Exploring Melbourne

Fortunately for me, the saga of the missing phone ended happily enough. When I went downstairs for breakfast, the woman at the reception asked whether I had heard anything and I said that I hadn't. Neither had she heard back from the taxi company. "Did you try calling the phone?" she asked. I hadn't but was determined to so  thinking that perhaps it had slid under the seat and that the cabbie didn't know it was there. Armed with dialing instructions from the front desk I went back upstairs. The first time I tried the phone rang, but eventually went to voicemail. I tried again, but this time the message said that the phone was either switched off or unavailable. Now I was worried that the battery was dead. I was about to go back downstairs but decided to give it one more try and lo and behold the driver answered. He said he was on his way but that I would have to pay the fare from his starting point. So when I went back downstairs I described the conversation. Apparently he had already alerted the hotel and was on his way to return it. So when he arrived I said,"OK. Let's go pay the fare." He just shook his head and said, "No,no. You just give me something."   Aha, I thought to myself, a little something off the meter." I gave him probably more than I should have, but I got my phone back and that's all that mattered right now.

The statue of Irish statesman, Daniel O'Connell,
outside St. Patrick's Cathedral.

So, freed from the concerns about my phone, I set out to explore Melbourne. I decided to start with St. Patrick's cathedral which was close to my hotel. It's a massive Neo-Gothic structure. Perhaps because it was fairly dark and overcast, it looked kind of brooding. The stone, too, is apparently a local bluestone that has a dark gray cast. It is a beautiful space inside, suitably grand. Compared to St. Mary's cathedral in Sydney, however, it seemed heavy. The cathedral in Sydney was much lighter in feel and color. There's a lovely park surrounding the cathedral and some wonderful sculptures. All in all, it is an impressive tribute to the mostly Irish immigrants who paid with their hard earned money to build this cathedral.


Close to the cathedral was the Mary Mac Killop Heritage Center. Mary Mac Killop, or Sister Mary of the Cross Mac Killop, is Australia's only canonized saint. I remembered reading about her when she was canonized about 10 years ago and she seemed to have had a colorful life. I thought it would be interesting to learn more about her. She founded an order of sisters of St. Joseph to work with the poor, especially running schools for poor children. In addition to schools, her sisters ran shelters for women in difficulty and had soup kitchens for the poor.

 The center itself is in a house where she lived for a time; and, where her sisters still have outreach to the poor. The gallery space is small, but very well organized. In one of the displays about Mary's family history, I learned that they,too, were among the Scottish Catholics who were forced  to leave after the clearing of the Highlands. She had a grandmother named MacDonald, so maybe we are related. I left very moved by the memory and missionary zeal of this holy woman.

Following my visit, I made my way towards the former center of Italian immigration in Melbourne. My route took me through a large park, in the center of which sits the enormous Melbourne Exposition Hall, built in the late 1800's, a testament to the city's civic pride.

Little Italy, or what's left of it, is in the Carlton district of the city, mostly along Lygon St. As you walk along, there is one Italian restaurant after another, cafes, a few old-school shops, but lots of non-Italian things as well. The mixture reminded me a bit of Little Italy in Manhattan. I also visited the Museo Italiano, the little museum that celebrates the presence of the Italian community in Australia in general, but more specifically the Italian contribution to Melbourne. After grabbing a quick bite, I hopped on one of the free trams to head to the downtown area.

Walking through Chinatown

The main shopping area is typical of any modern urban landscape. You see almost all the same stores. The one difference in Melbourne is the presence of many arcades and lanes which are filled with little eateries and shops. I walked back to my hotel, passing through Chinatown, which I am told is the oldest in the world - even older than San Francisco's. It, too, is filled with restaurants but seems devoid of a living community. It feels, rather, that it is maintained primarily for the tourists.