Melbourne City Tour : Next Stop - Shrine of Remembrance & La Trobe's Cottage

Headed back to Federation Square after lunch, the place looked different from when we departed in the morning --- gloomy and deserted. Now, the place is buzzing with life and the architecture in the areas around it is amazing!

Our first stop in the afternoon is the Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial built to honor all the Victorians who served during World Wars (initially built as a memorial to WW1). There was a ceremony going on when we got there, we watched for a while at the formal presentations. This is also the location for the yearly Anzac  and Remembrance Day celebrations. It must be very disconcerting for modern-day Japanese (as the Germans were for Europe) tourists to visit places and be constantly reminded that your Imperial army had created havoc and mass murder in the name of war to a lot of countries in the Pacific. 

I remembered years ago when I was in Manila and we went inside the walled city of Intramuros, the tour guide was loudly explaining to all tourists that "this is where the Japanese had imprisoned and tortured....." and I was with a Japanese friend that time! Ouch, how awkward.....but they must be used to it by now. Not their fault as they were not even born yet that time, but they have to live with the reminders of it nonetheless.

We went inside the classically designed museum next to the Shrine, it was nicely laid out and labeled. I like museums which are very organized, items displayed according to chronological order so its easier for the visitor to follow the whole story. It was dedicated mainly for the lives that was lost with all the wars that  the  locals have taken part. 

From the top of the Shrine, the city of Melbourne beckons. 

Just a little farther east (you need to step out from the Shrine grounds) near the Botanical Gardens entrance is the well-preserved and perfectly maintained "La Trobe's Cottage", a former home of the first Victorian Governor --- Charles La Trobe. The cottage was built in 1839-40 with prefab materials brought all the way from England.