Pedal Power

Our last days in Melbourne have been both exhausting and relaxing. We spent yesterday running around downtown again, taking in the OTHER Art Gallery of Victoria which featured painting, sculpture, and design from Europe, Asia, and other places other than Australia. One

particularly poignant display was a painting that the museum thought was a Van Gogh, "Head of a Man." For sixty years the gallery thought the work was an original by the celebrated Dutch artist, but a 2007 analysis by the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam put it to tests and proved it was not. It was a real pity, because the curators thought they had the only Van Gogh in Australia. I resolved then and there that if I ever won the Powerball, I would purchase a Van Gogh and give it to these good people to enjoy in perpetuity.

After reviewing some pretty incredible art, we caught a free tram to go deeper into the town center where our guidebook recommended we visit a Victorian era “arcade,” a shopping center set back from the sidewalk and quite elaborate in its interior design. I was somewhat underwhelmed, since the place was so small, but it did contain one storefront that had a selection of original paintings and drawings done by Theodor Seuss Geisel, popularly known as Dr. Seuss. While I would have enjoyed an original sketch of the Cat in the Hat, we had to pass it up. We made our way to lunch after that, and then caught another free tram to the Victoria Market, a giant open air assembly of merchants of various ethnicity hawking cheap merchandise in a babel of tongues. We then returned to the inter-city train station where we heard there was a Banksy exhibit. How one would feature original

works that are done on graffiti walls bewildered me, and I remain in bewilderment since we decided against the thirty dollar ticket price. However, adjacent to the venue was a curious little riverside carnival that we determined to investigate. It was a very odd, and very cool

place where temporary food vendors and bars had been set up around about four different croquet setups, all busy with young people playing the game. Returning to the train station from this place were a string of African food booths, selling the cuisine of Ethiopia and other countries while a stage show of African dancers performed to a hypnotic beat. This was truly sensory overload.

Today we stuck close to our little rental home and prepared to pack up and leave, but we did make one last outing. Availing ourselves of

our host’s kind offer to let us use her bicycles, Jayne and I took a bicycle path to visit a riverside café about 4 kilometers from here. What a great ride! The Yarra River, while hardly a pristine course of water, is quite charming with many homes lining its steep banks. The

bike path we were on went all the way to the downtown, too, and was used by other riders, joggers, and strollers. This accommodation for outdoor recreation was outstanding, and I must say I have not seen the like in Sydney. Indeed, one of the first newspaper stories I read when we arrived in Australia featured an interview with Tour de France champion Cadel Evans who declared he would never ride in Sydney because it is too dangerous. I totally agree.

We ended our bike ride by stopping at the park that lies in the rear of our house to watch members of a local baseball club playing a game. Yes, you thought all these Aussies played cricket, rugby, and that bizarre Australian Rules Football, but here they were, playing American baseball with real spirit. We watched a few pitches, and saw some pretty impressive infield errors, before returning home. Tomorrow it is back on the train to Sydney.