Brighton Beach

One of the most visited beaches in Mebourne by tourists is Brighton Beach because of these colorful little houses called 'bathing boxes'. They've ben in the area since 1881 and it originallly served for swimmers and visitors to change because it was prohibited  to walk around in swimsuits! A very unique place that anyone coming to Melbourne must see. Another city ícon.

And there's also an awesome view of the CBD (Central Business District).

I spent a fun afternoon there with Juan.

 The most photographed bathing box.

But there was one yellow and green too - the Brazilian colors.

 

 Seagulls are all over the place there too.

Os bondes de Melbourne - Melbourne's trams

O sistema de transportes urbanos de Melbourne, embora eu já tenha lido críticas sobre ele, considero muito, muito bom. Há ciclovia em TODAS as ruas, tornando a bicicleta um meio seguro de locomoção. As ruas são amplas, com sinalização inclusiva (placas em braille, por exemplo) e acessível, o que torna o trânsito impressionantemente bem organizado. Entre os meios públicos de transporte, há opções de ônibus, trems e bondes, sendo que os bondes são os meios mais populares e cortam boa parte da cidade. Os bondes são, inclusive, um símbolo da cidade, sempre presentes em cartões postais e em souvenirs. Melbourne conta com a maior rede de bondes do mundo. São muitos tipos: grandes, pequenos, antigos, modernos, todos servindo de forma muito eficiente os pedestres, sem contar que enfeitam graciosamente a cidade.

Even though I've heard some criticism against it, the urban transport system in Melbourne is considered very, very good. There are cycle lanes in every street, making riding a bike extremely safe. The roads are wide and with inclusive (with signs in braille) and accessible signs, which makes traffic impressively well organized. Among the public means of transportation are trains, buses and trams. Trams are the most popular and they criss-cross most of the city. Trams are even a symbol of Melbourne, present in postcards and in souvenirs. Melbourne has the largest tram network in the world. There are several types - old, new, large, and small, all serving pedestrians efficiently and decorating the city graciously. 

Tem também o City Circle, uma linha grátis, que faz um círculo na região comercial da cidade, mostrando os pontos mais importantes e históricos.

There is also the City Circle, a free service which goes around the central business district (CBD) showing the main tourist and historical sites.

Um dia, estávamos num bonde que deu problema no freio. Dentro de alguns poucos minutos, chegou o socorro e o problema foi resolvido. Certamente o eficiente sistema de transporte urbano de Melbourne coopera com o título de 'melhor cidade para se viver'.

One day, we were on a trams that had a problem in the brakes. Within a few minutes, service came and the problem was repaired. Certainly the efficient transport system cooperates in its title - best city in the world to live'.

A cada chance que eu tinha, eu tirava uma foto de um tram.
Every chance I had I would take a picture of a passing tram.

Esse era o que eu pegava todos os dias.

This is the one I took every day.

***

Sonho com o dia que teremos no Brasil um sistema eficiente e seguro de transporte urbanos. Mas confesso que não acredito que meu sonho um dia se torne realidade. Enquanto isso, nossos governantes só se preocupam em construir viadutos e ampliar as vias...

I dream of the day when we will have an efficient and safe public transport system, but I confess my hopes are not high. Meanwhile, all our governors think of is building bridges, overpasses, and wider roads...

*** 

"Não podemos reduzir o tráfego construindo mais estradas, pois imediatamente teremos mais  trânsito que irá encher as vias na mesma velocidade que estava antes. A únca maneira de reduzir o tráfego é introduzindo um melhor sistema de transporte público, que por sua vez reduzirá o número de pessoas que andam de carro nas ruas.”
– Professor Martin Mogridge, University College London

“We cannot reduce congestion by building more roads since immediately we get more traffic to fill them up to the same speed as before. The only way to reduce congestion is to introduce better public transport facilities which reduce the number of people who travel by car on the roads.”
– Professor Martin Mogridge, University College London

Que saudade dos bondes de Melbourne!
I miss Melbourne trams!

Street art in Melbourne

One of the unique things about Melbourne is that you can find the neatest street art in some approved places in the city. They can be alleys, streets or simply house walls. It is also one of the icons of Melbourne. They are spread all around the town. I saw it in a guidebook and couldn't stop until I found the places - or some of them because there are so many. Two of them I found by chance. One was very close to where I was staying in Carlton. Here are some pictures.

That makes a simple street fill your eyes and heart with beauty. And gives you a lot of reasons to take amazing pictures!

Sydney

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Sydney is beautiful. Everywhere is beautiful. Just walking down Darling Harbour, the view of the bay area, the Opera House, the buildings, everywhere you look you find aesthetics in its fullest form. We were there for two days only. On the first day, we went to the main tourist spots in the city. On the next day we took a walk down the coast from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach. Marvelous coast. No worries!

Opera House and Harbour Bridge

 There are seagulls everywhere. I love them.

 Laid-back, no-worries, Aussie style - easy to get used to it!

An aborigine performing in the street by the harbour. A guy was playing the didgeridoo, their most typical instrument, and the guy was dancing and taking pictures with the tourists.

 This is the entrance to The Rocks Museum. It tells the story of Sydney since the aboriginal people were the sole inhabitants, before the European settlement. Very interesting. The buildings from over 100 years ago have been preserved in this area after a lot of protests, because the government planned to knock the whole area down (called The Rocks) to make new buildings. 

 Second day - The walk along the beach took us about 3 hours. It was such a scenic thing to do!

 On the way, Waverley Cemetery, the most scenic burial ground in the world. Right across from the ocean.

To protect swimmers form sharks and from the rocks, they build these pools by the shore. The sea water itself fills the pool in the high tide.

 I liked this one the best. Tamarama Beach.

The souvenir I got back - an Aussie suntan! Face, chest, arms and back! I hadn't gotten a suntan  for ages! It wasn't sunny at all - it was cloudy actually - but the sun here really burns you without your noticing it.

 The sun marks from my top! Bicolor Deb!