This evening I went to Aikido.
Aikido these days seems to involve (since there is often only two of us students) Sensei throwing one of us until we're so exhausted we can't stand, then throwing the other of us until we're so exhausted they can't stand. Then he goes back to the first person..
So, after an hour of that, I biked around the city in circles for another hour in order to go bouldering (I was following someone who wasn't particularly sure where they were going.)
The odd thing is, even though we were basically still in the central city, down by the river we could have been miles out in the country. It looked like this:
.. except even more picturesque. I would have got pics of the prettier bit, but I was too busy trying to keep up with my climbing buddies, Tom & Yeshe, on their flash new bikes. For some reason it's buy-a-new-bike-week, and nobody told me. Hmph.
Anyway, the bouldering spot was this totally excellent wall under a railway bridge: 
Lots of awesome crimps, tricky footwork, a ton of variety, lots of vertical movement required to traverse.. FUN!
The kind of spot where you can move a couple of feet left or right & hit a totally different grade. It was awesome.
Oh, I almost got hit in the head by an egg, thrown by a passing car (apparently it's the kind of thing that happens around here), but my awesome powers of magical egg deflection protected me. Not so lucky the pavement (or the wall, but it didn't hit any of the holds, so hey, who cares, right?)
Anyway, we got an hour or so there before it got too dark to see, then biked back along the river. This was pretty awesome. It's a chunk of the river I've never seen before, including these nifty jetties that are pretty much there just for the cyclists. The first one was confusing (we got lost), but after that we got the hang of them:
Not so complicated really. Looks like it's for boats — but it's not! I rode along about 10 of these in an 8km stretch. Super cute!
On the way we also stumbled across an actual designated bouldering zone. Wtf? Yes, it's true. There were three walls there, ranging from easy (vertical) to medium (slight overhang) to hard (extreeeeme overhang. Ok, it wasn't a roof, but still, it all helps). Plastic holds on wood, but tons to choose from. Here's what climbers look like at night:
Umm, yes, that's more or less normal behaviour. Climbers have a special gene hidden from the rest of the population. Emphasis on 'special'.
Here's what the river looked like right by that second bouldering spot:
And this was wayyyy closer to the city. Crazy, I know. I was a touch concerned about standing on a snake, since I had to venture into long grass to take this shot, & everything was pitch black (this camera is insane in low light), but hey, both my ankles are intact. Australian snake population: 0. Si: 1.
So that was fun. We played there for a while, then I left the other guys & continued along the river. The great thing was, even though chunks of the ride were near a motorway, you could hardly tell, it was just so damn beautiful:
I also passed this:
I have no idea what that means.
I tell you what though. There really are uglier places to be than this:
(click for much nicer, bigger version)
Also nifty was getting to bike past one of my favourite art installations in Melbourne, the weirdo bells (probably not their official name):
All these bells on sticks are controlled by computer, and every hour or so they play whatever piece they're currently programmed with. They're all different pitches, and it's kinda crazy to be surrounded by them all going nuts at once.
Also neat — finding a new walk bridge I didn't know existed:
I arrived home super exhausted, aching, bruised and thoroughly happy.
WOW! This is all so surreal to me!
I just got a bike, and am loving exploring the city and riding along the Yarra in the afternoons. I moved to Melbourne six months ago, and sometimes I think the people in this town really don't appreciate it.… (just going by the reactions to my grin at everything I see..hehe). It's so great to see that you do. I love the photos of the things that I pass and admire daily, like the bells and the rainbow sign (what does it mean? I thought I was the only one out of the loop!)
Thanks for this post Simon, really made me smile :)
P.s. I'd love some hints on some more great bike trails.….. Like, where are those jetties??? Oh please share your secrets.….
*laugh*
first, I prefer Si to Simon, but that's no biggie.
second, well, mostly I bike inner city — so haven't seen too many trails, per se — but I can tell you where the jetties are. If you head to the yarra from fed sq, then go east, on the north side of the river, they're along there — you'll have to bike well past the end of the botanical gardens to see them though, so they're a little way along..
and you know, it's like any place — our brains are conditioned to filter out everything except what we're specifically interested in — so if we're heading to point A, point A is all we see. So easy to miss so much, no matter where you live.
So how are you finding Melbourne, other than your bike rides?
Oh, my apologies! Si it is :)
Fantastic, I live right near fed sq, so I'm definitely going to check those jetties out. Thank you!
I really like Melbourne, and I feel a great sense of freedom here. I know that comes with being in a new place, not having many ties, re defining myself etc etc, but I also feel there is something about this particular city that warms me. Somehow it feels like home. I could go on and on about the unique culture and beauty, but I think you're already on to that :). Thanks for asking… Are you from Melbourne originally?
Oh wow, we're both crazy central. Nuts!
And me? From Melbourne? Hell no. I've only been here a couple of years. Still a relative newbie, as these things go :)
It doesn't feel like home, but I do enjoy it for what it is.. and I simply ADORE the sky..
Really pretty place, esp. the grassy side of the night river.
When you said there are "uglier places" I laughed & laughed.
It's funny cuz it's true. ;)
Yes! It's amazing isn't it? When I first moved here, I commented to a friend about the brilliant sunrises and sets in vic and she replied she had never noticed. That blew me away! I guess like you said, it's that old conditioning thing– it is easy to miss so much.
Can I ask– Do you have a place that feels like home?…
hehe, well, living way up in a skyscraper as I do, it's damn hard to avoid that sky. I love it.
As for places that feel like home — well, Wellington NZ has always felt that way for me. I have a lot of family there, and spent a ton of time living there, so that helps.
I am mellowing on Melbourne though, and enjoying it a lot more these days — particularly since I did a bunch of healing on hating it for stupid reasons (eg, my ex hated it with a vengeance, so I kinda picked that up. doh!). Outside just a reflection of inside, etc :)
Wow… I can't image living in a place that I hated! What's to hate about Melbourne?
um… that was supposed to be "imagine", and feel free to tell me to mind my own business! hehe
*laugh* ahh, she was just very easily bored. She's in NYC now, and anything less than that was never going to satisfy her.
No biggie really. Each to their own, etc *shrug*
(oh, and you should be able to edit your comments, just by clicking edit, underneath it)
hehe, oh thanks, I'm so not techno savvy! Well it's cool that you're enjoying Melbourne now, do you think you will stay here for a while then?
I honestly have no idea.
I'm enjoying training Aikido here. I'm loving the sky. Other than that, I'm just playing it by ear. Day by day. We'll see what happens. I'll be here till I get the nudge to move somewhere else. That's usually how things seem to work for me.
I like that. I think it is a great way to live. To follow your heart and go with what comes. It sounds cliche, but it rings true for me, anyway. Well, enjoy your weekend sky and thanks again for the pics :)