a cultural day around melbourne.

One of my two jobs had training once a week on Wednesday mornings. Attendance was encouraged, but not mandatory. The hour long sessions would often be tastings of new dishes on the menu if seasons changed, wine tastings of worldly regions, or have producers of the wagyu meat they serve come in to talk to us about their farm and production processes. One day, we were invited to a guided tour of the state library's exhibition: Gusto! A culinary history of Victoria. I had already been - clearly - but was interested enough to go back for the guided version. Ok, I didn't really learn too much more, but the morning sparked my interest to continue my day of Victorian culture by heading to the National Gallery of Victoria. 

I couldn't, or didn't want to, afford the entrance fee to the Napoleon exhibition, but instead wandered around looking at all the art, sculpture, and artefacts. I racked my brain to remember some art history knowledge from my uni minor, knowing very well not one of the classes mentioned a thing about Australian art or art history.

It's very soothing to go into an art museum on your own. It's very quiet, reflective. You feel cultural just being there. I often feigned interest stopping to look at certain pieces while blatantly walked past others. Multitudes of school groups from fidgety children to bored teenagers filled the different rooms and I slowly walked past, interested to hear what the guide had to say but obviously not blending into the group well enough to linger without getting dirty, greedy looks from the guide or creepy, stranger-danger looks from the teachers. I walked around, desperately wanting my mum to be there as I know she would have liked it. Maybe not necessarily the art, but me being in a museum!  

My favourite room was The Salon Room, which had paintings packed up and down the length and width of the walls in the style they used to hang them  in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in Europe. The artist/work lost a bit of their individual attention when being the only focal point on a bare wall, but I liked the look of them all together.

The painting below is titled Anguish. It caught my attention.

This one reminded me of Ted being blown over by the waves on the Great Ocean Road. 

Then afterwards, to continue my cultural day off, I sauntered back to the state library to look at their food and nutrition books, somehow inspired to want to study more. Learn more. Then I got hungry and went to buy $2 sushi rolls, the cheapest and most favourite Melbourne snack.  And Then I went for a run in the park! What a rewarding day!