| The gallery and the dome |
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| The galleries |
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| The dome |
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| Entering the reading room |
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| I know I had to sit here |
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| Or maybe here...Yeah, I sat here |
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| The design |
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| Note on the exhibit |
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| Ned Kelly's armour |
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| Replica of Ned Kelly's face - kinda spooky |
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| Can you see the design? Pretty |
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| The Bible...made of wood |
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| Scroll |
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| Midget book which apparently was common during the turn of the 20th century |
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| I wonder what it says inside |
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| Kids on a library tour |
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| Probably |
Brunswick Street
My grumbling stomach is the primary reason why Im here, otherwise, I might still have been inside the library by now. Anyway, Im hungry and Im looking for the fish and chips place I read online called Hooked. They say it has one of the best fish and chips in town. Yes, I know the address and I have a map so finding it should be fine.
Okay, Im now walking along Brunswick St. Where is #384? Oh, there's a street sign that shows which shops are located in this block...What? The first block is only until 40? Uh-oh. This is going to be a looong walk.
And a long walk indeed it was. Not to exaggerate but I have walked for an hour and 30 minutes just to get to that place. Google says the distance from the State Library to Hooked is 2.6 km and walking would take 33 mins. I guess that's when you know the route. Well, for me, I got lost but I managed to find my way again. So that's additional meters and walking time.
I did not mind the walk though. At the 'entrance' of the street, I saw old, rusty, and beautiful Victorian style apartments. And the whole stretch of Brunswick is filled with bookstores, vintage shops, specialty stores and restaurants so I enjoyed the sight. Para syang isang mahabang Cubao Expo. Whenever I would feel fired, I would just go into one of the bookstores, browse through the books and sit in their couch. Im now realizing that the more than one hour walk could be due to my many stop over. My feet was definitely tired but my soul was very very happy :)
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| Victorian houses |
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| Traffic at Brunswick Street |
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| Murals |
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| Sidewalk |
After the long walk, I finally saw it! Hooked!
From the outside, it looks just a simple restaurant. The sign even says it's a beer garden. In Manila, a beer garden would mean a different place. Picture videoke machines, men who want to get drunk and have a 'little fun', smoke-filled air, and ladies in skimpy clothing offering their services. But when I peeked inside, it's completely different :) It was definitely wholesome. I didn't manage to take a photo of the interiors because I was shy.
Their fish and chips come on different versions. They had one where you could have set of grilled fish and salad. I wanted the 'authentic' Australian fish and chips though so I ordered for the battered and fried fish with chips and tartare sauce. So, it's what I got.
I was so excited to finally try it. At last, my precious fish and chips. So I took a bite of the chips. Pwede! And then, of the fish. Eeek! Really? I walked for more than an hour just for this? Sure, the fish seems fresh. But it was so tiny that I could hardly taste it! The fish was more of a fried batter with a little slice of fish inside. Tsk tsk. So the hungry me ended up still a bit hungry. I guess I chose the wrong one. Maybe the grilled one with the salad is better. I'll try it next time.
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| #384 Brunswick St, Lygon |
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| Fish and chips |
I was not even half of the walk when I felt mother nature calling again. My mother is so kulit talaga. Tawag ng tawag. The thing is, all of the restaurants in the area are small restaurants. As in ALL. So it's kind of awkward to just barge into one of them and go straight to the toilet. Then I saw Woolworths! I was so happy. I immediately went inside and looked for the toilet sign. But wait, it was a small Woolworths. And wait, they don't seem to have a toilet. So I bought one apple and two pieces of banana and while paying, discreetly asked the cashier where the toilet is. And she told me the bad news, they had none. Oh no! So there, that means I had to go back to the city center.
I took a tram to the center and got off at the first stop where I saw a big building. It was the Old Treasury building. Inside, there was a group of tourists with their guide explaining the history of the building. I didn't know if the tour inside is free or not. So I initially pretended to be one of them. Yes, con artist, that's me! After a few minutes, I couldn't contain it any longer, so I asked the information desk where the toilet is. And she pointed me to an area under the stairs. Sigh. Ive never been so happy seeing a toilet.
After doing my business, I was thinking if I'd still go back to Brunswick or just stay in the area. I was going to meet my high school classmate that afternoon so I decided to just stay in the area. I went to see the mini museum in the building.
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| Old Treasury Building |
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| Women prisoners |
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| Their mug shots were bad ass..they could pass as profile pics now |
I went to St. Patrick after. Im not very good with adjectives so I'll just let the photos do the talking.
I was so happy that day and also as to how my vacation has been progressing so I stayed inside the church for a long time to say my thanks. I like the feel of some churches. And I like how this church felt. I might have stayed there for an hour and was about to leave for Flinders but the rain just started so I decided to stay a bit longer.
There was no mass that time so the church was empty. When I went in, there was one guy saying his prayers. Occasionally, there would be tourists coming in, taking photos of the altar, of the statues and of themselves.
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| St Patrick's Cathedral |
After staying for more than an hour, I decided it was time to go. It was still raining but I braved it! And I realized that it's too strong for me so I went back haha I might have stayed there for an additional 30 minutes before finally leaving. It was still raining but I was already late for my appointment so I just walked under the rain. My jacket was water repellant and I had my wool hat and gloves on so I didn't get soaked but I was still sooo cold. I was playing with my breath while walking. When I couldn't take it anymore, I stopped by Pie Face to buy a cup of coffee. Normally, I wouldn't drink coffee at night but this is a special case. I was really cold! And the coffee helped.
I met my friend at McDonalds near Flinders. He and his wife has migrated here and they have been here for 6 months. We catched up while waiting for his wife. We then transferred to a Japanese restaurant along Swanston for some ramen and more catching up.
Life is good.
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