Being Indian: Magnificent Melbourne

"Melbourne " the word brings a collage of experiences to me. I heard the beautiful word when I was 10 years old and India was battling out at MCG. since then I have been treasuring the beautiful charm called Melburne in my " Must visit " cities.

The majestic city of Melbourne places itself at the cultural peak of Modern Australia. undoubtedly the cultural capital of Australia , Melbourne brings together a great mix of experiences to an avid traveller and a connoisseur of arts , culture , sports and fabulous food. This makes Melbourne a "Must Visit" destination for me.

I wanted to look at Melbourne through various eyeglasses , the first one from the Arts perspective. it will be Absolutely wonderful to visit the city and find the great architecture fusion of different styles in one place. A wonderful exihibition of Neo gothic , Colonial Georgian , Renaissance revival and Spanish mission styles dote the landscape of this great city. The city presents a great walking experience as you soak in the changes in the urban landscape over the period of 3 centuries. It will be a great start to understand the city and its history.

I am told when you visit Melbourne ,you should time your visit with one of the great festivals . You can count a number of festivals which make this city the cultural hub of Australia. Whenever you visit this city ,you are sure to be swept away clean in one of these festivals. To name a few - Melbourne International Film Festival , Melbourne writers festival , Melbourne Arts festival and many more The apt title of festival city brings together cultural experience of a wide range of ethnic communities that have settled in Melbourne .

I would love to be spoilt with choices on what I need to see,view ,breathe and experience at these great rituals of modern age. I think one should not wait for the best calendar of events , with so much to absorb , I am sure the call will be - "It's your time to visit Melbourne NOW".

The second view of Melbourne will come from its beatutiful landscape and outdoor experience . The great site of the Tweleve Apostles and David Attenborough's narration has made this a must do event in my Melbourne plan. visiting the Penguin parade at Phillip Island will be a great experience too. It will be great fun to explore various beaches south of city to experience Aussie outdoors and surf.

I can't visualise Melbourne without talking about its Sporting traditions. How can I miss my first introduction to "Melbourne " through MCG ? The boxing day ritual of Test Match cricket and a glorious site of MCG full to its capacity cheering the start of the test match is an experience worth dying for and I wanted to cherish it in My Melbourne sojourn. I will be flooded with memories of the great sporting duels which took place here and it will be a truly memorable experience for the cricket lover like me.

while in love with MCG , I can't forget Australian open Tennis and Melbourne F1 which brings together another cocktail of sports to Melbourne and makes it even more tempting.

The last view of Melbourne I need to enjoy is all about its cuisine and warmth of people . Of it's many laurels , Melbourne also is lauded as the most liveable city and most edible city in the world. The city is a gourmet dream and brings together experience from many cultures , Italian,Middle Eastern ,Vietnamese . I will spoilt for choice in trying the amazing varieties these bistros, cafes and restaurants offer. The exposure of Masterchef Australia has brought me closer to Aussie food and the famous chefs of Melbourne. I will look towards dining at Vue de Monde and No.35 enjoying fabulous creations of the top hated chefs of Melbourne.

Each city has its odd side and Melbourne runs great in this aspect as well. I will look towards experiencing " Ned Kelly" experience restaurant .

Surely Melbourne will be riot of experiences which will make you overwhelmed . I wish I have a great vocabulary to pen every new experience in this great city and find enough adjectives to share them with my readers.

More on Melbourne can be checked at www.visitmelbourne.com/in

still more ,wait till I visit and come back with my impressions . Till then cheers.