This week we travelled to our state capital city, Melbourne, as we need to do a number of times a year. In addition, Acerules goes there on school excursions. Each time we go, I try to incorporate a cultural visit to make the long hours of travel, 10-12 that day, worthwhile.
Top to bottom: crochet on a tree trunk in Swanston st, Cathedral Arcade, Christmas tree in Federation Square, and Acerules in Bourke st mall, copyright Runningonempty.
However, this time we decided to view the famous Myer Christmas windows, in Bourke st. Mall, a tradition for families at this time of year. The theme of the animated displays this year was a retelling of Alice In Wonderland. I read there were 12,000 hours of work in the handmade, moving, mechanised puppets. Photographing them with the crowd, and the reflections on a sunny day, was difficult. I hope you get an impression, though, but remember the figures moved, also. (Photographs are copyright Runningonempty.)
Acerules had never seen the Myer windows at Christmas in Melbourne. She thought she couldn’t be bothered, but I took her anyway. She was enthralled. (It’s not a story I’ve ever been into, as I think the author was just on drugs, but I acknowledge it as a classic culturally. ) I guess the appeal for a teen was the slightly gothic appearance of Alice, not with blonde locks like the book I grew up with, but bobbed brunette (like the latest fashion in hair in 2018.) She had also studied the original book at school.
After Acerules saw the windows, we wandered into Myer department store, then out again to have our afternoon tea in the sun in Bourke st Mall. A great place to people watch. As usual I couldn’t resist taking funny photos of strangers with their own camera phones. It’s gratifying when they look at them and smile.
Here are some other photos I took as we wended our way back to the train station. (Copyright Runningonempty.)
Below, you will find a link to a post I wrote last year about Christmas in Australia during my childhood. Some things have changed, some have not:
http://anaussieintheworld.blogspot.com/2017/12/christmas-past.html
Sorry it’s not letting me remove the duplicate of the music video.
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Oh, right up top? I remember that purse. It’s wonderful. It looks as though it were carelessly dropped there by a passing giant. I have a picture of it somewhere.
So much credit to that store and the brilliant artist who created those windows … I rather like your window reflections, because Melbourne has such wonderful architecture it somehow adds to the magic. I’m so glad you dragged Acerules there. What a pity it would have been to miss that.
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Yes, as she grew up in Sydney she had never seen the Melbourne windows. Thanks for your comment!
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This is terrific! I love the yarn bombing on the trees and the Alice exhibits are exquisite — so well done. Sounds like a wonderful day.
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Thanks marmalade, yes, yarn bombing crops up in our town too. Even on the nature strip bollards in the middle of the road and on the war memorial! (See my first post on this site for that.)
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